The multimillionaire William Hearst forbade anyone in his residence to utter the word “death” and had withered palm leaves painted green, yet he died like everyone else. This sermon, based on the second chapter of Hebrews (Hebrews 2), shows a great God who does not watch our struggles from above but in Jesus becomes a man, our brother of flesh and blood, to defeat, through his own death, the one who holds the power of death. You will also hear about Leo Tolstoy’s torments and about a mop in a mahogany display case that changed someone’s life. Listen if you want to stop painting dead leaves green.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- The author of Hebrews quotes Psalm 8: "What is man that you are mindful of him?" What does this psalm say about human beings, and why does the author apply the same words to Jesus?
- Hebrews 2:8 says we do not yet see everything subject to humanity, but we see Jesus. According to the sermon, what changed because of sin, and how does Jesus answer that situation?
- The sermon mentions William Hearst, who had the withered leaves of a palm tree painted green. In what ways do you or the people around you "paint the leaves green" to avoid thinking about death?
- According to Hebrews 2:14-15, Jesus through death defeated the devil and freed those held in slavery by the fear of death. How does this truth change the way you see the meaning of your life?
- Jesus is not ashamed to call us brothers, and He Himself was tempted, betrayed and suffered innocently. What does it mean to you that God is as close as a brother in your hardest moments?
- The speaker says that suffering worked through well makes us more like Jesus and more sensitive to others. What difficult experience can you entrust to Jesus this week, and to whom can you show compassion?
