Life on the Vine

 

John 15:1-8, the Gospel appointed for the 5th Sunday of Easter in the Year of Mark, comes on the heels of the Great High Priestly Prayer of Jesus in the preceding chapters.  It seems out of place to have Jesus talk about remaining in Him when He has just said that he is leaving.  What is evident, then, is that it is the Resurrected One to whom we will be attached.  It is the Resurrected One and the Spirit of this One who will enable us to bear fruit in life.  Being fruitful in our union with Christ, that is the goal.  The preacher's task is to challenge the listeners to hear this call.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but have been designed to highlight the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. The function of the Word is important because the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must, at least in part, function.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  There is both Law and Gospel in this text, both promise and a call to repentance.  The Law is present as we hear the need for pruning and the dangers of becoming separated from the vine.  We need Jesus.  He is life for us.  The Gospel is present in the promises that fruit will be borne as we abide in Christ, and more than that, our prayers to God, as God's abiding ones, will be heard and answered.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are, as Augustine says, "the twigs."  We are the branches whose very life depends on being attached to the vine.  We are also those who are lovingly cut and pruned in order that God's will might be done in God's vineyard.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The primary call is to abide in Christ.  We who have been grafted into the vine are called to remain in this life-giving relationship.  Also implied in the first verses is that we must be open to the pruning that the Word does in us.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Using the language present here we might consider the following couplets to guide us:  separated from/attached to Christ; dead wood/fruitful branches; dirty/clean.

5.  Exegetical work:  The opening line is the last of the "I AM" statements of Jesus:  I am the true vine. The word translated "true" can also be translated "genuine" or "real."  This is a reminder to us that there are "fake" vines, other voices that offer to be our source of life.  None of them are capable of giving the life Christ gives.  Staying connected with this true vine, "abiding in" this vine is what is required of us.  Many ancient writers, reformers, and contemporary writers recognize this.  Augustine writes, "Why, your assertion that a person of himself works righteousness, that is the height of your self-elation...For whoever imagines that he is bearing fruit of himself is not in the vine, and whoever is not in the vine is not in Christ."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. IVb, p. 168).  The reformer, Oecolampadius says, "...in Christ is the divine Spirit that he transmits into his members and branches - that is, into his true disciples.  And as the branches bear fruit because of the sap...so we too do good works..." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. V, p. 68).  Craig Koester, in his modern commentary writes, "...for the disciples to abide in Jesus means that they abide in his love like branches on a vine, drawing strength from the main stalk and thereby bearing fruit."  (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 272).  Abiding is, however, not the only call in this text.  We are also called to be open to "pruning" by the Word.  Koester's commentary is particularly helpful in discussing this call:  "The need for pruning...assumes that sin remains an issue even for those who belong to Jesus, and God addresses the problem of sin through Jesus' word." "Cleansing by the word means confronting the sin that separates people from Jesus the vine."  "Pruning...is God's corrective judgement on sin rather than a final condemnation."  (Koester, p. 274).

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Chris Repp, in his 2021 analysis, does a masterful job in describing our fruitlessness as lovelessness.  It is clear, then, that Jesus' love is the necessary antidote to our lovelessness.  Go to crossings.org/text-study for the entire analysis.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Many-faceted Image of the Good Shepherd

 John 10:11-18, the Gospel lesson appointed for the 4th Sunday of Easter in the Year of Mark is well-known as part of the Good Shepherd text.  It is paired well with Psalm 23 which accompanies it on this Good Shepherd Sunday.  What is striking about this part of the Good Shepherd chapter is the writer's emphasis on Jesus' willingness to lay down his life, certainly an extraordinary criteria for a shepherd. To risk one's life might be required of a shepherd, but to lay it down?  Here is good news worthy of preaching!

(The following questions have been developed to help exegetes discover the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. These questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are used best as part of a larger repertoire available to students of scripture.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions clearly as both Law and Gospel in this text.  It functions as Gospel, announcing God's love and care, whenever the good shepherd is mentioned:  in laying down their life for the sheep, in knowing the sheep intimately, and in including sheep "that do not belong to this fold."  The Word functions as Law, showing us our need for a Savior, whenever the hired hand is mentioned:  in abandoning the sheep to the wolf, in not caring for the sheep, and in allowing the sheep to be scattered.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We have two choices in this text: we can either identify with the hired hands who are condemned for their cowardice and refusal to care for the sheep, or we can identify with the sheep who are being cared for by the shepherd.  If we choose the former, this text will call us to repentance.  If we choose the latter, this text will bring us hope and strength, knowing that our good shepherd is watching over us.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is no word here that invites us to live in a certain way in response to God's work in Christ.  We might see an invitation to be open to sheep that do not belong to the flock as a call to obedience, but that is not explicit.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The metaphor of shepherding is rich with ideas for couplets.  A few suggestions:  snatched/rescued; scattered/reunited; abandoned/cared for.

5.  Exegetical work: Many scholars have tied the Pharisees in chapter 9 to the hired hands condemned in chapter 10.  Patristic writers and reformers alike have come to this conclusion.  Augustine is a good example:  "Who then is the hireling?  They are some in office in the church, of whom the apostle Paul says, 'Who seek their own, not the things that are Jesus Christ's.'" (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. IVa, p. 346).  Lamar Williamson Jr. is an example of a modern scholar who falls into this line:  "Of all religious authorities who are more interested in their own prestige than in the welfare of God's flock, the text says: 'The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.' (10:10a).  In contrast, Jesus offers himself as the entry way through which the sheep have free access to security on one hand and sustenance on the other." (Preaching the Gospel of John, p. 120).  Craig Koester, another modern scholar, offers an interesting analysis of John's use of this metaphor.  He notes that "the good shepherd imagery helps integrate the human, messianic, and divine dimensions of Jesus' identity into a coherent whole."  Noting how John's listeners/readers would have likely been familiar with the OT imagery in Ezekiel, Jeremiah, and other prophets, he argues that this shepherd image is multivalent, not only showing a contrast with the unfaithful 'shepherds' (i.e. Pharisees and scribes), but revealing Christ's unique exercise of power through giving up his life, and God's extraordinary gift of love in Christ. See Koester's work to read the entire analysis. (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 109-116).

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Mark Marius, in his April 17, 2021 post highlights the question of who we identify with in this text. Are we sheep, hired hands, or even wolves?  It's clear who Jesus is, but who are we? that's the question.  Go to crossings.org/text-study for the entire analysis.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Rising of the Crucified One

 

Luke 24:36b-48 is a familiar text to any seasoned preacher.  It is the Gospel appointed for the 3rd Sunday of Easter in the Year of Mark, and so it appears every three years.  It follows a familiar pattern of Jesus appearing, the disciples disbelieving, food offered, and joy emerging from  the disciples.  In this particular resurrection story the emphasis is on the bodily nature of the Risen One.  It will be the preacher's task to lift this up as well.

(The following questions have been formulated to help the preacher discover how the Word is functioning in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  This is important because the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must function, at least in part.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock. com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word is functioning as both Law and Gospel in this text; as Law, by raising up the terror and doubts of the disciples; and as Gospel, in Christ's willingness to show them his physical body and open their minds.  The Law always functions to show us our need of a Savior; in this text, without a Savior we would be lost forever in terror and doubt. The Gospel always functions to show us Jesus, which is exactly what we have in this text.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are undoubtedly to identify with the disbelieving disciples.  We assume Jesus is dead and what we see is a ghost. We need to be reminded of what the Scriptures revealed regarding the Christ, and we need to have our minds opened.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience comes right at the end of this text as we are called to be witnesses of the resurrection of Christ, to preach repentance and forgiveness to all nations.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Several couplets immediately come to mind as we read this text:  doubt/faith; closed minds/open minds; despair/hope.

5.  Exegetical work:  As is obvious in the text, and Fred Craddock points out so clearly in his commentary, the theme of this text is "the corporality of the risen Christ." (Interpretation series, Luke, p. 289).  The ancients agree.  Ignatius, 2nd century bishop, noted that the risen Christ ate and drank with the disciples "as a real human being."  In the 5th century, Leo the Great, Bishop of Rome, in writing on this text, said that "the resurrection of the Lord was the resurrection of a real body."  Others concur.  This text is about Jesus being physically alive. (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. III, pp. 384-387).  Fred Craddock not only highlights the corporality of Christ but the crucial fact that the Risen One is also the Crucified One.  He argues that if the Christ we are called to follow is not the Crucified One, "then the Christian life can take on forms of spirituality that are without suffering for others, without a cross, without any engagement of issues of life in this world, all the while expressing devotion to a living, spiritual Christ." (Craddock, p. 290).  Reflecting on this may lead us to wonder with our listeners if a risen Christ who is also the Crucified One, is harder for us to embrace than a risen Christ who has neither suffered nor died.  Could it not be a temptation we all experience - to follow a Victorious One, but not one whose victory leads through Golgotha?

6.  How does the Crossings community model work with this text?  There are multiple examples of Law/Gospel analyses of this text on the crossings website, the most recent example being a very inventive one by Matt Metevelis, in which he uses a 2024 Super Bowl ad ("He Gets Us") to show how Jesus more than 'gets us;' he comes in our midst and stands with us.  See all the analyses by going to crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Who Has the Last Word?

 

Mark  16:1-8, the Gospel appointed for the Resurrection of Our Lord in the Year of Mark, is the most unusual of the Easter gospels in that the resurrected Lord makes no appearance, and we are left with the report of terrified and amazed women who say nothing to anyone.  Small wonder that for centuries a section of added verses (9-20) was considered the better ending to the story, an ending where Jesus does appear and the disciples, though still unbelieving, assumedly eventually do what Jesus asks of them.  It will be the preacher's task, however, on this occasion to preach what comes to us in these first 8 verses.  There is both Law and Gospel here!

(The following questions have been formulated to help unearth the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  This is important because the way the Word functions is the way the sermon will need to function as well, at least in part.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This text is filled with evidence of human weakness, and therefore, Law: the women are getting ready to anoint a dead body, they wonder how they will remove the large stone from the mouth of the tomb, they are alarmed and distressed by the presence of a divine messenger and the disappearance of the body of Jesus, and they flee the tomb, saying nothing to anyone.  Their weakness is a sure statement of Law.  The Gospel is present though too, in a hidden way.  The divine messenger assures them, "Jesus is going ahead of you. You will see him, just as he told you."  In other words, your fear will not be the last word.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We most certainly identify with the women.  Everything they do, we would do.  Everything they expect, we would expect.  Their flight at the end is exactly what we would do.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is one imperative in the text:  "Go, tell."  This is the same call that comes to us who have witnessed the power of the risen Lord in our lives.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by the text?  We can imagine a number of classic couplets for this text:  fear/faith; despair/hope; power of death/power of life.

5.  Exegetical work:  I am indebted to Thomas Boomershine and Don Juel for their encouragement to look at this text as story, as narrative.  Boomershine reminds us that the details of this story connect us to the larger narrative.  For example, the repetition of the women's names connects us to the story of Jesus' death and burial, where these same women were present. (15:40, 47).  The detail regarding the very early arising of the women (before dawn) brings us back to the darkness around the crucifixion. (15:33).  Finally, the description of the "young man" reminds us of Jesus' words that "the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of power". (14:52).  (Biblical Performance Criticism, Vol. 12, The Messiah of Peace: A Performance-Criticism Commentary on Mark's Passion-Resurrection Narrative, pp. 327-358).  Don Juel's insightful commentary makes the case for this 'non-ending' as the most authentic rendering of Mark's gospel just by virtue of the fact that the response of the women is exactly in line with the way all the other characters in this narrative behave.  The disciples all desert Jesus, Peter denies, Judas betrays, the soldiers mock, the crowds and leaders taunt. The only exception to all this is the confession by the centurion at the foot of the cross who declares Jesus a son of God.  Even that confession can be seen as less than heroic.  Juel sums it up this way:  "If we agree that the version of the Gospel in the manuscript tradition with the strongest claim to logical priority deserves to be printed in the Bible, it is this version - ending with verse 8 - that will function as canon." (A Master of Surprise: Mark Interpreted, p.110).  Juel identifies the Gospel amidst all these less-than-heroic characters, indeed insisting that our hope is in Jesus' promise, not our own faith:  "Caught up in the narrative's momentum, the last words of the messenger at the tomb impel the reader beyond the confines of the narrative:  'There you will see him, as he told you.'  There will be enlightenment and speaking; the disciples will somehow play the role for which they have been chosen... Jesus is out of the tomb; God is no longer safely behind the curtain... The possibilities of eventual enlightenment for the reader remain in the hands of the divine actor who will not be shut in - or out." (Ibid., p.120).  

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  There are innumerable models of Law/Gospel analysis using the Crossings model, the latest being a fine analysis by Chris Repp. Go to crossings.org/text-study to see them all.

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Glimpse of Christ Crucified

 

Numbers 21:4-9, the First Reading appointed for the 4th Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark, is obviously the perfect reading to partner with John 3:14-21, the Gospel appointed for this day.  Here we have what Christians have claimed is a foreshadowing of the work of Christ.  Just as the Israelites looked to a figure on a pole to be saved from death, we look to Christ for our deliverance.  This is a classic Law/Gospel text, calling us to repentance and announcing God's mercy. The preacher is called to do the same.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to exegetes. These questions have been developed to help disclose how the Word is functioning in the text, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The opening verses lift up Israel's sin, their speaking against God and Moses.  This is the Word functioning as Law, calling them to repentance.  The judgment against the people comes and they beg for mercy, indeed speaking words of repentance:  "We have sinned..."  Gospel is proclaimed with the announcement of God's mercy:  "Everyone who is bitten shall look at [the serpent] and live."

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is always important for us to identify with those to whom the Word is spoken and this text is no exception. We are those bitten by the snake of death, and we need to look to Christ for our life.  

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This text does not invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's gifts.  There is therefore, no call to obedience here.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Many couplets come to mind in this vivid story: dying/alive; poisoned/given an antidote; diseased/healed.

5.  Exegetical work:  Jacob Milgrom, in his commentary on this passage, asks the question: "Why did not God simply remove the plague as He removed all the plagues of Egypt?  The answer given by tradition is that He resorted to this means in order to test Israel's obedience; only those who heeded His command to look at the snake would recover." (The JPS Torah Commentary series, Numbers, p.174).  Milgrom then goes on to lift up an intertestamental text that comments on this famous event from the Wisdom of Solomon:  "For when the terrible rage of wild animals came upon your people and they were being destroyed by the bites of writhing serpents, your wrath did not continue to the end; they were troubled for a little while as a warning, and received a symbol of deliverance to remind them of your law's command.  For the one who turned toward it was saved, not by the thing that was beheld, but by you, the Savior of all." (16:5-7).  This is so interesting, because this interpretation speaks of faith not magic.  It is the Savior who saves, not the object we behold.  Ephrem the Syrian, the 4th century Christian scholar, makes the connection for us: "Just as those who looked with bodily eyes at the sign which Moses fastened on the cross lived bodily, so too those who look with spiritual eyes at the body of the Messiah nailed and suspended on the cross and believe in him will live [spiritually]." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. III, p. 242).

Blessings on your proclamation!

What It Means to Walk Blamelessly in Covenant

 

Exodus 20:1-17 is well-known as the first statement of the Ten Commandments.  This passage is appointed as the First Reading for the 3rd Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark. When looked at closely, it is an outline as to what it means to live faithfully in a covenantal relationship with God, not merely a list of "Ten Suggestions" as some have blithely written.  The preacher's task, then, will be to ponder and preach what this covenantal relationship asks of us.  This is no easy task.

(The following questions have been developed to help preachers discover the way the Word functions in a text.  They are not intended to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions suggested in other methods.  The way the Word functions is a particular concern of Law and Gospel preachers, and this method is particularly aimed towards them. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The opening verse makes clear that everything said here is based on our relationship with God as Liberator/Savior/Champion.  We are not being called to repentance here, but rather obedience.  In essence, what God says is, "I am your Savior.  This is how you shall live in response to my love."

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no call to repentance here, no word which exposes our need for a Savior.  While God's identity as Savior is clear (Gospel), our need for a Savior is not evident (Law).

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Augustine reminds us that Israel received this word following their deliverance at the Red Sea.  Likewise, he says, we have received this word following baptism.  We identify, therefore, with "the baptized" people of God who first received this word.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since this text functions neither as Law or Gospel, our imaginations will need to focus on the underlying relationship.  Some suggestions: ignored/instructed; cast aside/honored; without a home/embraced.

5.  Exegetical work:  As is often the case, context is important.  In the chapters leading up to this text we see that the people whom God makes covenant with are not described glowingly.  The irony is clear:  in chapter 15 Israel complains at Marah, in chapter 16 at Elim, and in chapter 17 at Rephidim. Yet in chapter 19 when God promises to make them "a treasured possession, a priestly kingdom, and a holy nation" if they will keep God's covenant, they say, "Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do." (19:8)  Nonetheless, God makes covenant with Israel and calls them to live in this covenant daily.  Sarna, in his commentary, notes that this decalogue "opens with 'The Lord your God' and closes  with 'your neighbor.'" (The JPS Torah Commentary, Exodus, p.108).  He also notes that there is no identified audience.  This is, he says, unique in the Torah. (Ibid., p.109).  Another insight Sarna provides is that "Hebrew does not feature a verb 'to have' but expresses possession by hava, literally 'to be to'...the same term is used for entering into the marriage bond. (Ibid.) Fretheim also gives insight into some of the unique features of this text.  He says that "this is the only instance in the Old Testament where the gathered community is confronted with such a direct experience of God, hearing God speak without an intermediary.  It is a unique divine appearance." (Interpretation series, Exodus, p.214).  Fretheim goes on: "The people are not to obey this word because God stands before them as a threat. The proper response to what God has said and done is not fright but reverence." (Ibid., p.216).  The key to this passage, says Fretheim, is understanding that "it is not obedience vis-a-vis an objective code" that is commanded, but "It is obedience to the one who gives the law." (Ibid.).  Again, Fretheim is highlighting the need to understand these commandments relationally rather than legalistically. (Ibid., p.219).  

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Eugene Lowry's model of sermon structure always included moving the listener from disequilibrium to equilibrium.  This might be a model worth pursuing here.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Culmination of Covenants

 Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 is the First Reading appointed for the 2nd Sunday in Lent in the Year of Mark.  As such it is the second OT reading around the theme of covenant. Last week we saw God's covenant with Noah and all creation; this week we see the personal covenant God makes with Abraham and Sarah to bless all the families of the earth.  The announcement of this covenant has many ties to our baptismal covenant as followers of Jesus.  It will be the preacher's task to celebrate our covenantal God.

(The following questions have been developed to help the exegete discover the way the Word functions in the text.  This is crucial since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must, at least in part, function.  This concern is one of the foundational principles for Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching in general, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Since the text is almost all promise, the Word is functioning here primarily as Gospel.  The Word is announcing God's desire to make an everlasting covenant with God's people.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no word of Law, no word that exposes our need for a Savior, no word that calls to repentance.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We have the privilege of identifying with Abraham and Sarah.  We, in baptism, receive a new name, a new vocation, and an eternal hope, just as they did.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The end of verse 1 is a clear call to obedience:  "I am God Almighty; walk before me, and be blameless."  This is the call to all followers of Christ.  "Live in my presence continually, and  live in integrity."

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Without a Law element to this text, we must use our imaginations to provide a couplet.  Some suggestions:  barren/fruitful; alone/belonging; without hope/eternal hope; without a purpose/divinely appointed.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is very important to note that this is not the first time God has made covenant with Abraham.  There are at least five occasions when God makes promises to Abraham: a) 12:1-3, "I will bless you and make your name great;" b) 12:7  "To your offspring I will give this land;" c) 13:14-16, "I will make your offspring like the dust of the earth;" d) 15:1-6, "Look toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to count them... So shall your descendants be;" e) 15:17-21, "To your descendants I give this land."  In short, the covenant in chapter 17 is not the initiation of a covenant between God and Abraham's family, but the culmination of God's long desire to accomplish this.  The call to obedience, then, in verse 1 is the call to live into the reality of this covenantal relationship.  Nahum Sarna, in his exhaustive commentary, makes this clear:  "[The call to 'walk in my ways'] takes on added dimension. Allegiance to Him means to condition the entire range of human experience by the awareness of His presence and in response to His demands." (The JPS Torah Commentary, Genesis, p.123).  Walter Brueggemann states eloquently the results of this covenant:  "It is the covenant which offers to Israel the gift of hope, the reality of identity, the possibility of belonging, and the certitude of vocation."  (Interpretation series, Genesis, p. 154).  

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  I always appreciate Henry Mitchell's insight that every sermon should include celebration.  This sermon is certainly no exception as we give thanks to God for the covenantal love we know through Jesus Christ.  This is also a clear opportunity to celebrate the covenantal promises we have in baptism.

Blessings on your proclamation!