Two Kinds of Righteousness

 Romans 10:8b-13 is the Second Reading appointed for the First Sunday in Lent in the Year of Luke.  At first glance it does not seem to pair well with the gospel reading, Luke's account of the temptations of Jesus, but upon further study, St. Paul is lifting up a common temptation of ours:  earning God's favor.  It will be the preacher's task to steer listeners away from that to the boundless grace of God.

(The following questions have been developed to lift up 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 best used in conjunction with other sets of questions available to exegetes. 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?  This text begins in the middle of an argument Paul is developing in which he is dissuading his listeners from pursuing "a righteousness that comes from the law." (v.5)  The text before us lays out only God's promise that "the one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."  This is the Word functioning as Gospel.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text? The Law is not present in this text, but is present in the verses leading up to it where Paul exhorts his listeners to avoid being drawn into notions like "one must ascend to heaven" or "one must descend to the abyss" in order to be saved.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are Paul's congregation, those tempted constantly to believe we must "do something" in order to gain the righteousness of God.  We are those who are assured here that the faith that comes from hearing the Word is more than sufficient.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word functioning to invite us to live in response to God's grace is not present here.  That will come later in Paul's letter.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The context really gives us the couplets in this case:  old righteousness/new righteousness; fruitless righteousness/fruitful righteousness.

6.  Exegetical work:  Luther, in his lectures on Romans, lays out what is at stake here:  "...it is explained that the apostle is comparing the two kinds of righteousness with each other, so that he attributes works to the righteousness of the Law but the Word to the righteousness of faith.  For work was required for the Law, but faith is required for the Word."  "Thus the first kind of righteousness depends on the work which has been done, but the second upon the Word which we believe." (Luther's Works, vol. 25, "Lectures on Romans," pp. 405-406).  Anders Nygren, in his classic commentary, concurs:  "...he who believes in Christ has passed from one kind of righteousness to another, from a worthless righteousness to one that is true, from righteousness by law to righteousness of God, which is the same as righteousness through faith." (Commentary on Romans, p. 379).  Ernst Kasemann, in his usual succinct way, puts everything in perspective:  "This section [vs. 5-13] is a proof from Scripture of v. 4..." ["For Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."]. (Commentary on Romans, p.283).  I like Paul Achtemeier's summary statement:  "It is finally a matter of trusting God, this Christian life, a trust open to all and at hand to all." (Interpretation series, Romans, p. 172).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Michael Hoy, in his 2014 analysis of this text, does a nice job of laying out the temptation to works righteousness, especially during this season of "Lenten disciplines."  He hones in on the phrase "put to shame," and shows how Christ's willingness to be put to shame frees us. See the entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study.

8.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  David Buttrick was always keen to remind us that there are only so many moves a preacher can effectively make in a sermon.  It is especially important to heed that advice in a sermon based on a non-narrative text like this.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Terror and Grace of God's Presence

 

Exodus 34:29-35 is the First Reading appointed for Transfiguration Sunday in the Year of Luke.  This account of the shining face of Moses following his conversations with Yahweh is, of course, paired well with Luke's Gospel account of the Transfiguration.  In both cases, the divine splendor of God is seen, here in the face of Moses.  It will be the preacher's task to bring into focus why this splendor of God is both terrifying and life-giving.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but have been developed to highlight the way the Word functions in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  This is a primary concern since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must, at least in part, function also.  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?  Verse 30 gives us a hint as to the Word's function in the text when we read that seeing the face of Moses, Aaron and all the leaders of Israel were afraid to approach him.  This signals to the reader that we are in the presence of God's holiness, a function of the Law if there ever was one.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no explicit word of promise here, no declaration of saving grace.  Having said that, it is clear that the commandments which Moses is  sharing with the people are life-giving.  We might say that the Word functioning as Gospel is hidden.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are in the place of the people of Israel in this text, both terrified by the holiness of God shone in Moses' face, and longing for the word of life which comes from the mouth of God.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel is not present here, yet certainly the expectation is that the commandments given to the people are meant to be obeyed.  This is particularly the case in view of what happened just prior to this text when the making of a Golden Calf ended in idolatry and slaughter.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The couplets that best go with this text would center around holiness.  Some ideas:  unholy/forgiven; terrified/comforted; lost/found.

6.  Exegetical work:  Nahum Sarna's excellent commentaries on the Pentateuch often offer insights and this text is no different.  Sarna points out that in ancient Mesopotamia "supernatural radiance was thought to be shared by royalty and was a sign of the king's legitimacy."  Similarly, "When [Moses] mediates the divine word to the people, his radiance authenticates the source of his message." (The JPS Torah Commentary, Exodus, p. 221).  Terry Fretheim, in his own commentary, concurs:  "[The shining] gives a prominence to the mediator of the word of God in the community of faith.  There is a reflection of the effulgence of the glory of God himself in the face of Moses.  As such, it is made clearer that Moses is speaking for God."  (Interpretation series, Exodus, p. 311). I like Justin Michael Reed's understanding of what he calls "Moses' frightening face."  He says, "The word of God that the Israelites need to live by ironically comes from Moses' frightening face.  Furthermore, this incongruous pairing of that which is terrifying and nurturing comes about because of Moses' proximity to God." (Working Preacher, Feb. 2022).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  In his 2016 post, Marcus Felde does a superb job of lifting up both the Law and Gospel in this text.  On one hand, no one, not even Moses, was allowed to see the face of God and live. On the other hand, to see the face of God in Jesus is life itself.  See the entire post at crossings.org/text-study.

8.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  I can imagine Eugene Lowry's strategy of moving listeners from disequilibrium to equilibrium quite nicely in this text.  On one hand, to be in God's presence is very disquieting as God is holy and we are not.  On the other hand, to experience the presence of the Advocate alongside of us in God's presence quiets our fears.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Solidarity of Christ

 

The oft-ignored festival of The Presentation of Our Lord gives us some alternative texts to those appointed for Epiphany 4.  These texts are Malachi 3:1-4, Hebrews 2:14-18, and Luke 2:22-24.  Most interesting is the Hebrews text where we are reminded of Christ's solidarity with us mortals.  It is a text filled with good news.  It will be the preacher's task to proclaim it.

(The following questions have been developed to highlight the function of the Word in the text.  These questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine questions available to exegetes. The function of the Word is a primary consideration of Law and Gospel preachers since the way the Word functions is the way the sermon must function.  For more on this method and on Law and Gospel preaching, see my brief guide Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available at wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This passage from Hebrews 2 is simply filled with good news:  Christ shares our flesh and blood, destroys death, frees us from slavery to fear, becomes like us in every respect, makes atonement for our sins, and helps us when we are tested.  This is all Gospel!

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Though there are reminders throughout this text of how much we need a Savior, there is no call to repentance, no word which exposes our need for Christ, thus the Law is not really present in this text.  The Malachi text is a good example of a Law text.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those to whom the writer of Hebrews speaks. We are the recipients of all this good news.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is no invitation here to live in a certain way in response to this abundant grace.  

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are many possible couplets in this text, simply using the vocabulary present:  slaves/free; condemned/atoned for; tested/delivered.

6.  Exegetical work:  Numerous theologians, down through the ages, have celebrated the good news brought to us in this text from Hebrews.  Here are a few examples:  The 9th century Byzantine teacher Photius, said this:  "If the Lord had righteous and blessed power over the audacious evil that tempted his sinless body, he also is able to release those who are subject to sin and temptations and to be the helper to those who are tempted." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. X, p. 51).  Johannes Oecolampadius, reformer, wrote: "From this [review of Christ's life] it should be clear to any believers that temptations, sorrows, and consternation at death truly extended to the soul of Christ as well, as the Evangelist copiously testified." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. XIII, p. 47).  Martin Luther also chimed in:  "Here the apostle distinguishes the brotherhood between us and the angels from that between Christ and us.  He praises the abundance of God's love, namely, that He made Christ our brother not only according to the spirit, but also according to the flesh."  (Luther's Works, vol. 29, p. 134).  Modern theologian, Tom Long, has an inventive way of describing Christ's work:  "What, exactly, was Jesus doing when he cried out his confession, 'I will put my trust in him?'  The Preacher's answer: he was becoming a slave so that he could smuggle himself into the human slave camp."  "When we see the Son of God not in the heavens or on a royal throne, but appearing in the slavequarters with whip marks on his back, then it is clear he came to help us, 'the descendants of Abraham,' not the angels." (Interpretation series, Hebrews, p.44-45).

Blessings on your proclamation!