An Ancient Yet Timely Word

Ezekiel 37:1-14, the First Reading for the 5th Sunday in Lent in the Year of Matthew, is one of those passages that is so vivid, one cannot help but remembering it.  From the African-American spiritual, "Dem Dry Bones" to the paintings of the masters, this text has planted itself deeply in our memory.  In this exilic time of COVID-19, can there be any more hopeful text than this?  The preacher will want to thunder this message from the mountain tops, "I will put by spirit within you, and you shall live," says the Lord.

(The following questions are part of a method developed for Law and Gospel preachers to draw out a fundamental concern:  how does the Word function in the text?  These questions are not meant to be exhaustive or to stand on their own.  To understand the method more completely and to explore Law and Gospel preaching further, see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This is a complete text in the sense that the Word functions in all the ways it can.  It functions as Law as it points out the situation:  "He led me all around [the bones]; there were very many lying in the valley, and they were very dry."  Also, later when the Lord says, "Mortal, these bones are the whole house of Israel.  They say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely," this too, is the Word functioning as Law, showing our need for a Savior.  The main body of the text, however, is Gospel in function as the Lord tells the prophet what God will do, and then does the deed!  "And the breath came into them, and they lived, and stood on their feet, a vast multitude."  And later as well when the Lord God proclaims, "I am going to open your graves, O my people; and I will bring you back to the land of Israel."  Good news indeed!

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are clearly God's people in exile. We are those who say, "Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are cut off completely."  We identify solely with those who need desperately to hear the word of God's victory over death.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the text functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's work.  A reader could hear the call to prophesy in this text and take that as a call to obedience.  That might be possible if we identify with the prophet.  If, however, we are identifying with the ones desperate to hear this good news, there is no call to obedience here; there is only the call to faith in the God who raises the dead.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The couplets in this text are obvious:  dead/alive; dry bones/breathing beings; cut off completely/brought back to the land.

5.  Exegetical work:  John Taylor, in his commentary, equates the dry bones with the people of Israel in exile:  "The bones represent the Israelites in exile.  They have been  there for more than ten years now, and what glimmerings of hope they had when first they arrived have now been altogether extinguished." (The Tyndale OT Commentaries, Ezekiel, p.234-235) The 17th century English clergyman, William Greenhill, also notes the state of these bones:  "This seems an absurd thing, that the prophet should prophesy to creatures insensible, unintelligible, void of life; it was as if God should bid a man preach to a heap of stones, or dry chips, which are incapable of hearing." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. XII, p. 181)  Paulinus of Nola, 4th century Latin poet, saw Ezekiel as the one who had a glimpse of God's power over death:  "If you are skeptical that ashes can be reassembled into bodies and souls restored to their vessels, Ezekiel will be your witness, for long ago the whole process of resurrection was revealed to him by the Lord."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. XIII, p. 122)  Finally, I love the succinct statement of Ambrose, Augustine's teacher:  "It is the prerogative of God to raise the dead."  (Ibid, p.123).  Thanks be to God!

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Steven Kuhl does an outstanding job of lifting up the clear outlines of Law and  Gospel in this text.  He does this through a skillful use of three sets of couplets in the diagnosis and prognosis:  dismembered/remembered; dispirited/revived; dispossessesd/repossessed.  Excellent.  Go to crossings.org/text-study to see the analysis in detail.

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Henry Mitchell was a champion of celebration in the pulpit.  He said that the preacher must be the first one to sense the ecstasy in the text.  This text is one that should revive any preacher.  Few texts demand celebration the way this one does.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Born Blind, Yet Now I See

John 9:1-41, the gospel reading for the 4th Sunday of Lent in the Year of Matthew, is one of the most dramatic narratives in all of scripture.  It contains drama and comedy, irony and tragedy.  It is a timeless story revolving around one question, "How were your eyes opened?"  This one question opens up a host of other questions:  How does one gain insight into the ways of God?  Why do some see and some not?  What is our part in our seeing and what is God's part?  It will be a challenge for the preacher to settle on one question and not try to exhaust this subject. 

(The following questions are taken from my Law and Gospel preaching method. They are questions which attempt to come to terms with how the Word is functioning, a primary concern for Law and Gospel preaching.  To learn more about this method or Law/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?  In answer to this question I am reminded of John's words earlier in this gospel where he says, "The law indeed was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (1:17)  We see both grace and truth in this narrative.  There is grace - Gospel - in the healing and faith given to the man born blind.  There is truth - Law, in this case - given to the Pharisees who cannot see anything except that "this man is a sinner." The word functions as Gospel every time it heals and gives faith. The word functions as Law every time it lifts up our lostness apart from Christ.

2.  How does the Word not function in the text?  There is no call to obedience here.  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  The response being call for in this text is faith; this is not a call to obedience.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  This is a tricky question.  We almost always are called to identify with those who are being addressed by the Word; in this story those addressed by the Word are primarily the man born blind and the Pharisees.  Can we identify with both?  Yes, we can and we probably should.  We are those who when asked, "How is it that you see?" will respond, "Jesus washed me and anointed me and now I see," alluding to our baptism.  But when asked in what ways we fail to see Christ before us, perhaps in "the least ones", we are called to admit our need for repentance.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since this is a story of contrasts, the couplets that come to mind are innumerable.  A few suggestions:  lost/found; blind/seeing; unbelief/faith.

5.  Exegetical work: John's ability to include irony in these narratives is remarkable.  Over and over, characters in these stories say things that have one meaning in the story but profound theological truths beyond it.  For example, in verse 9 the man cries out, "I am the man!"  The Greek text reveals that this is actually what only Jesus is allowed to say, "Ego eimi"  I am.   Also in verse 24, the Pharisees say, "We know that this man is a sinner."   The irony and theological truth of these words in both the man born blind and the Pharisees is summed up in St. Paul's later words:  "For our sake [God] made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (II Cor. 5:21)  The truth is, the man born blind will be given the righteousness of God, and the identity of sinner which the Pharisees accuse him of, will indeed become Christ's identity.  Theologically, the baptism motif is something the Church has picked up on for ages.  Raymond Brown highlights this in his analysis, noting how being born blind has been thought to be the metaphor for "born in sin," indeed, exactly as the Pharisees said. (vs. 34)  Physical blindness has been seen to equal spiritual blindness,  the smearing with mud is the signing with oil, and washing in the pool at Christ's command is akin to baptism.  According to Brown the early Church read John 9 on the event of the baptism of catechumens, with the climax being the words of the man born blind, "Lord, I believe." (The Gospel According to John, I-XII, p. 380f)  Peter Ellis also picks up on this early baptismal practice, noting "it is well known that anointing with spittle became part of the baptismal rites early on." (The Genius of John, p. 165)

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Marcus Felde is at his creative best in analyzing this story.  He speaks in terms of tragedy and comedy.  I love how he titles the first part of the prognosis, "Mud in your I", alluding to God's creative act in making human beings from the start, and  how Christ is doing that very thing again.  See crossings.org/text-study for the entire analysis.

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Psalm We Need to Hear

I was so surprised when I opened my lectionary planning guide and discovered that Psalm 23 was the psalm appointed for the 4th Week in Lent.  "Isn't that usually reserved for the Easter Season on Good Shepherd Sunday?" I thought.  But here it is, and talk about timely.  It is a psalm we need to hear this week, as so many of us have closed our doors to corporate worship for the first time lest we be carriers of the COVID-19 virus which is spreading globally.  Whether we share this psalm as a sermon, a devotional, or as a personal word, it will be welcome.  It is a psalm we need to hear.

(The following questions have been developed to answer some of the fundamental questions we ask as Law and Gospel preachers. We are particularly interested in how the Word is functioning since this informs how the sermon will function.  For more on this method, or the unique genre of Law and Gospel preaching, 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 psalm is almost completely a gospel word.  Throughout the psalm we receive assurances of God's provision, protection, restoration, and guidance.  We are assured of God's presence no matter how dark it gets.  We are also told that a banquet table has been prepared for us, and we will dwell in God's abundant grace forever.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  A word of Law we define as the Word functioning to expose our need for Christ.  Is that present here?  Not directly.  What is present is mention of all those things that stalk us and might well cause us to fall away from Christ, e.g. want, dark valleys, and enemies.  We all know how quickly we follow the example of the Israelites in the wilderness and turn on God when we lack bread and water, when we experience suffering, and when our enemies come near.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We identify with the psalmist.  We are those who cling to the promise that God is with us through "the valley of the shadow of death."  We are those who bear witness to God's abundant grace, and proclaim that grace to others.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Using some of the imagery in this psalm we can imagine a number of couplets:  in want/filled; tired/restored; lost/on right paths; living in the shadow of death/living in the light of the resurrection.

5.  Exegetical work:  It is amazing how few words this psalm has in its original Hebrew.  For example, the first verse is only four words in Hebrew.  The entire psalm is only 48 words, simple or compound.  It is certainly no accident that the word which is exactly in the center of the psalm is atah, the Hebrew word for 'you' or 'thou'.  This word is exactly at the point when the psalmist changes from third person to second person address;  ..."I fear no evil, because ATAH - thou art with me."  The poetry of this psalm lifts up this truth:  "Even in the darkest times of life, YOU, are with me, Lord."  The psalmist is no longer addressing the listener, but is addressing God directly.  According to the New International Version Study Bible, verse 5 describes a banquet which is held in recognition of a new covenant between a king and a vassal-king.  "In the ancient Near East, covenants were often concluded with a meal expressive of the bond of friendship; in the case of vassal treaties or covenants, the vassal was present as the guest of the overlord."  So what the psalmist is lifting up is the covenant between the Lord and those in the Lord's favor.  The final verse speaks of "covenant benefits" bestowed on the vassal-king, ensuring a lasting peace.

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Peter Keyel, in his recent analysis, shows how we go from a general recognition of wickedness to personal lostness.  The gospel word is the presence of the Good Shepherd who does more than seek us out in the wilderness.  Christ actually goes into the shadow of death himself and defeats it.  Go to crossings.org/ text-study to see the entire analysis.

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Charles Rice insisted that the preacher help listeners recognize the part of God's story that intersects with their story.  Certainly in this anxious time it will not be hard for the preacher to find places where these precious promises intersect with the listeners' need to hear them.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Thirsty for What?

John 4:5-42, the gospel reading appointed for the Third Sunday in Lent in the Year of Matthew, is another of those extended narrative passages in John which we are reading this year.  It stands in stark contrast to the one which we read last week, where Nicodemus was a powerful man, a leader of the Sanhedrin, an insider in every regard.  The Samaritan woman is a member of a despised clan, a woman of low esteem in her community, an outsider by every measure.  It will be the preacher's task to proclaim the gospel in the unique way that Jesus does to this outsider, as opposed to the insider that Jesus preached to last week.

(The following questions have been developed in order to get at some of the fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preaching, i.e. how the Word is functioning.  These brief questions are meant to be used in conjunction with other sets of questions which are helpful in providing different lens for looking at texts.  For more information on Law and Gospel preaching 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 extended dialogue gives us an example of the Word functioning in every way that it can:  1) A Gospel function is present whenever we hear Jesus proclaiming his desire to give to all the 'living water' (vss. 10, 13-14); 2) A Law function is present when the woman testifies to her thirst (vss. 7, 15), and admits to her need for repentance (vs. 17) ; 3)  A Call to Obedience is present when we hear Jesus calling his disciples to quit sitting around and instead get to the work of the harvest when the 'fields are ripe'.(vss. 35-38). 

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  As usual, it is important to identify with those who are addressed by the Word.  In this story that is clearly the Samaritan woman.  We might identify with her in many ways:  outcast, powerless, disenfranchised, shame-based, defensive, scornful, thirsting, seeking truth, needing healing and forgiveness, needing love, etc.  The ways we identify with her are only limited by our imagination.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  As explained above, there is a clear call to the disciples to get to work, proclaiming the gospel.  Even though this is not the main focus of this narrative, we could certainly make that part of the sermon.  It is tempting to see Jesus' example here as a call to obedience as well, and view this story as one which illustrates evangelistic technique.  Many a sermon has had as its thesis, "Do as Jesus does!  Find the town 'watering hole'.  Begin with people 'where they are.'  'Confront them with their sin', and so on.  While evangelistic techniques have their place, this text is not primarily an exhortation to evangelism. 

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are many couplets that one could imagine with this text.  The most obvious is a common well/a spring gushing up to eternal life.  Others might be:  dead cisterns/living waters; outcast/embraced and respected; unknown/completely known.

5.  Exegetical work:  The multi-layered meaning of John's writing are on full display in any of the commentaries which discuss this passage.  Craig Koester has a helpful discussion about the symbolism of water in all of John's writing.  He reminds us that for Jews and Samaritans alike the law was often likened to water.  "Extant Samaritan sources speak of the law as 'a well of living water' from God.  (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 189)  This gives us a clue that perhaps John is suggesting that Jesus will bring life and salvation in a way akin to the way the law brought life to God's people during Israel's history.  Gerard Sloyan reminds us that John often uses an individual as a representative for a larger group, saying, "we are right to doubt the literal truth of the woman's having had five husbands and not being married to her present partner (v.18).  Aside from the inherent improbability of such a career, there is the fact that the Samaritans were stigmatized as 'Cuthians'..., a tribe of the Assyrian Empire...These were one of the five idolatrous peoples of the East identified in Second Kings by their gods and consorts." (Interpretation series, John, p.55)  Lamar Williamson sees the language of the Spirit as central to this dialogue.  He is convinced that when Jesus talks about "a spring of water gushing up to eternal life" he is talking about the Spirit. "What Jesus promises is not something that will be used up after he gives it, but the gift of himself in the person of the Paraclete." (Preaching the Gospel of John, p.49) 

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Archived under this text are no less than four interesting analyses of this text.  One emphasizes the theme of thirst and Jesus' ability to satisfy our thirst.  Another talks about the woman's outcast status, and how Jesus "sticks with her", even though she is"stuck."  Still others call on the harvest language or the woman's awareness of her own sin.  Go to crossings.org/text-study to see this rich array.

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  This lengthy text is an invitation to a sermon that tries to do too much.  As the old saying goes, "The preacher that tries to exhaust a subject, usually ends up only exhausting the listeners!"  David Buttick's insight to limit the number of moves we make in a sermon to what is essential is good advice here.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Nicodemus and Us

John 3:1-17, the Gospel reading appointed for the 2nd Sunday in Lent in the year of Matthew, includes perhaps the most well-known verse in the Bible:  "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life." (3:16)  Prior to that verse is an account of the conversation between Jesus and a Pharisee named Nicodemus.  As is common in John's gospel, Nicodemus represents a group of people; i.e. his questions are not his alone but those of many people.  It will be the job of the preacher to help listeners understand themselves as resembling Nicodemus.

(The following questions have been developed as a way of getting at a fundamental concern for Law and Gospel preachers, i.e. How does the Word function in the text?  These questions provide one lens for looking at a text; other methods provide other lens which are to be commended.  To learn more about this method and 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?  If the Word functioning as Law serves to expose our need for Christ, and the Word functioning as Gospel proclaims what God has done in Christ, then in this text, we have a tidy arrangement.  The first 12 verses function almost exclusively to show Nicodemus' need for Christ, and so are a word of Law.  Nicodemus testifies to his own lack of understanding, and his dependence on signs.  Jesus affirms Nicodemus' ignorance especially when he says, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?" (vs. 10)  The final 5 verses are all about what God is doing in Christ and thus function as Gospel:  The Son of Man is lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness (i.e. One who brings healing and life); everyone who believes in this Son of Man has eternal life; God loves the world and sent the Son not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are clearly meant to identify with Nicodemus.  As always, it is important for the preacher not to identify with Jesus, but rather with the one addressed by Jesus.  When preachers identify with Jesus it becomes very easy to see ourselves as those whom are neither addressed by the Word, nor stand in need of it.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to the Gospel.  The Word does not function this way here.  We have the call to faith, but that is not the call to obedience.  If we look at the First Reading appointed for today from Genesis 12, we see that Abram believed God's promise and when God told him to go to a new land, he went.  That is an example of a call to obedience.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are lots of couplets present in this text, and many more can perhaps be imagined.  Here are some examples:  night/day; ignorant/enlightened; being dead/being begotten again; condemned/saved.

5.  Exegetical work:  Craig Koester's outstanding commentary on John's gospel gives us some important insights into the people Nicodemus represents.  Koester names three groups:  1) those who have "an inability to understand the ways of God"; 2) those who believe because of Jesus' signs; and 3) "humanity estranged from God."  (Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel, p. 45)  In looking at that list it becomes even more clear that the opening verses of this text function as Law, lifting up our need for Christ.  In Kittel's article on signs (semeion) he notes why those who believe in Jesus because of his signs are not commended for their faith:  "Jesus opposes...an attitude...in which readiness to believe is made dependent on signs and wonders." (Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, VII, p. 243f) Kittel points us to John 4:48 where Jesus says, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe."  One small detail in translation that opens up this text is knowing that gennao, most often translated "being born", can also be translated "begotten."  In other words both the feminine contribution to new life (giving birth) and the masculine contribution (begetting) are contained in this word.  So if one translates these verses using "begotten"as the text it highlights the fact that this new birth involves having a new Father, not only being born anew.  Raymond Brown, in his classic commentary brings both of these options to light:  "A [person] takes on flesh only after being begotten of a man...Eternal life comes only from being begotten by a Heavenly Father."  "If natural life [comes from] God's giving breath to man, eternal life comes when God gives his Holy Spirit to a man." (The Gospel According to John, I-XII, p. 138, 140)

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Charles Rice was one who insisted that the task of the preacher was to help listeners recognize their shared story in a text.  This might be a great chance to do just that - invite people to reflect on when they have been in Nicodemus' place, or perhaps the preacher can share when that was their experience.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Secret Righteousness in Plain View

Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21, the Gospel reading for Ash Wednesday, is a text about keeping secrets.  Three times Matthew says, "And your Father who sees in secret will reward you."  Of course, what we are being commanded to keep secret is not something we are ashamed of, but rather something which we would most love others to see.  This text comes not far removed from another command of Jesus': "Let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven."  Clearly the difference is in who gets the glory.  This shall be the preacher's task to make clear.

(The following questions have been developed in order to make clear how the Word is functioning in any given text, a primary concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  In order to understand the rationale for these questions and to learn more about Law and Gospel preaching, 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?  We need only look at the form of the verbs in this text to know how the Word functions.  Nearly every verb is an imperative or a prohibition.  In short, these are commands, and as such they function as calls to obedience.  A call to obedience assumes that the call of faith has already been heard, and now the disciple is being instructed.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is almost no Law or Gospel in this text.  That is to say, there is nearly no word that either exposes our need for Christ, or one that proclaims what God has done in Christ.  The final verse is the sole exception to this, as Jesus says, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." When we hear this we know that our hearts expose our idolatry.

3.  With whom are you  identifying in the text?  Jesus is talking to his disciples here, and we, being his disciples, also receive this word directly.  Jesus is not talking to the world, but to those who claim to be amongst the faithful.  Jesus is talking to us.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Because of the absence of Law and Gospel here, there is little fodder for couplets. Returning to the final verse we might try these:  hearts astray/hearts forgiven; false treasures/true treasures.

5.  Exegetical work:  It is fascinating the multiple ways that the first verse of this pericope has been translated:  "Do not your alms before men" (KJV), "Beware of practicing your piety before men" (RSV), "Be careful not to make a show of your religion before men" (NEB), etc.  Part of this variation is due to the fact that the Greek text is also unsettled.  Most manuscripts use the word dikaiosynae, which is usually translated "righteousness", but a notable number of other manuscripts use the word eleemosynen, which is often translated "acts of compassion or mercy".  Given that the former choice seems, by scholars, to be the preferred one, we are left with an interesting command:  "Beware of doing righteousness..."  Of course, as we have pointed out, the motivation for this doing of good deeds is the whole issue.  According to ancient sources, an anonymous writer had this to say, "It is better to do nothing than to act to be seen." And "The very act of kindness...trumpets itself." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. 1a, p. 124)  Augustine gets us to the heart of the matter:  "If someone does something with the intent of gaining earthly profit, that one's heart is upon the earth." (Ibid., p. 141)  Douglas Hare, in his contemporary commentary, says it this way:  "Giving, prayer, or fasting, if undertaken for the praise it will win from others, is basically irreligious..." (Interpretation series, Matthew, p. 65)  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic commentary on the Sermon on the Mount gives us a strategy going forward:  "Genuine love is always self-forgetful in the true sense of the word.  But if we are to have it, our old man must die with all his virtues and qualities, and this can only be done where the disciple forgets self and clings solely to Christ." (The Cost of Discipleship, p. 160)  There is our strategy:  cling solely to Christ!

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text? Chris Repp's 2018 analysis of this text is an inventive take on this call to obedience.  In the final step of the analysis, he shows how what Jesus is commanding is finally being worked out.  Meanwhile, the boondoggle of the Cross, has become the infrastructure of our salvation.  Check out the entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Cloudy Days on the Mountain

Exodus 24:12-18, the First Reading for the Transfiguration of our Lord in the Year of Mark, is a short reading amidst other more well known readings.  Preceding it is the account of  Moses and the seventy elders ascending the mountain where we read that "God did not lay his hand on the chief men of the people of Israel; also they beheld God, and they ate and drank." (24:11)  Following the reading, we have tabernacle instructions, but when the narrative picks up we have Aaron and Hur, the ones entrusted with leadership over Israel while Moses is on the mountain, agreeing to the making of a golden calf for Israel to worship, supposedly because the people have given up ever seeing Moses or his God again.  These stories are stories of God's presence and God's absence.  Our listeners will be familiar with both.  It will be the preacher's task to lift this up.

(The following questions are meant to be used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions which exegetes have at their disposal.  These particular questions have been developed to understand the function of the Word in a text, something important for Law and Gospel preachers.  If you would like to learn more about this method and Law and Gospel preaching, 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 cloud functions as a symbol of both Law and Gospel here.  The cloud is a symbol of God's presence, so in that way it is a Gospel function.  We also hear God summoning Moses to receive the law and the commandments, an indication of God's care for the people, so that is also a Gospel function.  The cloud also has the effect of cloaking God in mystery and we are told that "the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire," so there is its Law function.  God is to be both trusted and feared; that is clear.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Since Moses is being addressed in this text, we do well to take the place of Moses.  We are called by God to enter into the cloud.  We are called to stand before God and listen.  We are called to put our life in God's hands.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  In the word to the elders we have a call to obedience.  It is a simple command:  "Wait here for us, until we come to you again."  As we know, these elders did not obey this command, but descended the mountain and ended up convincing Aaron and Hur to fashion a golden calf for them.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  I have suggested several ways that the cloud functions as a symbol of Law/Gospel.  Using those phrases we might suggest the following couplets:  hiddenness/openness; devouring fire/cleansing fire.

5.  Exegetical work:  The idea that the cloud is a symbol of God's presence has been noted by scholars for a long time.  We see this first in the Exodus story where "the Lord went in front of [Israel] in a pillar of cloud by day, to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night." (Exodus 13:21)  The JPS Torah Commentary translates cabod Yahweh (the glory of the Lord) as "The Presence of the Lord" in both  verse 16 and 17. (p. 154)  It is interesting to think about the presence of God being like a consuming or devouring fire.  Does that suggest that God's presence is continually cleansing us?  Something to ponder.  As far as Moses' willingness to enter the cloud, we have this from Ambrose, the 4th century bishop of Milan:  "If anyone therefore desires to behold this image of God, he must love God so as to be loved by him, no longer as a servant but as a friend who observes his commandments, that he may enter the cloud where God is."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, III, p. 121)

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Mark Marius does a nice job of sorting out Law and Gospel in his 2015 analysis, archived under the reference.  He calls the diagnosis, "God will see you... now", and the prognosis, "Now we see God."  He takes us to the mountain of Transfiguration where God truly reveals Godself, "This is my Son, listen to him," and shows how that cloud is the place of God's full revelation.  See the entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!