An Eruption

John 2:13-22, the gospel lesson for the Third Sunday in Lent, is stunning in its ferocity and timing.  Up to this point we have seen Jesus baptized, call disciples, and make water into wine.  Now suddenly he is a force to be reckoned with.  He is driving merchants from the temple, overturning their tables, and going toe-to-toe with the religious leaders.  What can we conclude from this? Perhaps a hint is John's note that the Passover is near.  Is this the Lamb of God reminding us why he will be slain?

(The following questions have been developed as an attempt to answer some fundamental questions for Law and Gospel preachers. Law/Gospel preaching is a particular genre of preaching that pays attention to how the Word functions.  To learn more about this, please see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word, in this case Jesus, functions as pure Law.  The merchants in the temple are judged.  The Jews who question Jesus are judged as well.  It is as though one of the Old Testament prophets has shown up in the temple that day.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Good news is hard to find in this text.  One piece of gospel barely visible is in Jesus' announcement to the Jews:  "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."  He is, of course, referring to his death and resurrection.  We know this, and later his disciples, we are told, understand this too.   The good news here is that no one has power over this zealous One.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Here is the tough part.  Almost always we are called to identify with those whom the Word addresses. This text is no exception. While we are tempted here to identify with Jesus, the one who is zealous for the house of the Lord, if we are honest, we must admit that we are rarely found in this posture.  Therefore, it is necessary that we  identify with the marketeers, the money changers, and the power brokers who are upset at Jesus for messing up our prosperous "house of prayer."

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is an implied call to obedience here, which is related to Sabbath practice.  We are called to think clearly about the "temple" in our lives - the place where God meets us, and make sure that it does not become a place of commerce.  This is an urgent call in our day when everything is a commodity - even worship.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this test?  Without a gospel word here, we must use our imagination to fill in the couplet.  Some ideas:  Living unholy lives/made holy in Christ; selling our soul/Christ paying the price for our sins.

6.  Exegetical work: The differences between John's telling of this story and the Synoptic's version of this story are noteworthy.  Several small details such as the making of a rope of cords don't seem to be significant.  The words Jesus uses in his clearing of the temple, however, are significant.  In John Jesus says, "Stop making my Father's house a marketplace, " but in the Synoptics he says, "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.." (Matt. 21, Mark 11, Luke 19).  If we look at the Hebrew Scriptures we see that God is passionate in opposition to two things:  oppressive practices and idolatry.  The "den of robbers" is surely in reference to the former.  When money changers and sellers of animals gouged poor pilgrims who had journeyed to Jerusalem to make sacrifice this was certainly offensive to God, thus the admonitions in the Synoptic gospels.  The reformer, Erasmus speculated that these sellers were so corrupt that they even had deals with the priests to return animals to them who had been given for sacrifice so that they could sell them again! (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, Vol. IV, p. 78).  The Synoptic version also alludes to Jeremiah 7:11 where the prophet calls down judgement on such practices.  John's retelling of the event focuses on idolatry.  The marketplace that Jesus railed against was a temple of greed.  Greed, as St. Paul tells us, is idolatry (Col. 3:5).  The god of the Market reigns.  Everything can be had for a price.  Jesus is zealous for his Heavenly Father's house in the same way that God is a jealous God.  This marketplace is a violation of Exodus 20:4-5, "You shall not make for yourself an idol..."  Also, this telling brings to mind the end of Zechariah's prophecy (14:21) where the prophet says that a sign of God's reign is the day when all marketeers will be banned from God's temple.  Much to ponder here.

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Mark Marius, in his analysis, uses the market metaphor to great effect.  His title is "The Market Crashes; Christ serves as Collateral."  He shows very effectively the result of our dependence upon selling and paying for our own salvation.  See his work at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Necessary Crosses

One writer has called the text for this First Sunday in Lent, Mark 8:31-38, the fulcrum of the gospel of Mark.  Here everything changes and even the opening words signal this:  "He began to teach them."  Suddenly the Cross is in full view, and the cost of following Jesus is stated plainly as never before.  Since we are only halfway through the Gospel of Mark we are left to find out how the disciples of Jesus will respond.  Indeed, how will we respond to this call to discipleship?

(The following questions attempt to answer some of the fundamental questions as to how the Word is functioning, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  To learn more about this unique genre, see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This  is an exceedingly rich text in that the Word functions in all the ways it can.  First is the open statement of the Gospel, that Jesus will suffer, die, and be raised on the third day.  Then we see the Law in full force as Jesus rebukes Peter in strident fashion:  "Get behind me, Satan!  For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things."  Finally we get a full-fledged Call to Obedience as Jesus tells the disciples exactly what it will mean to follow him and what they stand to lose if they do not.  This is a rich text!

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are, of course, the disciples.  We  are those for whom Christ has died.  We are those who, out of our own fear, tempt Jesus to turn from the way of the Cross.  Finally we  are those who are called out of our fear to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.

3.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  One could think of a host of couplets to go with this multi-faceted text.  Here are a few suggestions:  rebuked as Satan/Satan rebuked; setting the mind on human things/The Divine mind set on human beings; trying to save one's life/Jesus saving us; worldly profit/eternal profit; ashamed of Christ/Christ unashamed of us.

4.  Exegetical work:  It is an interesting exercise to use Kurt Aland's Synopsis of the Four Gospels to see the differences between Matthew and Luke's reporting of this event and Mark's.  As noted above, Mark begins by saying that Jesus is "teaching" here.  No other gospel says it that way.  Also, these words are definitely meant for all of us, because Mark alone tells us that before Jesus issues the call to discipleship, he calls the crowd as well as the disciples. In other words, he wants all to hear this.  What is particularly noteworthy is that the actual call of discipleship (vss. 34-35) are exactly the same in all three gospels. That makes me wonder if this wasn't already viewed as a creedal formula.  Finally, only Mark identifies the era in which this is taking place as "an adulterous and sinful generation." Is that a clue to Mark's piety?  Or to the context in which this was written?  One observation that Donahue and Harrington make in their commentary is that this "journey narrative is introduced (8:22-26) and concluded (10:46-52) by episodes in which Jesus bestows the gift of sight on two blind men.  By following the journey narrative Mark's readers also come to see Jesus and his 'way' more clearly." (Sacra Pagina, The Gospel of Mark, p. 264)  Eugene Boring suggests that "Isaiah 55:8-9 ("my thoughts are not your thoughts") may be in the background here:  God's 'thoughts', God's 'way of thinking' is different from human thinking." (The NT Library, Mark, p. 242)  Finally, several ancient writers give us reason to celebrate the call to discipleship.  Augustine says, "For whatever seems hard in what is enjoined, love makes easy."  And Caesarius of Arles writes: "What [Jesus] commands is not difficult, since he helps to effect what he commands... Just as we are lost through loving ourselves, so we are found by denying ourselves."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scriptures, NT, vol. II, p. 111f)

5.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  By going to crossings.org/text-study you will see that my analysis for this text centers around the word 'love'.  Self-love leads to destruction; God's love leads us to life.  Self-love deceives us; God's love reveals truth.  I encourage you to check out the multiple resources on this site to understand more about how Law and Gospel function in Scripture.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Beloved Driven Out?

Having spent the greater part of the Epiphany season in the first chapter of Mark, we are back for one more look in the First Sunday of Lent, as the appointed gospel lesson, Mark 1:9-15, would have us ponder the brief account of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.  What is striking is the juxtaposition of the voice from heaven which says, "With you I am well pleased," and the Spirit which immediately drives Jesus into the wilderness.  What kind of God drives the beloved into the place of desolation?

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive.  They have been developed to unearth some answers to fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preachers.  For further study of this unique genre of preaching, see my brief guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions here to tell us much about the Beloved Son of God.  He was baptized by John, the Spirit descended upon him, and he was driven into the wilderness in order to undergo the temptations of Satan.  We also learn that he was with the wild beasts and angels served him.  All this works together to tell us the good news that the Beloved Son of God also enters into the wilderness as we do.  This is a gospel function.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  While there is a call to repentance at the very end of the text, any word of Law is missing here.  There is no place where our need for a Savior is lifted up.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  This is a rare text in that we are invited here, I believe, to identify with Jesus, in that we too are baptized, we too are called children of God by a voice from heaven, and we too are sometimes driven into the wilderness where we encounter the temptations of Satan.  In this text we are disabused of any notion we might have that the children of God do not undergo temptation.

4.  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 the gospel.  There is no such call here.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since the Law is all but absent here, we shall have to imagine the first half of each couplet.  A few ideas:  unbelief/believing; orphaned/called child of God; in the wilderness alone/ministered to by angels.

6.  Exegetical work:  Looking at Aland's helpful synopsis you can readily see that Mark's language is much coarser than the language of either Matthew or Luke.  As we have seen elsewhere, Mark alone uses the word schizo for speaking of opening the heavens in verse 10.  This translates as the heavens were "torn apart" or "ripped wide open" or "split apart", a much stronger description than simply being "opened."  Again in verse 12 Mark uses a much stronger verb.  Matthew and Luke choose the words for being led or led up to describe the action of the Spirit in causing Jesus to enter the wilderness.  Mark uses ekballo, the word for being driven out or cast out or forced out, a word most commonly used for the casting out of demons.  Mark says "The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness."  And finally, Mark is unique in including the detail that Jesus was with the wild beasts.  What is that about?  Do they minister to him or are they another cause for fear?  (Synopsis of the Four Gospels, Kurt Aland)  Donahue and Harrington, in their commentary, remind us of a number of things regarding Jesus' wilderness experience:  1)  The verb ekballo, used frequently for the expulsion of  demons, has overtones of coercion; 2)  In Mark, Satan is the prince of demons (3:23), opposes the word (4:15) and leads disciples astray (8:23); and 3)  wild beasts are often associated in the OT with evil powers (Psalm 22, Ezekiel 34).  (Sacra Pagina, The Gospel of Mark, p. 66)  Lamar Williamson provides a hopeful commentary, reminding us that "Satan's power is real but limited" and Hebrew 12:6 says that "The Lord disciplines the one whom he loves."  He reminds us that we can expect to be driven into the wilderness as Jesus was, caught in the cosmic struggle between Satan and God.  This text is a warning (40 days of testing) and a promise (served by the angels.)  (Interpretation, Mark, pp. 38-39.)

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Henry Mitchell was big on celebration in the sermon.  How will we celebrate in this text?  There are plenty of opportunities, beginning with the voice that calls us beloved.

Blessings on your proclamation!