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!