The Good News of the Cross

 

Romans 5:1-11, the Second Reading for the Third Sunday in Lent in the Year of Matthew, is one of the most complete passages in Scripture regarding the salvific work of God in Christ. The opening announcement that we have "peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" is just the start from which Paul builds and builds.  It is therefore, a purely gospel text, and as such, it will be the preacher's joyful duty to announce its good news.

(The following questions have been formulated to help the preacher consider the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  These questions are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions which have other concerns, thus adding richness to one's understanding.  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?  One can see quite readily that the subject of almost all the sentences in this text is God, and God is doing marvelous things.  God is justifying, pouring out love, proving love, and reconciling, all gospel actions.  The Word is announcing God's grace to us in Christ.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  While our state apart from Christ is lifted up in different ways:  weak, ungodly, sinners, enemies of God, there is no call to repentance here, no word of Law.  The Word does not function to accuse in this text.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those described as weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies of God.  We are also those who have peace with God because God's love has been poured into our hearts in Christ.  We are, in short, those who stand in need of Christ and have received Christ.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  If we can define the call to obedience as the invitation to live in response to God's work in Christ, then we can see that there is no such call here.  This will come later in Paul's letter.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The vocabulary here is filled with couplets that might be useful in forming a sermon:  weak/strong in Christ; ungodly/made righteous; sinners/justified; enemies of God/reconciled to God.

6.  Exegetical work:  Commentators galore have explored this central text of the Christian faith, lifting up the many marvelous ways God is active on behalf of the world God loves.  Pelagius, a 4th century British monk, marveled in the love of God shown in the Cross:  "Why did Christ die for us when he had no obligation to do so, if it was not to manifest his love at a time when we were still weighed down with the burden of sin and vice?"  And again, Pelagius marvels in the result of this love made manifest:  "God becomes the object of love when he conveys how much he loves us.  For when someone does something without obligation, one demonstrates love in a special way."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VI, pp. 131-132).  R.C.H. Lenski, in his classic commentary, notes the figure of "pouring out" that Paul uses in describing God's action:  "The figure used in 'pour out' is that of water.  Our dry, arid, lifeless hearts have poured out into them the love of God for us.  This may come upon us like a stream or like a rain of living water and change our hearts into fruitful, delightful soil. Again the means is the Word."  Lenski also suggests that our receptiveness to God's love is dependent on the Holy Spirit:  "How much of his love embodied in his gifts is poured out in our hearts depends on the receptivity which the Spirit is able to produce in us.  Let your heart not remain a thimble or a tin cup; let it be a vast lake."  (Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, p. 341).  Anders Nygren talks about our state as the justified: "When we believe in Christ, we thereby have, in a purely objective sense, a new status before God." (Commentary on Romans, p. 205).  Ernest Kasemann concurs:  "When God's love has seized us so totally and centrally, we no longer belong to ourselves; a change in existence has taken place." (Commentary on Romans, p.135).  And again: "The new creature stands, not on our morality, but on 'God for us and with us'." (Ibid., p.136).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Lori Cornell, in her 2017 analysis, picks up on the theme of weakness in verse 6 of the text.  She uses this theme to illustrate our tendency to trust in our own strength, pitiful as it is, instead of the strength of Christ Crucified.  See the entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study, archived under its reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Unbelief, Pride, Desire - the Unholy Package

 One of the most ancient stories in the Hebrew Bible is our First Reading for the First Sunday in Lent in the Year of Matthew: Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7, the story of the Fall.  We have heard this story so often we are prone to overlook many of its subtleties.  How we will preach this story of temptation, sin, and the Law is a great challenge.  The preacher best begin by identifying with those tempted.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available to Biblical exegetes.  These questions have been developed to lift up the function of the Word in the text, a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers. For more on this method, 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 Law, no more simply than in 2:17 when God says, "For in the day that you eat of it you shall die."  The evidence of the Law also comes clear in 3:7 as the man and woman both experience fear and shame, a direct result of their disobedience.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word functioning as Gospel is hard to find here.  Verse 2:15 reminds us that God is the One who put the man in the garden and gave him a vocation, but that alone is not Gospel.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is important to identify here with those who are tempted.  If, as preachers, we give any hint that temptation is something we are not prone to, we are most to be pitied.  As Augustine said, humility is the way to God for those who have fallen through pride.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The Word functioning as a call to obedience is as an invitation to live in response to the Gospel.  While obedience and disobedience are certainly at the heart of this passage, the call is really to faith in God, not to obedience, per se.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are some obvious couplets here:  unbelief/faith; death/life, but perhaps Stuempfle's classic couplet, alienation/reconciliation, or Lischer's guilt/justification is a strategy to employ.

6. Exegetical work:  I love Luther's translation of 3:1 because it captures the subtlety in the Hebrew and expresses the seed of doubt that is so important to this text:  "Did God really command you not to eat from every tree of Paradise?"  (LW, "Lectures on Genesis, Chapters 1-5, p. 146). You can hear in that word "really" the doubt that the serpent is sowing in the heart of the woman.  Luther goes on:  "Truly, therefore, this temptation is the sum of all temptations; it brings with it the overthrow or the violation of the entire Decalog.  Unbelief is the source of all sins; when Satan brought about this unbelief by driving out or corrupting the Word, the rest was easy for him." (Ibid., p.147).  Johannes Oecolampadius, a contemporary of Luther's, supports Luther's view and adds his own insight:  "First [Satan] wants to create in us the suspicion that God does not want the best for us. He suggests that God is somehow jealous of us, [he tries] at least to make us less certain of those things that have been said by him... Thus Satan wants to persuade by saying, 'Those things aren't as sure as you say.'" (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. I, p. 119).  Augustine, in his early analysis, thinks that Satan, signified by the serpent, is appealing to our pride:  "For the serpent, seeking a way to enter, clearly sought the door of pride, when he declared, 'You shall be as gods,' that is why it is written, 'Pride is the beginning of all sins,' and 'the beginning of the pride of man is to fall away from God.'" (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. 1, p.77).  Augustine's teacher, Ambrose, has another suggestion.  He thinks that Satan is appealing to our desire for pleasure, even suggesting that the serpent represents pleasure in the story:  "Moses was quite right in representing pleasure in the likeness of a serpent.  Pleasure is prone on its belly like a serpent... It glides along, so to speak, with the slippery folded curves of its whole body... It feeds on things of the body, and it is changed into many sorts of pleasures and bends to and fro in twisting wreaths." (ACCS, OT, vol. 1, p. 76).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Bill White, in his analysis, correctly sees that the Gospel is not present in this text, but it is proclaimed magnificently in the Second Reading for this Sunday, Romans 5:12-19.  There we hear that "by one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous."  White's analysis reminds us that the Gospel must be proclaimed even when it is not present in the text.  See his entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study, archived under its reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

A Warning to Believers

 

The Festival of the Transfiguration of our Lord dictates that we leave behind the assigned readings for the season of Epiphany and concentrate, instead, on the event itself. In the Year of Matthew, the Second Reading appointed for this day is II Peter 1:16-21, where we hear from the author regarding his witness of the Transfiguration.  Clearly this text functions as a warning to believers to be on the watch for false teachers.  It will be the preacher's task to do the same.

(The following questions are part of a method which has been developed to explore the function of the Word in the text.   This is a central concern of Law and Gospel preachers because the way the Word works is the way the sermon must work.  For more on this method 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 to warn believers about two ever-present dangers:  "cleverly devised myths" and scriptural interpretation that is merely "a matter of one's own interpretation."  This warning is the Word functioning as Law, warning us of the dangers of falling away from the faith.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  A Gospel function is hard to discern here.  The most that can be said is that we are told of the voice from heaven declaring Jesus God's beloved Son and the promise of the Holy Spirit speaking from God.  These are certainly pieces of good news.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the ones being warned here.  Certainly false teachers who form fanciful tales and false interpretations are not confined to the first century; they have been present in all ages.  We do well to heed this warning.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience (i.e. to faithful living in the light of the Gospel) is not present here.  If anything this is a call to faith.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The language  in this brief text suggests several couplets that may be helpful in forming a sermon.  Some ideas:  led astray/led to Christ; malignant tales/gospel testimony; ignorance/knowledge; darkness/light.

6.  Exegetical work:  Pheme Perkins does a  nice job in laying out the primary issues in this passage.  She writes: "Although 2 Peter has begun to speak of the charges against Christian teachings made by others, the focus of the entire first chapter remains the faith of those who believe. The small lamp that shines in the darkness will eventually bring them to their own vision of the majesty and glory of the Lord.  Second Peter has distinguished the divine revelation found in scripture, both the prophets and the gospel, from competing forms of religious and philosophical propaganda.  As long as believers hold fast to the apostolic tradition, the gospel, and the prophets, they can anticipate a vision of the divine glory that carries with it participation in God."  (Interpretation series, First and Second Peter, James, and Jude, p.177).  

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Henry Mitchell was the first to emphasize the need for celebration in a sermon. While this text is strictly a warning, the promise of the Holy Spirit, the guidance of the prophetic word, and the eye witness accounts of the apostles are certainly worth celebrating.  After all, this is how the faith has come down to us.

Blessings on your proclamation!

True Spirituality

 

Our second readings for this season of Epiphany continue in I Corinthians 3:1-9, as the appointed reading for the 6th Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Matthew.  Here Paul is building on the previous two chapters as he reveals, once again, the primary reason for his writing:  the divisions within the Church.  This is undoubtedly a law-based text, which will require considerable skill and tact as the preacher attempts to bring to bear the message of the Word here.

(The following questions have been developed to unearth the way the Word functions in the text. This is of utmost concern to Law and Gospel preachers since the way the Word functions in the text is the way the Word needs to function in the sermon. 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?  Undoubtedly the Word is functioning as Law here, calling the hearers to repentance.  The divisions Paul referred to in chapter 1 are a great concern of his, and he takes the Corinthians to task here.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little evidence of Gospel here.  Having said that, Paul does mention that God is the One giving growth, and we are God's field and God's building, all hopeful words.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is always good to identify with those to whom the Word is addressed, so in this case, we must consider how we too are party to divisions in Christ's Church.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is an implicit call to obedience throughout this text:  strive for unity.  This call will become explicit later in the letter.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Using the theme of this text, we might imagine a number of couplets:  division/unity; jealousy/contentment; of the flesh/of the Spirit.

6.  Exegetical work: Ambrosiaster, the 4th century exegete, states the problem in Corinth simply: "Although they had received the faith which is the seed of the Spirit, they had produced no fruit worthy of God." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VII, p. 28).  Indeed this is so.  The Corinthians have declared themselves "spiritual" or even "spiritually mature," but Paul sees their quarreling and reminds them that this is the way of mortals, not the way of God.  Richard Hays says it this way:  "Being 'of the flesh' does not mean, as the Corinthian wisdom-enthusiasts supposed, lacking refined spiritual knowledge and experience.  Nor does being 'of the flesh' mean, as much of the subsequent Christian tradition has supposed, living in lust and sexual sin.  No, for Paul, being 'in the flesh' means living in rivalry and disunity within the church.  This breathtaking assertion shatters and reshapes the whole scale of values on which the Corinthians are asked to measure themselves." (Interpretation series, First Corinthians, pp.48-49).  

7.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Charles Rice reminded us that it is essential to help listeners recognize their shared story in a text.  In this case that would mean helping listeners find themselves in this scenario of jealousy and strife.  It will be the goal of the preacher to help listeners say to themselves, "That's me.  I've done that," rather than them hearing the preacher say, "That's you. You have done this."

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Spirit's Wisdom

 I Corinthians 2:1-12, the Second Reading for the 5th Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Mark, is a continuation of last week's reading when St. Paul lays out his argument that true wisdom comes through knowing the crucified Christ.  This week that theme continues, but with the inclusion of the Spirit.  This theological text will be a challenge for the preacher, but with the Spirit's help, the good news can be heard.

(The following questions have been developed to lift up the function of the Word in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers.  These questions are best used with other sets of questions available to exegetes which have other concerns.  For more on this particular method or 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?  We notice immediately that the Apostle Paul is telling about his practice of proclamation.  By the middle of the text, however, the subject is God, and we learn of God's intent to reveal to God's people "secret and hidden" wisdom by means of the Spirit. This is the Word functioning as Gospel, assuring us of God's good work on our behalf.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Word does not function in this text directly as Law. That is to say, there is no call to repentance, or a  lifting up of the hearers' need for a Savior.  What is lifted up is the utter ignorance of the "rulers of this age" who crucified the Lord of glory.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We rightly identify with those to whom the Word is spoken, in this case, those who have received the Spirit of God.  It might be prudent, however, to also consider how like the "rulers of this age" we are prone to be.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  There is not an explicit call to obedience here but an implied one:  in your proclamation, do not depend on human wisdom, but on the power of God.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  We can take a number of terms from this text and construct couplets that might prove helpful in our sermon strategy.  Some suggestions:  perishable wisdom/lasting wisdom; hidden/revealed; spirit of the world/Spirit of God.

6.  Exegetical work:  Richard Hays, in his fine commentary, lifts up the irony that Paul begins by talking about how human wisdom is of no help in knowing the ways of God, and then in verse 6 says that "among the mature we do speak wisdom."  Hays argues that Paul is writing this way in response to criticism that he was "not much of a teacher, because he did not instruct them in the niceties of wisdom.  He responds  that, as a matter of fact, he actually does teach wisdom among the mature.  The Corinthians can draw their own conclusions."  This is a rhetorical trap, says Hays. (Interpretation series, First Corinthians, pp. 41-47).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Michael Hoy, in his analysis, lifts up the trap of following worldly wisdom, in contrast to the life-giving nature of following the Crucified Christ.  Worldly wisdom and Spirit-led wisdom form the Law/Gospel couplet.  See the entire analysis at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation! 

Artificial Intelligence

 

I Corinthians 1:18-31,the Second Reading for the 4th Sunday after Epiphany in the Year of Matthew, is a text that matches very well with the Beatitudes from Matthew 5, which are the appointed Gospel text. In both, God's reversal is evident, where the folks thought low and despised by the world are the very ones God uses for God's own purposes.  This is, of course, not good news to everyone - at least not at first reading.  It will be the preacher's task to unearth the gospel here for all.

(The following questions have been developed to help exegetes ponder the way the Word works in the text, a fundamental concern of Law and Gospel preachers. These questions are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions available from other sources.  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?  God is the actor in this text and God's actions are both and at the same time "foolishness" and "wisdom."  Christ crucified is a stumbling block to some and a reason for rejoicing to others.  In this way the same word functions as both Law and Gospel, both as a call to repentance and a clear word of mercy.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We might do well to identify with "the called," those that hear the Word and respond in faith, but it might be wise to consider how this Word calls us to repentance as well. St. Paul says that God is "the source" of our life in Christ, our wisdom, our righteousness, sanctification, and redemption.  It might be worth pondering how we often insist on being our own source for life.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to faith is what we have here, not the call to obedience.  There will be certain ways that God calls us to live explored later in this letter.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are a number of couplets laid out in this text, any of which may serve well as a way of proceeding:  foolishness/wisdom; stumbling block/power of God; weakness/strength.

5.  Exegetical work:  More than one commentator down through the ages has wrestled with the human inability to fathom God's wisdom in Christ crucified.  The 4th century writer, Ambrosiaster, said, "Under the judgment of God the wisdom of the flesh can only blush at its miscalculation." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. VII, p. 18). The German reformer, Hesshus, wrote that "God commanded his only-begotten Son to suffer death on the cross.  These and innumerable other things seem absurd and foolish to our reason." (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. IXa, p. 26).  Hans Conzelmann, in his contemporary commentary, calls God's wisdom in Christ crucified "an alien wisdom." (Hermeneia series, First Corinthians, p. 52)  This seems to get at the crux of it. God's wisdom is strange to us, counter-intuitive, foolishness to our way of thinking.  Richard Hays goes a step further, saying that "the cross becomes the starting point for an epistemological revolution."  "To enter the symbolic world of the gospel is to undergo a conversion of the imagination." (Interpretation series, First Corinthians, pp. 27, 31).

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  Eugene Lowry advocated that a preacher always take a listener on a journey from disequilibrium to equilibrium. This text might be a wonderful vehicle for such a strategy.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Former time and Latter time

If Isaiah 9:1-4 sounds familiar it's because verses 2-7 are appointed for the Christmas season in the Year of Matthew.  But here we are again, in chapter 9, not looking at "a child born to us" but the promise of a new day for the residents of the land of Zebulun and Naphtali.  This passage, appointed for the 3rd Sunday of Epiphany in the Year of Matthew, has a slightly different emphasis, as we look back at the "former time" and ahead to the "latter time" when God's deliverance will take place. The preacher's task will be to proclaim this deliverance.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are best used in conjunction with other fine sets of questions with other concerns. These questions seek to answer the question, "What is the Word doing?" 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?  These words are pure Gospel.  They announce God's intention to rescue those "who have lived in a land of deep darkness" and provide them with light, joy, freedom, and abundance.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Although there are many references to the trouble from which God is rescuing us, there is no call to repentance here - no word of Law.  The "former time" which included darkness, despair, and all the rest is passing away and the "latter time" which is coming, will include none of that.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are those being addressed here.  We all have known "former times" when we were struggling, grieving, suffering, or all of those things.  We all long to hear of days to come when such things will no longer be present.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The actor in this text is God.  There are no imperatives.  The call to obedience is not present.  A classic call to obedience is in the appointed gospel text where Jesus says, "Follow me," or in the 2nd reading where Paul says, "Be united in the same mind and purpose."

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are many couplets present in the text and others that suggest themselves:  darkness/light; lack/multiplication; hunger/harvest; defeat/victory.

6.  Exegetical work:  A Hebrew word study shows that the "deep darkness" of vs. 2 is the same word translated in Psalm 23 as "the shadow of death." It is a metaphor for deep despair.  When looking for references to Midian (vs. 4) we see two instances in Hebrew history, one in Numbers 31 where God commands the Israelites to utterly annihilate the Midianites, and another in Judges 7 where God's people rejoice in a miraculous victory over Midian under the leadership of Gideon.  Jamieson, Faussett, and Brown, in their classic commentary, suggest that the latter reference is the most likely:  "As Gideon with a handful of men conquered the hosts of Midian, so Messiah 'the child' (Isa. 9:6) shall prove to be the 'Prince of Peace.'" (JFB Commentary, online Textweek reference for Epiphany 3).  Juliana Claassens, in her contemporary commentary, brings this text to the present day:  "Very much breaking into a time of war, violence, and imperial domination, these images capture people's imagination, helping them to look up from their current circumstances and imagine that a world of peace and justice and an end of war, might just be possible." (Working Preacher, Textweek).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Steve Albertin, in his 2015 analysis, does a nice job of raising up the Law/Gospel couplets that are present, especially darkness and light.  It might be interesting for the sermon to take Albertin's lead and spend some time ferreting out what "darkness" feels like, and then what the coming of the light might mean in that context.  See Albertin's whole commentary at crossings.org/text-study, archived under its references.

Blessings on your proclamation!