Parable of a Prodigal Father

Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32, the gospel lesson appointed for the 4th Sunday in Lent, the parable of the Prodigal Son, is undoubtedly one of the most well-known of all Jesus' parables.  Like Rembrandt in the painting above, artists, poets, writers, and preachers the world over have pondered this simple tale and sought to bring it to life in a fresh way.  The thing that strikes me is how prodigal the father is.  The first meaning of prodigal in my Webster's Collegiate Dictionary is "recklessly extravagant", and it seems to me this is an apt description of the father's welcome home party for the younger son.  Is there no limit to his joy? we might ask.  Oh, how even that question betrays our own attitude as more akin to the elder brother's than to the Father's.

(The following questions are an attempt to unearth some of the issues for Law/Gospel preachers.  If you wonder what Law/Gospel preaching is about, check out my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The way the Word functions here is really dependent on which character in the story we identify with.  (This is often the case, actually.)  If we assume the identity of the younger brother, if we have known "the far country" and have been in places of want and distress where we "come to ourselves", then this story is very much Gospel.  The joy of the Father simply overwhelms us. We had thought that we had to be worthy of the Father's love, even to be called one of his servants, much less a son, but the Father will have none of it.  He ignores our speeches of false humility, and simply embraces us and celebrates our return to life with unmitigated joy.  If, on the other hand, we find ourselves identifying with the elder brother - and often this is exactly where we church folk need to find ourselves - this story functions as Law.  We are shown our hardheartedness, our self-righteousness, our blind fury at the prodigal forgiveness of the Father.  We refuse to see the lost soul come home as brother, and in so doing we forfeit our relationship with the Father.

2.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience buried in this story of love and grace, is the call to treat others as brothers and sisters.  We, who have been welcomed home despite our unworthiness, as well as we whom the Father has said are heir to all things, are called to view others as our brothers and sisters in Christ.  This story is one without an ending, inviting us to be reconciled with those whom we have decided are unworthy of the grace of God.

3.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The end of the story provides us with some ready-made couplets:  lost/found; dead/alive; estranged/embraced.

4. Exegetical work:  There is no better article on the distinction between the obedient and sinners than the one found in the first volume of Kittel's Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.  This extended article is written around the term for "sinner" in vs. 15;1 where Luke writes that "all the tax collectors and sinners were coming near to listen to him."  Here are just a few highlights:  "The [sinners in the OT] are a definite religious type. Throughout the Psalter they are the opposite of the pious, righteous, and godly, in short of those who with the author of Psalm 1 have made it the goal and contest of their lives to serve God in His Law day and night with all their heart and soul and mind." "[They] boast of [a part] in God's covenant with Israel,... but [do]not follow the Law, persistently break commandments, show no signs of repentance, boast of wickedness and ungodly folly, trust in their own wealth and power and not God, and perhaps even go so far as to ignore God completely." (p. 320)  In NT usage, sinners were "those who lived a flagrantly immoral life" or "those who followed a dishonorable vocation or one which inclined them strongly to dishonesty." (327)
"[Jesus] never contested nor avoided the distinction of the people into sinners and righteous... Jesus admitted that the righteous genuinely obeyed God and did what He commanded... Jesus thus accepted as such those who were regarded as sinners by the community... It was just because they were sinners that He drew them to himself." (329)  Jesus calls "the pious and righteous, as well, to repentance, not for their sin, but for their righteousness, which prevents them from seeing clearly either the greatness of God or their own situation." (332)

5. How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Marcus Felde does a nice analysis of this text archived under 2013 Year C Gospel for the 4th Sunday in Lent.  He shows how our desire for the God of fairness instead of the God of mercy finally aligns us with the elder son who is angry and who refuses to go in to the party.  The question, of course, is, is that really where we want to remain?  See crossings.org/text study for the complete analysis.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Judgment and Forbearance

Luke 13:1-9, the gospel text appointed for the 3rd Sunday in Lent is an answer to our questions about "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."  The prophet Isaiah, in the Old Testament reading for the day, says it best, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord." (Isa 55:8)  We naturally believe that those who suffer greatly somehow deserve their suffering.  Fortunately, according to Jesus' words here and elsewhere, there's a lot more to it than that.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but are meant to open up the text to some of the issues important to Law/Gospel preachers. For an introductory guide to this way of preaching see my book Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from amazon.com)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Both Law and Gospel are evident in this text.  The Law is evident in the call to repentance:  "Unless you repent, you will all perish as they did."  This word makes it clear to us that our sins are known, and repentance - metanoia (turning around) - is required. The Gospel is present in several ways as well:  1) by making clear that our sins and our suffering are not connected; and 2) by the parable about the fig tree which shows a certain forbearance in heart of the gardener:  "Sir, let it alone for one more year..."  This parable hints that the judgment we expect from God is not always forthcoming, only because God is merciful and longs for us to return to God. As St. Paul says, "Do you not realize that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?" (Rom 2:4b)

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We identify with the people Jesus is speaking to. We assume, as they do, that some people are worse sinners - more in debt to God, as it were - than others, and therefore more deserving of condemnation.  We, of course, also handily assume that we are not amongst those "worse" ones, but our sins are only "average."  As someone once said, "We want only 'what is coming to us', but not what we 'deserve'!

3.  What, if any call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to follow Jesus in a life of love and justice is not explicitly present here.  Having said that, it might follow quite naturally that if God is forbearing with us, we too need to show forbearance with others.  Just as the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 illustrates, so we who have received abundant forgiveness from God, need to practice forgiveness with others.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by the text?   I can imagine several:  perishing/being saved; bearing no fruit/bearing fruit; unforgiven/forgiven.

5.  Exegetical work:  The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament by Kittel is a treasure trove of insight when it comes to terms which we encounter regularly in our work.  The extensive article on judgment in Kittel gives us some wonderful insights into this text.  Note the following:  "The merits with which a man might seek to protect himself in the judgment are of no avail.  Nor are the vicarious merits of others... It is constantly insisted that God is the Lord and that man is responsible, so that no human defences will be of any value in the judgment.  The standard by which God judges is known; it is the Law, i.e. the law of love.  With the details Jesus is not concerned." (TDNT, III, 936)  What this extensive article makes clear is that the wearisome task of discerning which sins are "worse" than others, and which sins merit God's wrath, and which do not, is an unnecessary and unfruitful task in which God is not interested.  Finally, "the only ground of deliverance in the judgment is God's remission, not [human] achievement."  (Ibid.)

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic?  David Buttrick always cautions the preacher to be very aware of how many "moves" are made in the sermon design.  A listener can only follow a few large moves - 3 or 4 at the most.  Are we being careful to rein in our tendency to want to exhaust the subject, thereby only exhausting our listeners?

Blessings on your proclamation!

Our Lord's lament

The gospel lesson for the Second Sunday in Lent is Luke 13:31-35.  This brief picture of Christ is one that foreshadows his words from the cross, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." (23:34)  These are not words of condemnation, but compassion and lament. Our Lord grieves over those who will not be gathered under God's wings.  This is a picture of the Lord's compassion for those who will not or perhaps cannot hear God's invitation to come home.

(The following questions try to get at some of the key issues for Law/Gospel preachers.  For a complete review of this type of preaching, you may purchase a copy of my guide to Law/Gospel preaching by clicking on the image on this page.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  What the Word - in this case, Jesus - is doing in this text is lamenting the disobedience of God's people.  This is both a Law and a Gospel function.  This text is functioning as Law in that it shows us our need for Jesus:  we are capable of, and indeed likely to rebel at the notion that we need to be gathered under the wings of our Heavenly Father.  But this text also functions as Gospel in the sense that it shows us our Lord's heart - full of compassion, full of mercy, wishing none to be lost.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the residents of Jerusalem. We are those who will cry out, "Crucify him!  Crucify him."  We are those religious folks who are threatened by this One who will not be constrained by our traditions and notions of God.  We are those who will return home beating our breasts after we have seen the death of God's Son.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This text is a call to faith, not a call to obedience. The call to obedience is the call to live in a certain way in response to God's mercy.  Here we are simply called to fall on our knees in repentance over our rebellion at God's everlasting love.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Several come to mind:  rebellious/obedient; demanding Jesus' death/thanking God for Jesus' sacrifice; forsaken/accepted by God.

5.  Exegetical work:  In Mark Allan Powell's work, What is Narrative Criticism?, he contrasts the Synoptic writers' portrayal of Jesus' enemies.  This particular passage is a good example of how that works.  In Matthew's gospel, Jesus' enemies are characterized as evil, in league with Satan; everything they say, think, and do is wrong.  In Luke, Jesus' enemies are not evil, but self-righteous, not blind but foolish. (Powell, pages 64-65)  So in Matthew 23:37-39, this lament over Jerusalem is the "final straw" in a diatribe that Jesus is making against the scribes and Pharisees.  It comes on the heels of the fearsome series of woes that Jesus levels against these "white-washed tombs," these "children of hell."  In contrast, Luke 13:31-35 comes in a conversation with some Pharisees who approach Jesus on his journey toward Jerusalem.  Just prior to this conversation he has been asked about how many will be saved and Jesus shows his concern about those who will stand at the door to the kingdom and knock and not be allowed to enter.  Compassion, not judgement, mercy, not anger, are what we see in Jesus here.  It behooves us as preachers to recognize precisely the kind of lament we have in this particular Lukan passage.

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic.

Eugene Lowry always urged preachers to move listeners from equilibrium to disequilibrium, and then back again to equilibrium.  In so doing listeners are able to experience the "plot" of a text.  How will we preachers move our listeners in this way through this text?

Blessings on your proclamation!

In the Garden once again

Luke 4:1-3, the account of the temptation of Christ, the gospel text assigned for the First Sunday of Lent, is one that brings to mind another similar conversation - the one in Genesis 3 between Eve and the serpent.  It is noteworthy that the strategy of the tempter is similar - call into doubt the veracity of God's Word, and offer something good to eat, something that must be very appealing.  In Eve's case the tempter was successful in his seductions; in Jesus' case, not at all.  Our old enemy still lurks; we do well to call on our Lord to be with us in the struggle.

(The following questions attempt to get at some of the issues for Law/Gospel preachers.  These questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but to give the preacher a way to enter into a law/gospel conversation with the text.  For more on this method, see my book, available on this page.)

1. How does the Word function in the text?  Jesus, the Word, is hard at work here, battling the devil.  This story functions to reveal to us the power that Jesus has over evil, and is therefore functioning as gospel.  As St. Paul says: "[Christ] disarmed the rulers and authorities and made a public example of them, triumphing over them in [the cross]."

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no explicit word of Law here, no word that lifts up our need for Christ.  Having said that, the very presence of the devil is a word of Law, reminding us that as temptations came to the only Begotten Son of God, so temptations are bound to come to all the children of God.  In the sense that the Law says, "You need Jesus!" this text lifts up our need to run to Jesus in our time of trial.

3. With whom are you identifying in the text?  This is one of the rare stories where we are allowed to identify with Jesus.  Usually that is to be resisted, but here, as Jesus is one tested, so we are tested.  We make a mistake, however, if we view this as a license to believe for a moment that we can be like Jesus and resist the devil in our own strength.  No, we cling to Jesus, and Jesus in us is the One who will be able to resist the tempter.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the invitation to live in response to God's work in Christ.  If there is a call to obedience here it is the call to believe in the power of God's Word to resist temptation.  We are invited as children of God to live our lives in the life-giving presence of God's Word.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The whole scene suggests some alternatives:  deceived/enlightened; hungry/filled; tempted/at peace.

6. Exegetical work:  One of the most important insights for this text is to realize that when the devil says, "If you are the Son of God..." this is a conditional phrase that implies fact.  As any student of biblical Greek knows, there are 3 conditions in Greek grammar - fact, non-fact, and uncertainty.  Conditions of fact, like in this text are saying, "If you are the Son of God, and you are..."  If this were a condition of non-fact, the text would be saying, "If you are the Son of God, and you aren't..." And if this were a condition of uncertainty, the text would be saying, "If you are the Son of God, and you might or might not be..."  One can easily see that it makes all the difference.  In the text for today, since the conditional phrase is one of fact, the devil's statement could be translated, "Since you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread."  It is therefore a temptation to misuse the title of Son of God.  It is not a temptation meant to cause doubt in Jesus' mind regarding his sonship.  That would only be the case if this were one of the other two conditions.  Because the English "if" does not reveal which condition the Greek language is giving us, it is very important when encountering a conditional phrase, to seek out a source that can make clear which condition exists.

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Paul Jaster, writing his analysis archived under 2013 Year C Gospel for the First Sunday in Lent, does an excellent job of lifting up this temptation of Jesus, as the temptation to abandon the Cross.  Jaster uses a steady progression of deepening temptations to reveal how Jesus was led from mere surface temptation to the temptation to abandon his entire mission. He also shows how we too are tempted to avoid the Cross, but are called to daily dying so that we might live. As always, go to www.crossings.org/text study for more details.

Blessings on your proclamation!

We have an Awe-Full God!

The Lukan story of the Transfiguration, found in Luke 9:28-36, is a story which leads us into wonder.  We see a Christ who is far removed from us and our experiences. He stands in dazzling white garments with figures of the Old Testament, long dead.  He speaks of things that none, especially the disciples, can understand.  He is announced by a divine voice to be "My Son, the Chosen One."  There can be no doubt that this Jesus is Truly Other.

(The following questions attempt to unearth issues that Law/Gospel preachers are concerned with.  For a complete look at this form of preaching see my book, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted.)

1. How does the Word function in the text?  The writer, Luke, by his description of this scene, inspires fear and awe in us.  Jesus is being proclaimed as equal to Moses and Elijah, the figures of the Old Testament, long gone, yet revered.  He is the Chosen One, he is the one who will accomplish all things in Jerusalem (i.e. Death and Resurrection).  This Word to us functions as Law insofar as it reveals our smallness compared to Christ, but it is Gospel in that it presents Jesus as the One who will "accomplish" all things for our salvation.  A very interesting mix of functions, to say the least.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The call to obedience, that word which instructs us how to live a life of faith is nearly absent.  The divine voice says, "Listen to him!"  This is certainly a call to obedience, yet it is up to us to figure out what this will mean for our lives, so it is nothing more than the general call to obey the Lord.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Certainly we identify closely with the disciples who are completely baffled and terrified by the events of which they are a part. Peter speaks and shows his confusion.  We are these who are similarly baffled in the presence of the divine.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Our identity in this text is our clue:  confused/enlightened, in the dark/understanding, full of fear/full of faith.

5.  Exegetical work:  It is often fruitful to look at the other synoptic versions of a story.  This text is  no exception.  Matthew, Mark and Luke all record this story in much the same fashion, yet  Luke includes a few additional details that are interesting.  Luke says that Jesus and the disciples ascend the mountain to pray, and the appearance of Moses and Elijah is in the context of Jesus' prayer.  What significance is there in this detail? I wonder.  Also Luke is the only one to give us details about the conversation between Jesus and the other two figures.  Luke says they speak of Jesus' "departure" and all he will "accomplish in Jerusalem."  Since this text comes directly on the heels of Luke's record of Jesus' first passion prediction, it seems that this serves to confirm that prediction.  Luke also tells us that the disciples are "heavy with sleep."  Is this an allusion to Gethsemane, where this will happen again?  Finally, Luke alone tells us that the disciples are "terrified" by the overshadowing of the cloud,and that the voice calls Jesus the Chosen.  It is clear that Luke's account gives us details that the other versions fail to include.  It behooves us to ask why.  There just may be a sermon somewhere in those very details.

6.  Consider the insights of the pioneers of the New Homiletic:  Fred Craddock was always concerned that the preacher bring the experience of the text to the listener.  How are we going to bring the experience of awe and fear to our listeners?  How will we, the preacher, enter into this experience and find ourselves, also in the presence of the divine?  Good questions to ponder.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The year of the Lord's favor

The gospel text for the 3rd Sunday after the Epiphany of our Lord, Luke 4:14-21, is the first half of what is often called, "The Rejection of Jesus at Nazareth."  The remarkable thing is that nowhere in this first half of the story is there any indication of rejection.  At the outset we hear that Jesus is returning from his wilderness sparring with the devil "filled with the power of the Holy Spirit" and that he is "praised by everyone."  And even in the first verse following our pericope, it is reported that his listeners "all speak well of him and were amazed at his gracious words."  Rejection?  Hardly, at least not in this first half of the story.

(The following questions are meant to highlight the issues of law and gospel, essential for preachers who are committed to making this distinction.  More about this way of preaching may be found in my guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available through wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  Jesus is the Word here.  Jesus is the Word proclaiming gospel news - nothing else.  He is announcing that He is the Anointed One, the One who announces good news, who gives sight to the blind and lets the oppressed go free.  In a word, Jesus is the Messiah!  Today, says Jesus, "God's word has been fulfilled."

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is no word of law here, nothing that exposes our need for Christ.  That will come in the second half of this story - in next week's gospel reading. It might be interesting for the preacher to explore the human reaction when someone proclaims they are the Anointed One.  Do we immediately accept this?  Is skepticism or unbelief natural?  Or are we likely to be drawn to such a person?

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?   We are certainly in the position of "all in the synagogue."  We gather for worship regularly.  We regard ourselves as God's people.  We think we are in tune with God's way of thinking.  But are we?

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the part of the text which invites us to live in response to God's work. The ongoing reading from 1 Corinthians 12, which is the second lesson for the day, is an excellent example of a call to obedience.  There we are invited to regard each member of the body of Christ as essential.  In this gospel reading the Word does not function as a call to obedience.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Some of the words in the text suggest several helpful couplets:  oppressed/set free; captive/released; blind/seeing; unfavored/favored by God.

6.  Exegetical work:  I often find it enlightening to read what the earliest scholars of the Church, as well as Reformation scholars, have said about a passage.  Collections of this commentary are available in the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (ACCS) and the Reformation Commentary on Scripture (RCS), both published by IV Press.  About today's text, for example, the 3rd century scholar, Origen wrote, "[Jesus] says, 'He sent me to preach the gospel to the poor.'  The 'poor' stand for the Gentiles, for they are indeed poor. They possess nothing at all; neither God, nor the law, nor the prophets, nor justice and the rest of the virtues.... 'To preach release to the captives.' We were the captives.  For many years Satan had bound us and held us captive and subject to himself.... 'To preach an acceptable year to the Lord.'  But all of this has been proclaimed so that we may come to 'the acceptable year of the Lord,' when we see after blindness, when we are free from our chains, and when we have been healed of our wounds.'" (ACCS, NT, III, 80-81)  Also, John Calvin writes, "It is certain that what is related here belongs properly to Christ alone for two reasons: first, because he alone was given the fullness of the Spirit, so that he would be our witness and the representative of our reconciliation with God... and second, because he, alone, by the power of his Spirit, brings about and performs all the good things promised here.  (RCS, NT, III, 100)

Blessings on your proclamation!

A wedding like no other

The first four words from the account of the wedding at Cana in John 2:1-11, ought to clue us in that this is not merely a nice story about how Jesus rescued a bridegroom from certain embarrassment.  No, a story that begins, "on the third day" in the gospel of John is certainly about more than a wedding - it is about the revealing of the Son of God as Messiah and Lord of all.  It is no coincidence that Mary's two appearances in the gospel are here, at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, and in chapter 19 as Jesus again addresses her as "woman" and ends his ministry by entrusting her care to the hands of the Beloved Disciple.  All of this is finely orchestrated by the writer, along with much, much more.

(The following questions are related to my guide to Law and Gospel preaching, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available by clicking on the image on this site.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  This is a classic law/gospel text because the Word functions to both lift up our need for Jesus and to present Jesus to us.  If we understand this wedding scene as a parable of the human condition, we see immediately that "running out of wine" is a metaphor for our mortality, our brokenness and our sin.  In many and various ways, we "run out of wine":  we lack faith, virture, love, well-being, wholeness, etc.  Our condition as humans is that we are continually experiencing lack.  Jesus, the source of abundance, enters the scene, and taking common elements, ends our lack.  Using merely water, he transforms our lives from lives of scarcity to lives of abundance.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the guests, the steward, the servants, and the bridegroom.  We are all those who experience lack.  We are those who have invited Jesus to the wedding, not even realizing who he is.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is the Word functioning to say, "Follow Jesus."  In this text we have, to my mind, no such word.  This text reveals the glory and identity of Jesus, and through this revelation we, like the disciples, believe, but this is not the call to discipleship.  The second reading assigned for the day, I Corinthians 12:1-11 speaks about the "manifestation of the Spirit for the common good." This is an example of a text about following in the way of Jesus.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Couplets for this text are easily imagined:  scarcity/abundance, water/wine, fear/joy, dying/living.

5.  Exegetical work:  There are many fine commentaries on the gospel of John, but for my money, few are as helpful as Craig Koester's Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel.  Here are just a few insights that Koester offers:  "Jewish tradition associated the outpouring of wine with the advent of the Messiah." (84)  See Joel 3:18.  "Greeks... would have understood that the miraculous gift of wine revealed the presence of deity." (85)  "The divine favor revealed by this gift of wine was a prelude to the gift of his own life." (86)  Raymond Brown, in his classic commentary on John's gospel, seems to agree with Koester as he points out that during the feast of Dionysus, the god of vintage, the fountains of the pagan temples spouted wine instead of water. (101)  Brown asks, "How did Cana reveal the glory of Jesus?"  He answers, "Messianic replacement and abundance." (104)  Brown points out that the disciples may well have known the prophecies regarding the abundance of wine as a sign of the arrival of the Messiah, and this is why "they believed in him."  See Amos 9:13-14, Hosea 14:7, and Jeremiah 31:12. (104)  Other insights from Brown:  The wedding feasts are always signs of the messianic days; "they have no wine" is a commentary on Judaism's barrenness; the abundance of wine is the joy of the final days. (104ff).

Blessings on your proclamation!