Law and Gospel in a Nutshell

Luke 6:20-31, the gospel lesson appointed for All Saints Sunday, is a perfect example of Law and Gospel.  In this brief text we have all the ways that the Word functions:  to announce God's mercy, to announce our need for God's mercy, and to call us to obedience.  It shall be the preacher's challenging task to either choose one of these functions to center on, or to try to incorporate all three into one sermon.  Either choice will be a challenge.

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but they function best in conjunction with other fine sets of questions meant to lift up other aspects of the text.  These questions try to unearth issues regarding the way the Word functions for Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on this unique genre, 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 Gospel function which proclaims God's mercy is clearly present here in announcing God's blessing.  Makarios, the word we translate as 'blessed' is defined in Bauer's lexicon as "privileged recipient of divine favor." To be announced as a recipient of God's favor is certainly a Gospel function.  The Word clearly functions as Law as well in "the woes".  Again, Bauer defines the Greek word ouai almost as a lament meaning "alas!"  There is a sense of grief in this word over the fact that calamity is imminent.

2.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  Since this text, unlike its more familiar Matthean version, is written in the second person, we are behooved to identify with those whom are addressed by this text.  Are we poor, hungry, weeping or hated?  Are we rich, well-fed, laughing, or spoken well of?  Whoever we are most like, it is those with whom we are called to identify, no matter how uncomfortable it may be.

3.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text? The call to obedience, i.e. the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's grace, is clearly present in the last third of the text:  "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, etc."  Verse 31 sums up every call to obedience:  "Do to others as you would have them do to you."

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are many words in this text that suggest useful couplets that could be helpful in preaching this text.  A couple of suggestions:  weeping/laughing; hungry/filled; destitute/well-supplied; cursed/blessed.

5.  Exegetical work:  The tenses of the verbs in this text are particular important.  You will notice both present and future tenses, used alternately.  Fred Craddock, is his commentary, makes much of these tenses:  "...in blessings and woes two and three, 'now' is contrasted with 'you shall', clearly indicating future fulfillment.  The joining of present and future reminds us that the eschatological reality is already beginning with the advent of Jesus." [The hope] of the prophet Isaiah (Isa 61:1-2) concerning the poor..."is no longer a hope but is an agenda for the followers of Jesus." (Interpretation series, Luke, p. 88)  Craddock is suggesting that this announcement by Jesus is nothing less than marching orders for the people of God.  This suggestion is supported by Luke's placement of this address immediately after the calling of the disciples in 6:12-16.  Another interesting note is that when one looks at the common source we know as "Q" which the gospel writers often called upon, we see that Luke 6:24-26 has no parallel in Q or in the other gospels.  In other words, the 'woes' seem to be original with Luke, suggesting that Luke's particular community was the context for this lament. (Robinson, Hoffman, Kloppenborg, The Critical Edition of Q, p. 54).

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Steven Albertin has several entries for this text, archived under All Saints.  In both analyses he centers on a certain 'defiance' that Jesus reveals here.  Jesus defies the economy of this world, and announces a new economy under God's reign.  Jesus also invites us into a defiant belief and a defiant living which includes loving enemies, praying for those who hate us, and turning the other cheek.  Both analyses are well worth considering in full, and can be found at crossings.org/text-study by entering the text reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

The Wheeee! Little Man

Luke 19:1-10, the gospel lesson appointed for the 21st Sunday after Pentecost, is a delightful story about a wealthy man who is quite the contrast to the rich fellow we met only one chapter earlier.  To that fellow Jesus said, "There is still one thing lacking.  Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." (18:22) And Luke tells us that this fellow went away sorrowful, for he had many possessions.  In marked contrast to that man, Zacchaeus, the rich man here, like a little kid that just got permission to have his best friend stay overnight, alights from the tree he is in and welcomes Jesus into his home with joy! (In Greek, chairon)  Even the grumblers don't sour his mood, but he happily proclaims the freedom he has found in Christ.  It shall be the preacher's job to proclaim this story with joy as well.

(The following questions were developed to get at some of the fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preachers, particularly questions about how the Word is functioning.  To learn more about this unique genre of preaching, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, where you will find the rationale for this method.  It can be gotten at wipfandstock.com or amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  The Word functions here as Gospel as the story shows us the gospel worked out:  a known sinner, one who admits his sins as well, comes to faith and finds freedom from the god Mammon.  Jesus announces to him, "Today salvation has come to this house, because he too is a son of Abraham."  There is no greater gospel news than that.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little evidence of Law in this text, i.e. a Word which declares, "You need Jesus."  We could perhaps understand that those who grumble that Jesus is "the guest of one who is a sinner" stand in real need of a Savior, and that is so, but there is no word of condemnation for those grumblers here.  It is good news that Jesus is the guest of one who is a sinner, not bad news.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is always important to identify with the people whom are addressed by the Word, and so here we happily identify with Zacchaeus.  We are those who are small of (spiritual?) stature whom the Lord notices.  We are those to whom the Lord says, "I must stay at your house today."  We are those who make peace with all those we have wronged because we understand that salvation has come to our house today.  We are the lost whom Jesus came to seek out and to save!

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience in this text is the implicit call which comes from the actions of Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus understands that because salvation has come to his house, he must respond in repentance, renewal, and works of justice.  So we too are called to do the same.  Our lives must reflect the compassion of the Savior.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are a number of terms in this story that lend themselves well to couplets: lost/found; shunned/welcomed; sinner/forgiven.

6.  Exegetical work:  Speaking of the response of Zacchaeus to the graciousness of the Christ, St. Augustine says this:  "While imagining it was a marvelous piece of luck quite beyond words to see [Jesus] passing by, he was suddenly found worthy to have him in his house. Grace is poured out, and faith starts working through love."  (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, NT, vol. III, p. 291).  Fred Craddock's contemporary commentary follows in this same vein: "His salvation therefore, has personal, domestic, social, and economic dimensions... The whole life is affected by Jesus' ministry, a foretaste of the complete reign of God."  (Interpretation series, Luke, p. 220)  Craddock is also quick to note that since Zacchaeus is called a "chief tax collector" he is even more deeply embedded in a corrupt system, thus making his salvation that much more dramatic. (Ibid., p. 218)  Ben Witherington also sees the "this worldly" results of Zacchaeus' salvation:  "By labeling Zacchaeus a 'son of Abraham,' Jesus reinforces the tax collector's membership in the covenant community.  By speaking of his 'salvation,' Jesus focuses not on eternal life but on restitution with others in that same community." (New Cambridge Bible Commentary series, The Gospel of Luke, p. 512).

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Ed Schroeder, one of the founders of the Crossings Community, shows well how this text can function as Law and Gospel.  In his diagnosis he shows that Zacchaeus is "too short" in many ways, his heart is corrupt, and in the final analysis is "lost."  Jesus sees him as he is and invites him to "come down" rather than "climb up."  In other words, Zacchaeus is invited to learn that salvation comes to your house by grace not by climbing up to it.  See Ed's entire commentary, "Jesus, A Do-it-Yourself Study" archived at crossings.org/text-study.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Dire Warnings

Some of the fiercest judgment pronounced against God's people is found in the book of Amos, and in the readings for Pentecost 15 and 16 we have prime examples of this.  In Amos 8:4-7, assigned for the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, we hear the Lord railing against those who through their business practices trample the poor and vulnerable.  In Amos 6:1a, 4-7, the First Reading for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke, we hear the prophet calling out those who live in luxury without even a thought for those who suffer outside their gates.  These fierce texts beg to be  preached.  How shall we do this so that they will be heard?

(The following questions were developed to get at some of the fundamental questions for Law and Gospel preachers around how the Word functions.  For more insight into Law and Gospel preaching, see my brief guide, Afflicting the Comfortable, Comforting the Afflicted, available from wipfandstock.com and amazon.)

1.  How does the Word function in the text?  There is no doubt that in both of these texts, the Word is functioning as Law.  It is a call to repentance.  It is a call to recognize one's sins.  It is, as Luther says, the hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  Clearly, there is no word of Gospel here. God is grieved with those who cheat their patrons, and with those who live in luxury with no thought to the suffering around them.  God is a God of justice.  God is One who suffers with us. 

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is always important to identify with the people whom are addressed by the Word, not with the spokesperson or the Word itself.  It is tempting to take the place of the prophet here, and perhaps that is part of our call, but first we must take account of our own proclivity to cheat others or to ignore the suffering around us as long as we have all we need.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  The call to obedience is implicit here: Live justly, be cognizant of those who suffer, grieve the injustice and poverty around you and do all you can to alleviate it.  This, though not expressly spoken, is assumed.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Couplets for these texts are hard to come up with given the nature of these texts.  We might employ some of the language here to create some:  feeling insecure/secure in Christ; grieving over sin/forgiven.

6.  Exegetical work:  It is interesting to see how commentators have found texts like these speaking to the situation of their own age.  In a letter to 4th century patriarch of Alexandria, Cyril, we read:  "There is nothing else to see happening everywhere in the world except disorder, unheralded war, unrestrained wrath and savagery exceeding all barbaric in humanity, and there is no one suffering "by the collapse of Joseph." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, Vol. XIV, p. 106).  Likewise, in his late 19th century commentary The Book of the Twelve Prophets, the Scottish theologian, George Adam Smith wrote this:  "The ruin of Joseph is the moral ruin, for the social structure of Israel is obviously still secure.  The rich are indifferent to it; they have wealth, art, patriotism, religion, but neither heart for poverty nor conscience for the sin of their people.  We know their kind!  Who live well and imagine they are clever and well refined.  They have their political zeal, will rally to an election when the interests of their class  or trade are in danger.  They have a robust and exuberant patriotism, talk grandly of commerce, empire, and the national destiny; but for the real woes and sores of the people, the poverty, the overwork, the dissoluteness, which more affect a nation's life than anything else, they have no pity and no care."  (p. 181)  To read these words, written in the U.K. over one hundred years ago, and realize that they could well describe our present situation in the U.S. is to wonder if ever we are destined to repeat the sins of our ancestors.  Will we never learn?

Blessings on your proclamation!

Confused Identities

Identities are confused in Exodus 32:7-14, the First Reading for the 14th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke.  It seems God is confused about whose people the Israelites actually are, and the Israelites are confused as to who their God actually is.  Moses seems to have it all straight, but what a spot to be in!  It's no wonder that in the next section, Moses, himself, is at his wit's end.  It might be fruitful for the preacher to mine the treasure of our identity in Christ, through this passage.

(The following questions are meant to help the preacher understand how the Word is functioning in the text, a crucial question for Law and Gospel preachers.  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?  There is a definite word of Law in this text, as Yahweh's wrath "burns hot" against Israel.  Most fearsome is Yahweh's insistence that these idolaters who worship the golden calf they have made with their hands are not Yahweh's people, but Moses' people, whom Moses has brought out of Egypt.  The idea that God is capable of being so angry that we are dis-owned, if you will, is a fearsome thought indeed!

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is little Gospel here.  Indeed it seems that only as Moses reminds Yahweh that promises have been made which must be kept, and Yahweh's name would be forever blemished if Yahweh were to destroy the people, is Yahweh's wrath cooled.  To think that a mediator must talk God out of destroying sinners is hardly a piece of good news.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  This is a unique text in that the Word addresses first Moses and then Yahweh.  It's hard to identify with either.  Perhaps we should identify with those who have gone after other gods.  Perhaps we can see ourselves as those whom God is considering having mercy on, but also those who have deeply grieved the Lord.

4.  What, if any, call to obedience is there in this text?  This text is more a call to faith in the True God than a call to obedience.  The call to obedience always comes after the call to faith, and so we will have to wait for further instructions to find out what we are invited to as people of faith.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  The language in this text is helpful, even if the text itself is not a Law/Gospel text.  Some suggested couplets are:  under wrath/under mercy; estranged from God/embraced by God; condemned/pardoned.

6.  Exegetical work:  Terence Fretheim, in his commentary (Interpretation series, Exodus), says that "a key phrase for interpreting this passage is 'let me alone'.  [vs. 10]  For such a word to make sense, one must assume that, while God has decided to execute wrath (see v.14), the decision has not reached an irretrievable point; the will of God is not set on the matter." (pg. 283)  Fretheim goes on to say that it is God's relationship with Moses that is key here.  "God here recognizes the relationship with Moses over having an absolutely free decision in this matter." (Ibid., p. 284)  Fretheim concludes his commentary on this short passage by talking about what this reveals about God: "The God of Israel is revealed as one who is open to change.  God will move from decisions made, from courses charted, in view of the ongoing interaction with those affected.  God treats the relationship with the people with an integrity that is responsive to what they do and say." (Ibid., p. 287)  What Fretheim is suggesting is that there is good news here:  our God is One who regards our relationship with God as having such great value that even God's will is open to change.  In the words of Rob Bell, "love wins."  It is telling that the word used to describe God's change of heart in verse 14 is nacham, which means to be sorry, to rue, to suffer grief, to repent of one's doings. (BDB, p. 637a). This is a relationship word:  God did not merely change God's mind; God suffered grief over"the disaster he had planned to bring on his people."

7.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Bruce Martin has an interesting analysis of this text entitled, "Golden Cross, Bloody Cross."  Translating this story into our time Martin suggests that much religiosity is merely cloaked idolatry, even when done ostensibly in the name of Christ.  He calls us to remember that only "by God's own intercession are we saved."  This is an analysis worth pondering. Go to crossings.org/text-study to see the entire analysis, archived under the reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Choosing Life

"I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses," says Moses.  "Choose life so that you and your descendants may live."  This is an ancient text, coming to us on this 13th week of Pentecost in the Year of Luke, from Deuteronomy 30:15-20.  It is the end of the long farewell speech to Israel, as Moses prepares to die, and the people of Israel prepare to enter the Promised Land with Joshua as their leader.  Does this text come to us as Law or Gospel or a call to obedience?  That is the question.  Ancient writers differ. 

(The following questions have been formulated to get at some of the fundamental concerns of Law and Gospel preachers, particularly around the way the Word functions in the text.  These questions are meant to be used in conjunction with other sets of exegetical questions which inquire in different ways.  For more 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?  It is clear that Israel's identity is secure: they are God's people; they have come through the Red Sea and been fed with manna and have drunk from the rock.  This passage is therefore not a call to faith, but rather a call to obedience.  God has claimed them and guided them and kept them.  In response to God's faithfulness they are now invited to live in faithfulness as well.  The Word functions to call God's people to obedience.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  While there is the dichotomy of blessings and curses here, this text does not seem to function as Law and Gospel.  Law and Gospel says, "You need Jesus!  Here is Jesus!"  This text, rather says, "God has been faithful; now, you be faithful in response."  The Word here is functioning as a call to obedience.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  It is easy to identify with the recipients of this text, for we too are called the people of God, the children of the promise.  We too are called to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength and our neighbor as ourselves.  We too are promised blessing when we choose God's way, and cursing when we go our own way.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  This is a bit tough to come up with since the text is a call to obedience.  Taking some of the language of the text, we could imagine several couplets:  living under the curse of sin/freed by Christ's obedience; dead in sin/alive in Christ.

5.  Exegetical work:  This passage contains a phrase that Erasmus made much of in his Discourse concerning Free Choice, which Luther so earnestly attacked in his famous treatise, The Bondage of the Will.  To be called to "choose life", said Erasmus, was proof that God's people had freedom of choice.  "Not so fast," said Luther.  "Truly ... we are at a crossroad, but only one way is open; or rather, no way is open, but by means of the law it is shown how impossible one of them is, namely, the way to the good, unless God gives the Spirit, and how broad and easy the other is if God allows us to take it." (LW, vol. 33, p. 126)  Here Luther insists that without the Spirit, we cannot choose the way of life.  In other words, were we not already claimed by God and filled with God's Spirit, we would have no path to choose but the one that leads to death.  Basil the Great, 4th century bishop of Caesarea, seems to side with Erasmus:  "There is a certain balance constructed in the interior of each of us by our Creator, on which it is possible to judge the nature of things."  Caesarius, 5th century bishop of Arles, seems to side with Luther:  "Power [to choose] is given to you through the grace of Christ: 'Stretch forth your hand to do whichever you choose.' 'Choose life, that you may live'; leave the broad way on the left that drags you to death and cling to the narrow path on the right which happily leads you to life." (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT, vol. III, p. 326-327)

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Peter Keyel takes a classic Law/Gospel approach to this text, understanding that this call to choose life brings into stark relief our inability to have hearts that turn to God.  In his prognosis, Keyel rejoices in the news that Jesus, by his perfect obedience, broke through the system that only leads to death.  Go to crossings.org/text-study to see this analysis in its entirety.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Final admonitions

Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 is the Second Reading appointed for the 12th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke.  It is the final reading in this series of readings taking us deep into the book of Hebrews, a book Tom Long has described as one masterful sermon. (Interpretation series, Hebrews).  Now, says Long, the sermon is over, and "the Preacher ... turns to the more routine aspects of congregational life, to the ministry of hospitality, the prison visitation program, the stewardship emphasis, and the like." (Ibid., p. 142)  This final chapter, note other writers, is much like the ending of a Pauline letter, filled with admonitions, akin to a parent writing to a child away from home for the first time:  Be good, mind your manners, be careful, watch the company you keep, etc.  It will be the preacher's task to discern the gospel amongst all this admonition, and lift that high as well.

(The following questions have been developed as a way of getting at the concerns of Law and Gospel preachers, especially concerns around how the Word is functioning in a text.  These questions are meant to be used with other sets of questions that help open up a text in other ways.  For more 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?  There is little doubt that this text is almost purely a call to obedience, which is the Word functioning to invite us to live in a certain way in response to God's work in Christ.  The writer of Hebrews has just finished announcing to all that we have received "a kingdom that cannot be shaken." (12:28)  We are now invited to live in grateful response to God's amazing abundance.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  There is almost no hint of the Law here.  We might well understand that beneath all these admonitions is the implicit acknowledgement that sin lies close at hand and "the devil prowls about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour," but no such thing is said here.  Also a Gospel word which announces what God has done in Christ seems also to have been omitted.  While it is true that the text is not here functioning primarily as Gospel, several verses could certainly be considered announcements of the good news: "I will never leave you or forsake you," (vs. 5c) and "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." (vs. 8). Both those verses are good news to be sure.

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  As always we want to identify with those being addressed by the Word.  We then are those who are being reminded to "let mutual love continue" in all the various ways it does.

4.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  Since this is primarily a call to obedience, we must stretch a bit to find couplets that are law and gospel related.  Using some of the language in the text as a launching point, several ideas come to mind:  strangers/friends; in prison/freed; defiled/made clean; forsaken/embraced forever.

5.  Exegetical work:  It is instructive to understand that all the imperatives in the text are present tense imperatives. That is to say, they are reminders to continue doing what you are already doing, or in the case of prohibitions, to stop doing the things that you are doing.  If these imperatives had been aorist in form, they would have signaled the command to start something new.  The present tense suggests that these admonitions are reminders of things the listeners already know. Another grammatical detail is lifted up by the Swiss-German reformer, Oecolampadius, who calls our attention to the strong future denial constructions in verse 5:  "I will never leave you or forsake you."  A literal translation of this verse might be "By no means will I ever abandon you and not by any means will I ever forsake you."  Oecolampadius notes that "the Lord said this to Joshua, when he charged him to take up the leadership of his people.  But because the Lord purposes not to leave anyone who wholeheartedly entrusts himself into his care, the apostle rightly cites this promise as belonging to all believers in general.  For he is near to all who call on him in truth."  (Reformation Commentary on Scripture, NT, Vol. XIII, p. 190).

6.  How does the Crossings Community model work with this text?  Douglas Chamberlain tackles this text in an interesting way, lifting up the way that our inhospitable habits, eventually lead us to rejection of God as well.  Thankfully, God's promise to never match our inhospitality with more of the same, but rather to go above and beyond being hospitable to us strangers, is fully seen in Christ. Go to crossings.org/text-study to see the entire analysis archived under the reference.

Blessings on your proclamation!

Promises galore!

Isaiah 58:9b-14, the First Reading appointed for the 11th Sunday after Pentecost in the Year of Luke, is filled with conditional language.  "If you remove the yoke... if you offer your food to the hungry...etc."  Yet this text has a gospel feel to it; it is filled with promise.  It will be the preacher's task to preach gospel while guided by this text of conditional phrases - a challenge to be sure!

(The following questions are not meant to be exhaustive, but meant to be used with many other fine sets of questions that help preachers uncover the treasures in a text.  These questions are meant to uncover treasures sought by Law and Gospel preachers.  For more on 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?  Claus Westermann calls verses 9b-12 " a conditional promise" akin to Job 11:13-19.  (The OT Library series, Isaiah 40-66, p. 331f)  It is a promise of blessing.  It is this promissory quality that gives the "gospel feel" to this text.  Over and over God is promising blessing.  It sounds very much like a Hebrew version of "if you believe in your heart and confess with your lips you will be saved." (Romans 9)  In Hebrew thinking faith always shows itself in action.  So faith is what is being described here. When we do acts of justice, we are "doing faith," as it were.  And from faith comes blessing.  A gospel text.

2.  How is the Word not functioning in the text?  The Law has already been announced in all its ferocity at the beginning of chapter 58:  "Announce to my people their rebellion, to the house of Jacob their sins." (vs. 1b)  Here there is only conditional promise.  God clearly longs to bless the people, offering them a way to obtain this blessing.  There is no condemnation here, but rather an invitation to "the life that is truly life."  It is reminiscent of Joshua's invitation:  "Choose this day whom you shall serve... as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

3.  With whom are you identifying in the text?  We are the ones being addressed in this passage. We are the people of God. We are the individuals God is inviting into this way of blessing.  We are those who are invited to remove the yoke from among us, to feed the hungry and satisfy the needs of the afflicted. We are those who are invited to call the sabbath a delight.

4.  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 response to God's work in Christ. This text invites us to live in response to God's invitation; not the same thing, but close.  As is typical in OT faith language, faith is a response to God's faithfulness, and looks forward to what God is promising; it does not look back on what God has done.

5.  What Law/Gospel couplet is suggested by this text?  There are a number of phrases in this text that lend themselves to the couplet form:  sitting in darkness/light rising in the darkness; gloom/noonday; lost/guided; parched places/watered gardens; dry/springs of water.

6.  Exegetical work:  The Lutheran Study Bible mentions the presence of the term "nephesh" (Hebrew for "self" or "soul") in this passage, suggesting that there is a deliberate word play here.  When we replace the common translations with this term, we see the depth it offers.  Verse 10:  "If you offer your nephesh to the hungry and satisfy the nephesh of the afflicted, then your light shall rise in the darkness..."  If we recognize that our nephesh is not only the seat of our appetites, but the seat of our emotions and passions, indeed our essential self, this passage gains considerable weight.  We are being invited to give of ourselves in ways that go far beyond bringing a bag of food for the food bank.  Also nephesh shows up in the promise as well:  "The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your nephesh in parched places, and make your bones strong." (vs. 11)  A deep contentment is being promised here, even during days of lack.  Another unique aspect of this passage is that it addresses not the people of Israel, but individuals. The verbs are singular.  This is very unusual.  What is clear, however, is that the individual response of faith will produce blessing for the community, (e.g.  your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt), as well as the individual (e.g. you shall take delight in the Lord).  This address to individuals is consistent throughout this passage, whether it has to do with love of neighbor (vs. 9b-12), or love of God (vs. 13-14).  Luther has much to say on this passage.  One quote will suffice:  "Just as one ungodly man can harm a whole city and region, so God can through one good man provide much benefit for the state and the whole region." (LW, XVII, p. 289).

Blessings on your proclamation!