The Redemption Question
Should we preach Jesus from every text?
If we preach an entire sermon and never mention the Christ, can we claim that it is a Christian sermon? I have come to a firm conviction that our preaching should always, ultimately, be about Jesus. Surprisingly, this conviction is not necessarily shared by all Christian preachers.
An important principle of biblical interpretation states that a later meaning should never be imposed on a biblical text. Honoring the context means, for example, that we do not assume a New Testament understanding in an Old Testament text. This is a good principle, particularly for discerning what the text meant, which is the task of hermeneutics (biblical interpretation).
The task of homiletics (biblical proclamation), however, is not just to explain what the text meant, but also to announce what the text means. This means that, though for the sake of exegesis we do not assume that the biblical writers knew the rest of the story of God, we do not for the purpose of preaching need to pretend that we do not. Like the disciples on the Emmaus road, we live on this side of the resurrection, and we can now see the solution that all of Scripture has been pointing towards all along. We can and should, on our journey from the text to the sermon, ask the question, “How does this text point to or anticipate Jesus as the solution to the problem of brokenness?”
Finding the path to Jesus in every text
An essential skill for gospel-driven preaching is the ability to discern the best connection between the text and the gospel.
This task is easiest when we are working in the New Testament, as virtually every New Testament text deals with Jesus either directly or indirectly. The Gospels are accounts of his life that actually shape our understanding of the Good News. Acts recounts the early expansion of the church as his followers proclaimed his life and death. The epistles provide commentary on the implication of the gospel. And the Apocalypse anticipates the gospel culmination and restoration of Jesus’ triumphant return.
When we are dealing with an Old Testament text, the path can be harder to find. At times in the history of the church, some preachers found Jesus in the Old Testament through allegory – attributing a “spiritual” meaning that is completely separate from any literal or historical sense of the text. My advice is to steer clear of this method, unless it is in harmony with a specific interpretation found in the New Testament. Allegory is an extremely subjective endeavour, and though NT writers may have been inspired to make these connections, we are not!
However, legitimate and direct connections can be made in many Old Testament texts. Some prophecies (like the “Servant Songs” in Isaiah), as well as certain psalms (like Psalm 22 or Psalm 110) are clearly messianic in their focus and are recognized in the New Testament itself as referring to Jesus. In some instances, a theme or typology (shepherd, king, sacrificial lamb, etc.) makes the connection easier. Some biblical characters also prefigure Jesus in some way. For example, New Testament allusions help us to identify Jesus as the “new and better Adam,” the “new and better Moses,” and the “new and better Joshua.”
My preferred approach is what I call the “Google Earth” method. Carefully study the text in its context. Take the intended meaning of the original writer very seriously to understand what the text meant to its original hearers. Then zoom out to find the best path to Jesus.
We are not trying to break a “Jesus code” in the Old Testament. We are reflecting theologically on the text in light of the grand story of God. The fundamental question we are asking is, “What does Jesus’ life, death, resurrection and return accomplish that brings healing, reconciliation, and/or restoration to the aspect of human brokenness discovered in this text through the ‘brokenness question’?”
The Fruit of Gospel-Driven Reflection
Take the time to reflect deeply on the brokenness and redemption questions. Write down your answers in terms that explain the meaning in a style that you could use within your sermon. Chances are, you may end up using them in key places in your exposition.
These answers will help shape your sermon in some other important ways as well.
They can help you to define a “Big Idea” for your sermon that is not a mere a moralizing of the text, but a Christ-centred message that points to the hope of the gospel. They will also help you to discover the tension of the sermon which is found in the encounter of our human agenda (flowing from our brokenness) with God’s agenda (flowing from his true purpose).
Perhaps most importantly, these questions can help you to identify a “gospel turn” in your preaching of the text that will enable you to proclaim the gospel through the story of the sermon, and not merely as an appendage on the end.
In the next post, we will explore the fourth and final question: the Application Question.
