Sermons: Then and Now

Hebrews. Romans. Revelation. What do these books of the New Testament have in common?  Maybe their shared similarity is that all of them can be rather confusing at times. Even those who study these books at great length find it difficult to sort through the complex arguments and symbols. Another common factor might be their length. Among the letters of the New Testament, these are the longest books (along with 1 Corinthians). To read them requires extra effort, a will to stay with them and keep reading. This is no small feat in a world of short attention spans. However, there is yet one other element which links them together: their sermonic quality. Many commentators believe that Hebrews is an early sermon copied down, and both Romans and Revelation possess the rhetorical qualities of early church preaching, qualities made more apparent when they were read aloud to the congregation. In each of these there is a desire to expound some aspect of the Gospel whether the fact of Jesus’ role as King and Priest (Hebrews), the truth of God’s salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike (Romans), or an encouragement to hold fast in a world which seeks at every turn to dismantle the people of God (Revelation).

As we consider these three books and their presentation, it is perhaps a little surprising that they have been passed down to us in the present day. If we have such trouble with them (and people through the centuries also have had difficulty grappling with them), then surely the early church also had trouble with them. After all, the early church was a complex group of people as it brought together the wealthy and poor, slave and free, the educated and uneducated, and people of different languages and cultures. Surely there were those in the congregations at the time who would say, “What was it that Paul was saying? What did John mean by those words?” Peter seems to confirm this when he writes, “There are some things in [Paul’s letters] that are hard to understand” (2 Pet 3:16). Clearly, writings like these were difficult to understand even in their own time, and yet they were seen as valuable teachings which edified the church.

The question becomes, How did they gain understanding from these teachings when they were so difficult? One element might be that the reader read the letter multiple times to the congregation. Often a second or third (or sixth or eighth) reading can provide insight as the different aspects of the letter fall into place in the minds of the hearers. Another element might be that the person delivering the letter could explain what the author meant. Commentators believe that the deliverer of a New Testament letter likely received special instruction from the writer for just such a purpose. Finally, it seems likely that the congregation discussed the contents of the letter with each other after hearing it. Through such discussion, they could exchange what they understood and gain insight on what they had not understood. Such discussion might even have prompted the congregation to send a follow-up letter back to the author requesting clarification.

The point of all of this is that our experience has not changed fundamentally. Some sermons which we hear can be difficult to understand. Not all of them will contain simple teachings like those found in Romans 12--though many will! Further, what is easy for one person to understand may be difficult for another. What are we to do when we have trouble understanding a sermon? For starters, I have begun to post the sermons online, so feel free to listen to them as many times as you need. Another possibility is to have conversations about a difficult sermon with other people in the congregation. You might discover that each person has different insights which collectively provide understanding. Finally, you could ask the sermon giver. The benefit of our arrangement is that you have immediate access to the preacher, rather than having to wait for a clarifying letter or having to ask clarification from a mediator. I am available for you to ask me clarifications as well as for you to give me feedback about how I could improve my process. In every time and place preaching ought to edify the listeners, and that is my desire just as it was for Paul and John and the other New Testament writers who sometimes delivered messages which were difficult to understand. -TL