Proclaimer Blog
Asking the right questions of a text
When faced with out-of-the-ordinary situations in Bible passages, our minds immediately fill with questions. It's difficult, as preachers, not to dwell on these questions, particularly if we feel that our congregations may be dwelling on them too. But the disicpline of good preparation is to ask the right questions. These may be:
- the questions the text wants to answer
- the questions the text asks, even if it doesn't answer
Let me give an example. I'm just studying Hebrews at the moment (yes, still!). I've got to the majestic chapter 11 and the enigmatic Enoch. What do you make of his "translation" (LXX language) – being taken whilst he walked with God. Try googling it. Try sermon-centralling it. There's lots about how this thing might have happened. Was it like a supposed rapture? Was it like Elijah? Was it an Acts 1 kind of moment?
But that is neither the question the text answers, not the one the text asks. In Hebrews 11.5-6, the author is concerned with WHY Enoch was taken, not HOW he was taken. A faithful sermon on Enoch, therefore – whether from Genesis 5.22-24 or Hebrews 11.5-6 ought to focus on that question too. It's quite a different sermon:
- He was taken by faith
- He was taken because he pleased God
- Without faith it is impossible to please God
- So, he was taken by faith
That's not an outline, by the way, just an observation on the logic of the first few sentences of the Hebrews reference. The key to a good and faithful message is always to ask the questions the text is asking/answering. You can't go far wrong if you do that.