Moving from Concept to Sermon: The Art of Preaching Old Testament Narrative
By Steven D. Mathewson
Explanation
The first functional question zeroes in on explanation. It asks, What does it mean? When preachers bring this question to a biblical text, they are asking, Is the author of this text developing his thought primarily through explanation? Is the biblical writer telling the story in a manner that answers the question, What does it mean?
For example, the story in Genesis 13 explains how Abraham resolved the conflict between his herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen. It explains what happens when people of faith take the risk to initiate conflict resolution. The narrative in Genesis 38 explains how God worked around Judah's sin to preserve the line through which the Messiah would come. It also explains the need for God to move his chosen people to Egypt, where they could develop in a culture that was less aggressive than that of the Canaanites to assimilate outsiders. The story in 2 Samuel 11-12 explains how failure to accept God's gracious gifts in our lives can lead to major-league sins. The book of Esther explains how we experience God's presence in our lives even when we don't see him or hear his voice.
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An expositor will also ask the functional question, What does it mean? in relationship to the audience. When presented with the sermon's big idea, would the audience say, "I don't understand"? Would they respond by saying, "Explain that, please" or "What does it mean?" Furthermore, are there elements in the story that may not make sense to a modern audience? Modern audiences are as familiar with siege warfare as ancient audiences were familiar with ATM machines. Modern audiences may have questions about customs, geography, theology, and language that an ancient storyteller would assume the audience knew. An expositor who preaches the story of Ruth may have to explain:
- The meaning of names like Elimelech, Naomi, Ruth, Boaz, and Obed
- The theological implications of leaving the land of Israel for Moab
- Who the Moabites were and why Israel despised them
- The plight of a childless widow in Israel
- The kinsman-redeemer concept
- The custom of allowing the poor to glean at the edge of the field
- How much an ephah of grain equals — a small or large amount?
- What the expression "loyal love" (Hebrew, hesed) means
- The significance of Ruth uncovering Boaz's feet
- Why Boaz sat at the town gate and what the town elders were doing there
- The sandal-removal ceremony (even the writer explains this one!)
Obviously, the expositor doesn't want to turn the sermon into an exegetical lecture. Maybe a sentence of explanation will do for some of the details. Perhaps it will require a couple minutes of the sermon to explain the custom. But preachers must wrestle with what features of the story need explanation as well as how much explanation they will require.