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Which Questions Matter?

Which Question Matter? Question Marks

One pastor I have recently come to know and love has been trying to strengthen his biblical study process for preaching. In preparing sermons, he has most often simply followed his hunches and intuitions. Often these instincts include bringing a dozen other small passages into the sermon to support what he says the scripture is saying. This has resulted in him preaching wonderfully biblical things that have very little to do with the Bible passage he has chosen for the day. In homiletics terms, we might call that biblical but not exegetical. Some would say scriptural, but not textual. Others might say, theologically faithful, but not scripturally rooted.

One of the first steps forward for him in trying to strengthen his biblical study was to use a “Detailed Observation” tool that comes from the school of inductive bible study (Bob Traina and David Bauer being principle proponents).

Detailed ObservationsThe problem was, he did not know which of his questions to answer. So he tried to answer them all. By the time he answered all of his questions based on careful reading, he was out of time to work on the sermon proper. He had to “wing it” with a load of content in his pocket.

When I told him you are not supposed to answer each and every interpretive question, he looked incredibly relieved… for a minute. Then the obvious next question emerged, “Okay, well then how do I know which questions to answer?”

Since that conversation, I have chatted with several Bible professors and preaching pastors. Apparently this struggle is common among the preaching pastors, and frequently asked in the biblical studies classroom. Perhaps it is one you could use some help with. Here are some ideas.

  1. Which question does the biblical passage ask the loudest?

This was a theme among experienced pastors and professors that resonates well with scriptural interpretation for preaching. The scriptures are not silent partners in the interpretation game. If we quiet ourselves, look prayerfully and closely, and wait, the passage we are studying will gain its own voice. The temptation is to follow our own side interests, or study issues/words that might help us support our desired preaching points or projects. If we listen well, the passage will press questions upon us that speak “louder” than others. This is another way of getting at “importance.”

Exodus 1 seems to scream, “what does it mean to “remember” Joseph and why does this Pharaoh not “remember” him?” It is the introductory phrase. And understanding it will undo a great deal of misinterpretations of the Genesis-Exodus plot line.

Ephesians 3:1-14 repeats the word “mystery” four times in the English. The passage is about the mystery, and points to the proclamation fo the mystery as the reason for Paul’s chains. So this passage begs the interpreter to figure out what “mystery” means, how Paul is using it here, and what the mystery actually is.

It might be tempting to see “do not be discouraged by my suffering” and focus interpretive work on suffering. After all, suffering is an important pastoral issue and you found this verse in your sermon planning retreat for a series on suffering (that you are now preparing for). But the passage doesn’t call out “please think more about suffering!” It calls out to the preacher to reflect on the mystery…which is the reason for Paul’s lack of concern for his own suffering. To chase down suffering would be to put the preaching cart before the interpretive horse.

  1. Is there a question that will build momentum to answering other questions?

Domino chainOften if you look at the long list of questions you have, there is a beginning point you should not avoid. If you avoid it, the other questions will keep leading you back to that primal question until it becomes clear. If that is the case, answering that question early will make your preaching preparation more efficient, effective, and scripturally centered at the same time.

For example, if you were studying James chapter two and focusing on “faith without works is dead” you will continually come back to the question of something like “What is meant by works?” If you try to answer the other questions surrounding the passage you will keep coming back to that central question. Here are some possible questions you would not be able to answer without answering that one: “Why is workless faith not saving? Are we saved by works?” ‘Why does James 2 conflict with Galatians 2?” “If faith is saving, why are demons who believe not saved?” “What does it mean to confess Jesus is Lord, if demons call him Lord but do not confess he is Lord in saving ways?” “What kind of faith is saving faith?” None of those questions involve the word “works” but none can be understood without digging deeper into the age old discussion of the different uses of the word “works” in James and Pauline letters. The question scares evangelicals who do not want to end up in works-righteousness, so they may avoid it. But the question must be answered for the passage to make sense. It is a lead domino in a branching set of interpretive chains. Knock it down, and the others will start to follow with building momentum.

  1. Answer the key questions that make sense of the otherwise confusing

For example, imagine studying the passage in Acts surrounding Barnabas and Paul’s missionary journey particularly between Psidian Antioch and Derbe. You may have questions such as:

  • “Why does Psidian Antioch have two names?”
  • “How long was Paul in Lystra?”
  • “Did Paul meet Timothy on this first trip?”
  • “What was the climate like in this part of the world?”
  • “How long did the entire journey take?”
  • “Why does Paul go to Psidian Antioch twice?”
  • “What was Paul and Barnabas’ intended route?”

Some of these questions are minor detail oriented questions. It’s not that you should not answer them. It’s just that they will likely be answered along the way to something else. The question that helps deal with the confusion is why Paul goes twice to Psidian Antioch. He’s chased out of the town by a murderous mob, hunted all the way down the mountain into the valley and left for dead after stoning. He then goes back to Psidian Antioch…why? The answer to the question not only clears up a confusing path for Paul, it gives a key insight into the shift of Paul’s missionary strategy, his courage, his sense of God’s protection, and the reason for the effective spreading of the gospel through that region. That is, so long as you find a compelling and satisfying answer from the historical background, intertextual references, and close attention to what is said and unsaid in the biblical story.

  1. Answer the questions that help you understand the people in the story

Another example is Acts 8:26-40. Here the Ethiopian Eunuch is found reading a scroll of Isaiah when Philip is sent to him by the Spirit. Questions surrounding what time of year it was, how close was Philip to that place, and what was the immediate context of Isaiah 53 are all helpful. But one mystery surrounds the whole…how did the eunuch get the scroll in the first place? And why this scroll above all others? Though there are many possible answers, perhaps the most satisfying is that this scroll is the one where it is written…

“let no eunuch complain,

“I am only a dry tree.”

(4) For this is what the Lord says:

“To the eunuchs who keep my Sabbaths,

who choose what pleases me

and hold fast to my covenant

(5) to them I will give within my temple and its walls

a memorial and a name

better than sons and daughters;

I will give them an everlasting name

that will endure forever.”

A eunuch who found these words would certainly want to read and understand more. Whether the scroll was found in Ethiopia and the reason for the visit to worship, or hearing this scroll read in worship led to the highly expensive purchase of the scroll in Jerusalem, the connection seems too obvious to ignore. This book of the Old Testament was a gospel to this specific person. He was an undesirable, and scripture had a word for him. Asking “why this particular scroll” leads to an understanding of the wounds and fears of the person in the story. It also shows the number of things God was determined to bring together for the salvation of this one African official.  He came to the scriptures because they spoke directly to him and his needs. He came to Christ because a believer was there to explain how all of the scriptures point to Jesus.

If we ask why Cain was angry at God’s displeasure, yet unwilling to please him we will understand Cain better. If we ask why David would stay home when Kings go out to war, we will understand him. If we ask why Peter will not sit to eat with Gentiles after he has seen the Spirit descend upon them, we will understand him. If we ask why Jesus washes Judas feet before he names his betrayal, we will understand him.

  1. Most of all, ask the questions that will help you guide your people well

Who were the Jebusites? This question only matters insofar as it helps you understand the broad arc of God’s work to save the world, and how Israel’s interactions with the Jebusites teach us about God, his work in Christ, and our part to play in redemption. If it just makes you look like you “know your stuff” then keep moving.

Who wrote Ecclesiastes? A pastor friend of mine talked with me on the phone this week about this for a good while. Eventually we worked our way back to a focus on the canon, the ultimate other of the Bible as a whole, and a question regarding importance. What difference did it make to the complete and full understanding of the book of Ecclesiastes…for his people this week. In short, they do not need a long explanation of the reasons for holding onto a particularly view of authorship. They need to know how to deal with the meaningless and empty void that their life has become. They need to know how the answer relates to their faith in Jesus Christ. And they need things they can do that will help them move past the feeling that “nothing really matters…to me.:”

These five guiding principles can help us cut through the fog of too many questions, and too little time. Here are some miscellaneous for interpretive questions that may also help you avoid getting so lost in study you are paralyzed for preaching:

  1. Don’t spend too much time on minor historical details. If we get stuck in Bible Land in the sermon, we may never reach our neighbors during the week.
  1. Avoid the temptation to study each and every single word. Very often the English word or phrase is a good parallel to the original.
  1. Limit your “question” asking time to focused sessions. I find focused 15 to 30 minute sessions to be highly effective in getting the interpretive ball rolling.
  1. Keep track of your questions in writing. Many verbal processors avoid this and therefore forget what was confusing. They cannot remember what to study later on.
  1. Once you find something that makes you say “That will preach,” ask the questions that could possibly prove you wrong. After all, the skeptic in your worship service will. Find the answers…you reach the skeptic. Prove yourself wrong, and you may find the gospel.

~ David B Ward, © 2019