Back To School 8.24.2023

The kids are back in school; so am I. My last sermon series for the year is (almost) always a detailed exegetical series from a New Testament Epistle. I alternate yearly between a Pauline epistle and one of the Catholic epistles. I try and coordinate my Gospel preaching from earlier in the year with an appropriate epistle if it is at all possible. 

Because it is late in the preaching year, I have had all year to consider what resources I will be using in studying for my upcoming series from Philippians. My overall theme for the year was Beginnings. The title of this series, in keeping with the yearly theme is Completing the Work God Began, the key verse being Philippians 1.6

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

    For the last two weeks, I have been scrambling for time to invest in finalizing my Bibliography and beginning my background reading. I have also spent some time going over my sermons from the last time I preached Philippians in 2010. The rest of this week will allow me to complete the reading of the introductions for the major commentaries in my analog and digital libraries as well as several key monographs in PDF form. 

    At the tail end of the detailed introductory reading, I will take the time to do some word studies for recurring terms that are significant for the structure, content, and meaning of the epistle as a whole. I will work through my preliminary hermeneutic list, reread my notes and clippings, and answer the central introductory questions for myself. At that point I will be ready for the actual exegetical work of going through each pericope, discerning what Paul said then, and what it means for us in 2023. 

    I love every part of this process. I relish every step. I have spent the last several months laying in some new resources and am enjoying the opportunity to read new scholars and engage in “debate” with new conversation partners. I have some old, cherished commentaries that I have used in the past, which are superseded by newer works with a fresh perspective. I have and will not agree with everything these authors say, but I know I will learn and grow from the experience. 

    Every preacher and teacher of scripture needs to take the opportunity to “go back to school” at least once every year. I’ve done some Old Testament preaching this summer which really stretched my understanding. My study of Ruth was more rewarding than I expected it would be when I completed my Sermon Calendar last October. So, for me, Philippians will be another deep dive into a Biblical book that I’ve preached before and presumably, know well. 

    The key to successful study is bracketing off prior knowledge and long-held assumptions so that the material can be reassessed with fresh eyes. J.B. Lightfoot’s commentaries the Epistles set the standard for technical, English-language commentaries on scripture. His commentary on Philippians is cited by every major 20th and 21st-century commentator whose Bibliography I have examined. But his work is nearly 150 years old. A good student of scripture builds upon the insights of the past by incorporating new observations from the present. Often the new commentators will arrive at the same conclusions as the predecessors, but with an entirely different line of argument. 

    Preaching that has depth is built upon a foundation of broad reading. You will not agree with everything you read! Some of the arguments of “famous” scholars are as pedantic as they are wrong. Yet we need to go to school and avail ourselves of the best data we can find to help us understand the sacred text. 

    I often find that the deeper my background work the less dependent on others I am when it comes to the actual exegesis. By far the most deeply read part of any commentary for me is the introduction. Once you know a commentator’s assumptions, much of her direction and many of her conclusions are obvious. The key is to learn how she thinks before you consider her exegesis of specific pericopes.   

    One other feature I think is helpful in reading the Pauline epistles specifically, is locating and reading secular historical materials regarding the city and region to which the epistle was originally addressed. The better commentaries will gather and review much of this material but there is nothing like reading in detail, for yourself the historical background of a city like Philippi. Some of the material will not be immediately applicable but it provides a richer context for understanding these particular people who first read the inspired words of the Apostle. 

    Enough from me then! Away to our studies that we may preach the unsearchable riches of Christ with clarity, accuracy, and power!