Familiar Texts Elusive Contexts 9.7.2023

     I will begin my final major sermon series for 2023 this Sunday. Philippians is a favorite book for many. When preaching from familiar texts there is a risk of disappointing one’s listeners. Oddly enough this risk is a product of familiarity which is often divorced from immediate context and the place of a favorite text within the overall discourse structure of the book. In this case, we all know, love, and quote the following.

        “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13 ESV)

    The familiarity of this verse stems partly from how easy it is to memorize. It is short and pithy with a clear structure. We have seen this verse used as a motto inscribed on athletic shoes or even as a tattoo. When so used it is a clear, public faith statement. Yet lingering questions remain. Who is strengthened, who provides the strength, for what purpose, and why is such strength necessary? All these questions are of course answered in the broader embedded context of Philippians 4.

     Today’s discussion is about the use of scripture. The generation of annotated sneakers and tattoos is not the first to make a personal faith statement by such a performative use of scripture. When the early Christians wrote scripture in catacomb graffiti or turned verses into amulets to be worn, they were expressing contemporary practices of using scriptural texts as a form of personal faith statement, or sometimes as a lingering appeal to “sympathetic magic”. Using beautifully inscribed texts as statements, decorations, or talismans are all based on a common assumption that the text is something more, or other than what it means in context. This is now, was then, and shall always be the central issue and a persistent source of misunderstanding.

    The Bible speaks to individuals, but it is always embedded in community. Modern translations with chapters and verses as well as other attached metadata convey the impression that the Biblical text is primarily to be understood in those arbitrary, bite-sized pieces. This contributes to a broader cultural trend towards individualizing all experiences.  In one sense there is no such thing as Philippians 4.13, it is a sort of artificial construct, an ancillary consequence of the broader hermeneutical process that yields vernacular translation and broad dissemination, but which also requires greater exegetical responsibility. 

    In short, context makes meaning possible. If we did not know that the person sporting Philippians 4.13 on an NBA court claimed to be a practicing Christian, we would not know who the strengthening “Him” is, and we could assume any reason or none for the needed strength. How we talk about faith, how we learn, and how we engage with culture needs to go beyond easily digested soundbites. Intelligent and inquisitive unbelievers will be intrigued by bold faith claims. We need to make sure that every believer is equipped to answer their questions and address their curiosities. Without context and explanation even inspired scripture becomes just another cultural artifact.

    And this is not the only familiar, formative text in Philippians. We are instructed about joy, prayer, and humility. All these instructions so easily summarized in a bullet-point list—are embedded in contexts, central to emerging arguments, or essential to the structure of theological instruction. Without context, it is appropriate (and a legitimate exegetical concern) to ask whether these texts are accurately understood when used in such an anecdotal fashion.  

    My plea is not that we restrict our use of scripture, but that we expand our reach and be as explanatory as possible in such informal circumstances. I understand that a sneaker is not the place to engage in an extended debate about the nature of divine providence. However, wearing a tattoo or inscribing the shoe should inculcate certain responsibilities upon the wearer. The responsibility to know and understand the context, even when space restrictions require abbreviation. 

    Beyond that, it is right for us to expect someone quoting or displaying a scripture to apply the text to their lives. Philippians 4.13 is kind of a freebie. It is more about what God is doing for us, a bit vague about why we might or might not need strengthening, and a little hyperbolic.  It’s a clear example of Paul being Paul. Perhaps that is why we don’t see many sneakers with the following.

        “I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life         I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”                     (Galatians 2:20 ESV)

    Equally Pauline but certainly more demanding. One text focuses on God and His graciousness to us, and the other focuses on our response. One expresses gratitude the other expresses grit. Each is a faith statement—of a different sort. One expresses faith in receiving something. The other expresses faith in resolving to do something. Each facet of faith contributes to the power and beauty of the whole. We live in a time where many people of faith embrace the former while ignoring the latter. Faith means both. 

    I look forward to preaching from Philippians because the brevity of the letter means that the space between the good bits is not that large and that nearly every week, we will have the opportunity to reflect on one of the powerful excerpts that for many have come to define this epistle. 

    Philippians contains doctrine. Philippians seeks to unify the Church around its core purposes. Philippians speaks to each of us, and all of us. Philippians reminds us that the context of incarnation was the purposeful determination of Jesus. And yes, Philippians inspires strength and faithfulness—in private devotion and the public square. We must keep the full message in mind lest elusive contexts create illusionary meanings for these familiar, empowering texts.