Some preachers treat the Bible like a trampoline: they “bounce” from the verse they read to the topic they really wanted to talk about. Handling the text of Scripture like an afterthought elevates the words of a mere human (the preacher) and denigrates the most important words, the words of the living God. Therefore, it is vital for preachers to preach the text. By preaching the text, I mean that the speaker should accurately explain the meaning of the passage.

Is there a meaning in this text?

Before we can preach the meaning of a text, we have to ask how do we know what a text means anyways? Many of you have probably been in a Bible study group at some point where someone has said, “This verse means to me…” And then say something that the verse surely does not say! The “means-t0-me” readers foist their own interpretations onto a text, bending it to their own imaginations. On the other hand, some theologians have argued that a text of Scripture has only one meaning. And it is the interpreter’s job to get to the bottom of the meaning of the text. Unfortunately, this single-meaning viewpoint can become like a straightjacket, binding the mind of readers and keeping them from mining the depths of Scripture.

How do we then uncover the meaning of a text of Scripture? We do so by paying attention to the intention of the author. Writing is an intentional act. Sure, I guess someone can accidentally scribble some words on a page for some reason. But the vast majority of the time, you put pen to paper, or fingers to keys, for a purpose. You desire to communicate a message. Therefore, it’s reasonable to conclude that the authors of Scripture want to communicate a message. But here’s the twist. Scripture does not have only one author, but two: the human author and the divine author! The Scriptures are the very words of God written by people under the guidance of the Holy Spirit (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:20-21). Moreover, almost every work of literature has multiple meanings. There are main themes and sub-themes. Main points and digressions. It is the same with Scripture.

To uncover the meaning of a text, then, we should then follow a few “rules for reading.” First, we should follow the “Golden Rule of Reading”: read others as you would like to be read. No one enjoys having words put in their mouths. No one enjoys have their meaning misinterpreted or worse, twisted. So why would we treat the authors of Scripture the same way? If we desire our intentions to be understood, we should labor to understand the intentions of the biblical authors. Second, we should see the meaning of a passage like a archers target. In every archer’s target there is a “bullseyes” and then concentric circles emanating out of from the center. The goal of the archer is to get his arrow close to the bullseye but on the target still counts. When reading Scripture there will be certain readings of the text which will be way off and illegitimate. Those are like the errant arrows which don’t even land on the target. Other readings will be closer or farther away from the “bullseye,” the primary message of the passage. But readings which land on the target are legitimate too. And sometimes a preacher’s most powerful point will be drawn from these “sub-themes”!

To Preach the Text, Study the Text

To effectively preach the text, you must study the text. Bible study is both a science (there are steps to follow) and an art (you have to have a “feel” for the text).

Put the Passage in Context

Before even getting into the passage you want to preach, you need to put it in context. In Scripture, there are three “levels” of context: the immediate, the book, and the Big Story.

Immediate context. The immediate context is the location of the passage in its immediate surroundings. In other words, the immediate context places the passage in relation to the paragraph that comes before and after the passage. For example, Ephesians 2:11-22 comes right after Ephesians 2:1-10. Ephesians 2:1-10 speaks of how god makes spiritually dead sinners alive in Christ by his grace. Then, Paul moves from the individual realities of 2:1-10 to corporate ones in 2:11-22. God is not just saving individuals, but redeeming a people. New spiritual life, then, consists of being born again to new life with God and being born again into a new family, the church. The work that God is doing through the church sets the stage for Paul’s calling as an apostle to reveal the mystery of God: that Gentiles are included in the church on equal footing with thew Jewish believers (3:1-10).

Book context. To accurately discern the meaning of a passage, you also need to know where it sits in the flow of the whole book of which it is part. For example, when Paul tells the Corinthian church to not be “unequally yoked with unbelievers,” he is not giving dating advice (2 Corinthians 6:14). In the context of the book, Paul is attempting to persuade the Corinthians from attaching themselves from the so-called “super-apostles” who peddle the word of God for gain and boast in outward appearances (2 Corinthians 11:5; cf. 2:17; 5:12). He had just appealed to the Corinthians to open their hearts wide to him (immediate context! 2 Corinthians 6:11-13). And while it might seem a jarring change of topic to speak about separating from unbelievers, it makes perfect sense in the context of the whole book, which revolves around his battle with the super-apostles.

Big Story context. After placing a passage in its immediate and book context, you need to put into the context of the Bible’s big story. Unfortunately, too many Bible studies and even sermons stop before they get to this step. But it is absolutely vital to do so. If we fail to place a passage in the larger storyline of Scripture, we can fail to see that all the Scriptures point to Christ, as Jesus himself argued (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:29). The apostles also approached Scripture this way, interpreting passages in light of the larger story. For example, Paul pointed out that Gentile Christians do not need to be circumcised because Abraham believed before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9-12). In other words, Genesis 15 came before Genesis 17 in the story. In other passage, Paul argues that the time of the old covenant is now over because Jesus has ushered in a new “era” of the story (Galatians 3:15-29; 2 Corinthians 3:7-18).

Remembering the context of the Big Story is especially vital when reading the Old Testament. Christians cannot just take a passage from the Old Testament and apply it to their contemporary circumstances. Even the Ten Commandments must be interpreted in light of the larger story (Exodus 20:1-17). The Ten Commandments are part of the covenant that God made with Israel. And what was one the purposes of this covenant and these commandments? To show the people their flaws (Romans 3:20; 7:7; Galatians 3:19)! Obedience to the commandments was never intended to be the path of salvation (Romans 3:21-24; 4:13-14; Galatians 2:16; 3:11). Even more significantly, the old covenant was meant to be a shadow which leads us back to Christ (Colossians 2:17). Therefore, merely preaching a sermon on “Do Not Commit Adultery” misses the point of the text! A command of the Old Testament put first be shown how it points to Christ, and then, application can be made to the Christian of how to put it into practice through Christ.

Once a text is placed in its context, you can dig into the passage itself. I’ll explore that step more in the next post.