Since it will probably be a while before I start preaching on a regular basis, I’ve committed myself to doing a little bit of translation work everyday, switching off between Hebrew and Greek. The original languages are my primary source for writing sermons; I do very little with commentaries or listening/reading other sermons. It’s not that I think I’m smarter than the commentaries, I just feel like the text offers all the material a person needs to write a good sermon. Commentaries are a last resort for me and only when I get really stuck. In translating, I’m starting at the beginnings: Genesis in the OT, and Matthew in the NT. My work in Matthew is doubling as “church work” since this is where I’m planning to start with the future Bible study group(s). It’s a great book for addressing the Jewish roots of Christianity, presenting an overview of Jesus’ life and the meaning/purpose of what happened, and providing an example of the importance of being a follower of Jesus.
Last week I “worked” on the first several verses of Matthew 1 – not exactly the most challenging Greek in the NT since there’s a lot of repetition. Matthew 1 is a toledoth – a genealogy – of Jesus. I’m wrestling with a number of thing here:
- My convictions regarding Scripture require me to assume that everything in Scripture is there for a reason. Likewise, each author and book has a rather specific purpose or goal in writing what they do and presenting the information the way they do. The differences between the various toledoths (Ruth 4; 1 Chronicles 3; Matthew 1) are well-documented.
- If a major thrust of Matthew’s gospel is discipleship, then what in the world is the purpose of his toledoth? Perhaps somewhat selfishly, I would love to preach a sermon on this passage. But if I can’t figure out Matthew’s purpose, I’m a little S-O-L.
Filed under: Apologetics, Bible Study, Discipleship, Theology
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