A Sermon for National Bible Sunday, 2013

3rd Sunday after the Epiphany, C

National Bible Sunday

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-7, 8-10

Luke 4:14-21

Jesus Preaches in The Synagogue by William Hole

Introduction

Every last Sunday of January, we celebrate National Bible Sunday (Pambansang Linggo ng Biblia). This was established by executive order by the late president Corazon Aquino, a devout Roman Catholic, and again by former president Fidel V. Ramos, a devout Protesant. The celebration of National Bible Week and National Bible Sunday is led by the Philippine Bible Society (PBS) in cooperation with the National Council of Churches in the Philippines (NCCP) and the Roman Catholic Church through its Episcopal Commission on the Biblical Apostolate (ECBA).

Today, as we celebrate National Bible Sunday, we meditate on the first reading and the Gospel reading. In the first reading, we see Ezra the Priest reading and interpreting the Torah to the people of Israel. In the Gospel reading, we see Jesus reading from the book of Isaiah the Prophet and preaching in the synagogue in Nazareth. Today we will focus on the reading of the Bible and it's effects on our lives.

I. The reading of the Scriptures.

In the liturgy, we have first the reading of the Scriptures. In our church, we have three readings from the Scriptures: The first lesson, which is usually from the Old Testament; afterwards is a reading from the book of Psalms, which is not a Scripture reading but a response to the first reading. The second lesson is usually from the epistles of the New Testament. Finally, we have the peak of revelation as we rise for the reading of the Gospel lesson.

A. In the first reading, we see Ezra the Scribe, on a high wooden pulpit, publicly read the Torah to the people of Israel. In the synagogue, a portion (parashah in Hebrew) of the Torah (usually around six chapters long, so there are several readers) is read during Shabbat services (and also on Monday and Thursday). According to the Bible, Ezra read the Torah on "the first day of the seventh month", that is, on Rosh HaShanah, the Jewish civil New Year. It was most fitting that the people hear the public reading of the Torah on the first day of the year. These people were exiles from Babylon and they have been recently allowed to go home because of the edict of King Cyrus of Persia (Ezra 1:1-3).

B. In the Gospel reading, we see Jesus, the Messiah, read from the book of Isaiah the Prophet. In the synagogue, after the Torah reading, is a reading from the Prophets (usually a chapter long) which has a relation to the Torah reading. This is called the Haftarah (not "half-Torah"), the 'completion' of the readings. Usually the reader of the Haftarah is also the one who will deliver the sermon (called a Davar Torah, or 'word on the Torah').

C. The Bible does not tell us directly that we should read the Bible everyday. During those days, it was difficult and expensive to even procure a Torah scroll. Scrolls were made from animal skins and copied by hand by scribes. It was only with the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg that books became affordable: the first book that was ever printed was the Bible.

Nevertheless, Scripture commends the daily reading of the Scriptures. Before his conquest of the Promised Land, the LORD commanded Joshua ben Nun:

This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth; but you shall meditate it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written therein: For then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. (Joshua 1:8)

The Psalms calls the one who meditates on the Law as "blessed":

But his delight is in the Torah of the LORD; and in his Law he meditates day and night. (Psalm 1:2)

In both the first and Gospel reading, we see Ezra and Jesus not only read the Bible but also explain what it says. We can see that after the reading of the Scriptures, we have its interpretation.

II. The Interpretation of the Word.

In the first reading, we see Ezra the Scribe not only read the Torah "distinctly", but together with some Levites, "gave the sense" and "caused the people to understand the reading" (Nehemiah 8:7-8). In the Gospel reading, we see that after the Haftarah reading, Jesus "sat down" and begin to teach (Luke 4:20-21). In the liturgy, after the reading of the Word, we have the interpretation of the Word through the sermon.

A. The reading of the Scripture precedes the sermon because the Scripture is the basis of the sermon; not the other way around. There is a danger in eisegesis, where we read meaning into the text; i.e., that we make the Bible say what we want to say. Proper interpretation of the Bible is called exegesis, where we get the meaning out of the text itself.  Preaching is not giving one's opinion and then using the Bible to support it. Preaching is, like in our first reading, to "give the sense" of the Scriptures so that the people will "understand the reading".

B. Ultimately, preaching is an exposition of Christ, that is, to reveal what the Scripture says about God, Jesus Christ, or the Holy Spirit. This is why Jesus said of the reading from the book of Isaiah, "This day the Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing" (Luke 4:21); that is, that the Scripture was talking about him. When we read and interpret the Bible, our ultimate goal is not just to gain information, to get to know more about God himself.   This is why St. Paul writes in his epistle to the Ephesians (1:17) that he prays for "the spirit of wisdom (σοφία, sofia) and revelation (αποκάλυψις, apokalupsis, the word where we get 'apocalypse')"--that is, that believer not only about God, but know God himself. When we read and interpret the Bible, our ultimate goal is not just to gain information, to get to know more about God himself.

The reading and interpretation of the Word is an act of God, done through the agency of human beings, and ultimately through Jesus Christ. But this is not the end; for the reading and preaching of the Word demands a human response--our response.

III. The Response to the Word.

After hearing the reading and interpretation of Scripture, a person is left in an inescapable situation: to respond to what one has heard. One can either accept or reject the message of Scripture. In the liturgy, the readings and the sermon is followed by a response to the Word. Often this involves the recitation of one of the ancient statements of faith: the Apostles' Creed or the Nicene Creed. Even the offering is seen as a response to the Word: the "offering" of oneself and one's possessions, to God.

A. In the first reading, the reading of the Torah led to the people to weep for their sins (Nehemiah 8:9), no doubt for hearing in the Torah all of the shortcomings of the nation. One of our responses to the Word is sorrow for the wrong that we have done and the good that we have failed to do. But godly sorrow does not end in sorrow. Nehemiah the Governor told the people to go home, "eat the fat and drink the sweet" and give gifts to the poor (Nehemiah 8:10), "for the joy of the Lord is your strength." The reading of the Scriptures does not only bring us sorrow when we become aware of sin; but also joy because of the assurance of forgiveness.

B. In the Gospel reading, the people "marveled" at the words of Jesus. Jesus showed the people that Isaiah was speaking about him and that he himself is the fulfillment of the words of Isaiah. The reading and interpretation of Scripture should fill us with awe, as the psalmist says, "Open my eyes that I may see/wondrous truths from your Law" (Psalm 119:18).