Friday, March 15, 2024

Cal Newport and Slow Productivity for Pastors

 Cal Newport's ideas - especially from Slow Productivity - for Pastors

 

Here are some of productivity guru Cal Newport’s ideas as they might be applicable to pastors, together with some of my own reflections.

 

Dr Cal(vin) Newport writes mainly for knowledge works. He does sometimes mention pastors (Slow Productivity, p15) and he says he hears from them a lot. He is a computer science professor at Georgetown University.

 

Pastors are of course concerned with the knowledge of God. And they have the opportunity to implement some productivity ideas because they normally have a relatively high degree of autonomy about how they structure their efforts.

 

Perhaps one area that Newport doesn’t particularly address is the central importance of relationships for the pastor. Pastors are in the people business. They are not just about knowledge but about people knowing God. The pastor’s work is rather different from that of the guy who builds websites or writes financial reports. But nevertheless the pastor’s vocation is still work. It is essential for the pastor to know his people, to spend time with them. Some of this might be structured, but there may also be some intentional hanging about. Attending the coffee morning could be really productive work, even if its not like digging the road. Some people can be hard work, of course, and some of us may find exhausting things which other people might not think of as real work. We should seek to know ourselves and what we will find energising or draining and plan accordingly.  

 

Newport’s warnings against pseudo-productivity and the quick fix are well made. Pastors, who can be conscious of their low worldly status and lack of economic value, can feel the need to justify their existence by activity. The wise pastor might adopt the time-frame of a shepherd or a farmer who cultivates the seed of the Word looking, ultimately, for an eternal harvest and the growth given he knows not how by God while he sleeps.

 

Newport has written, podcasted and YouTubed about ‘The Deep Life’ in which meaningful work is aligned with our values, which of course ought to be of interest to pastors.

 

He has advocated Deep Work (2016 book) seeking focus in a distracted world. Deep Work is the specific activity of focusing for a session on something cognitively demanding without distraction (no switching / shifting to different activities / contexts). What could be more relevant to this than prayer and sermon preparation? Newport thinks it is best to have blocks of two or three hours without distraction. Turn off those notifications and avoid social media! He advocates ‘time block planning’ in the diary / calendar and trying to reduce the number of projects one is actively working on. Seeking to multi-task is normally a mistake.

 

Pastors can have so many demands on their time. They could do so many good things. What do they think of as their real core business which they are determined to make quality time for without distraction? When and how could you aim to do the more shallow and necessary tasks with the minimum effort? As Steve Jobs said: “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do.” (Slow Productivity, p176 quoted from Jason Fell, ‘How Steve Jobs Saved Apple’ Entrepreneur, October 27, 2011.)

 

Maybe you could have habits and rituals around your deep work that help you: sermon prep on a Wednesday afternoon with a latte, or whatever! The location in which you study and pray could make a real difference.

 

Newport is also interested in Digital Minimalism (Penguin, 2019) and with the elimination of email (2021 book). Maybe pastors would do well to tame their relationship with technology. Perhaps email could be confined to a slot in the morning and a slot in the afternoon to provide more uninterrupted focused time with the Bible or with people?

 

Pastors often work six days a week with a number of evening commitments, so it behoves them to think carefully about work-life balance. Pastors of course want to serve. And feeling needed gives a boost. We can invest much of our sense of self in our calling but we need to remember that the position of Messiah is taken! No one wants a busy, exhausted, frazzled pastor and it is probably a mistake for us to think of ourselves as endlessly available 24x6, unless someone really is dying. Which often they are not. Many things can wait. Some things even sort themselves out without us doing anything, even though it seemed like an urgent crisis at the time.

 

Some of us often need to be reminded to slow down and listen to the Scriptures and our people better than we might naturally do.

 

In his latest book, Slow Productivity: The lost art of productivity without burnout (Penguin Business, 2024, 256pp), Newport suggests three sustainable principles:





(1) Do fewer things. Focus on the couple of core activities that really make a difference. Deliberately strategize to do what matters most, ignoring or eliminating what gets in the way as best you can. Limit missions, projects and daily goals. Try to work on one big thing each day.



(2) Work at a natural pace. Here Newport claims to draw on ideas from humanity’s hunter gatherer past. He advocates some periods of intensity but also some quieter periods, perhaps a quieter month – some element of seasonality. And some space carved out in the week. Maybe a harder Monday than Friday. Perhaps avoiding scheduling big stuff for Monday AM so that you can enjoy Sunday more. The goal is to avoid rushing our most important work, to give it the time and space it needs. Be deliberate about rest and refreshment after busy periods.



(3) Obsess over quality whilst avoiding a crippling perfectionism. The sermon could always be better and more fully prepared and rehearsed. We might do well to take some more time on it, but we also need to have confidence when it is ready – we mustn’t give infinite time or nothing will ever get done. The aim is progress not perfection (cf. 1 Timothy 4:15). Study to build craft and skill over time and keep growing. If we preach thoughtfully most weeks for maybe twenty or thirty years, we ought to be quite good at it by our eighties! Perhaps we need some feedback and help or different approaches if we feel we’re not making progress.



Newport also gives some particular suggestions for rules, habits and ploys towards implementing these principles, and much of the book draws lessons from those he sees as having exemplified some aspect of his philosophy (Isaac Newton, Jane Austin, contemporary musicians, authors and business people).


It seems to me it is worth the pastor thinking about these things.

 

Even if we aim to obsess over quality, we must also recognise there is lots of stuff we need to do which is not sermon preparation (or whatever core activity we particularly love or value). There is also truth in the principle of ‘The Godliness of Mediocrity’: if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. Or at least adequately. Good enough is good enough. Of course it could always be better. But if you decide to become a famous concert pianist, you are not likely to get much else done. You are not just a preacher but also a pastor and a leader – and, you know, family, friends etc.

 

There is a treadmill of weekly sermon and bible study preparation etc., but there is value in thinking of these things as longer projects over a more extended timescale. How can I plan and prepare for a sermon series rather than just getting ready for this Sunday? And how can I work in such a way that the preparation I do now will be most useful when I preach or teach this book again in ten years’ time?

 

Personally I think I would do well to sometimes take some time out to think about potential plans for two- or five-years’ times. How do I see the big picture of church life and our long term needs?

 

Maybe it is good for pastors to think about having a big slow project: a bible book or theologian they want to get to know really well. Or to be encouraged to keep up their biblical languages by giving them twenty minutes most days because of the long-term benefits. Much can be achieved by plodding.

 

Newport also has ideas on cultivating taste and creativity through a hobby not directly related to your work, in his case, cinema. Church and family life can be demanding, there’s lots to be said for ministers who know how to relax, play, have fun, have friends and ideally have some kind of hinterland. Perhaps some of us are driven beyond the call of God to see immediate results in terms of church finances or bums on pews and could do with lightening up and trusting God.

 

Newport refers to C. S. Lewis’ Inklings as a group of friends who provide criticism and encouragement. Some diocese encourage Reflective Practice circles for this sort of purpose. And many pastors will belong to prayer triplets or preaching groups. Where do we plan to get our constructive criticism or a bit of help and advice?

 

* * *

 

I’ve made some other notes about some of Cal Newport’s (other) core ideas from YouTube videos here:

 https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2024/03/some-of-cal-newports-ideas.html

* * *

 

If you’re interested in these ideas, you may also enjoy Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less (Virgin Books, 2024, 288pp). See: https://marclloyd.blogspot.com/2024/02/essentialism-one-necessary-thing.html


* * * 

Here are some other resources, not all of which I've read or used:

Reagan Rose offers Christian perspectives on productivity here: https://redeemingproductivity.com/

He considers the Pastor and personal productivity in this You Tube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_a39wztWlIs also an article for Focus on the Family which draws on Newport's Deep Work.  

He suggests: 

Keep a consistent bed time and morning routine. 

Pray and plan your day. 

Schedule the most important thing and get it done even if an emergency pushes out other stuff. Guard your time. 

Have a regular normal pattern of day off, sermon prep etc. even if sometimes there are emergencies. 

* * * 

Effective faith - a Christian website that seeks to help with effectiveness whilst warning against idolatrous / toxic approaches to 'productivity': https://effectivefaith.org/

* * * 

Matt Perman is the author of What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done (Zondervan, 2014) and How to Get Unstuck: Breaking Free from Barriers to Your Productivity (Zondervan, 2018) 

* * * 
Tim Challies, Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity (2015)

* * * 
Matt Fuller, Time for Every Thing?: How to be busy without feeling burdened (The Good Book Company, 2015)
* * * 
Tim Chester, The Busy Christian's Guide to Busyness (IVP, 2012)

Some of Cal Newport's ideas

 Jottings on some core ideas of Cal Newport’s from YouTube videos

 

The Deep Life

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oD5e1DRkbiU

 

How to live a deep life, a life radically aligned with your values, that it might be meaningful to you.

 

Try to focus on what really matters to you so that you don’t waste too much time on what doesn’t matter.

 

“Radical” tries to capture the idea that we are hoping for big change here not just walk more and eat less meat etc.

 

Intentional

 

Identify the different areas of your life which are all important to you:

(1) Craft – work and creative leisure

(2) Community – family and friends

(3) Constitution – health, fitness, food, exercise etc.

(4) Contemplation – religion and thinking

(5) Celebration – enjoying the world with presence and gratitude – fun stuff you love

 

Warm up by developing a keystone habit in each of these “buckets” – something simple, doable, meaningful (non-trivial) in each bucket each day – do them and write down that you did them – do optional activity that is a pain

 

Dedicate 4-6 weeks focused on each bucket – clear out stuff to put in good stuff

 

By acting like this, you gain insight – self-awareness

 

Try this before making some huge radical change like moving to the woods!

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOQpZlZuySE

 

Time management

 

Rules for what to do next with respect to work

 

Somehow we make this decision – sometimes not in a thought-out way

 

Capture – store all the important information in a trusted, reliable way (don’t waste brain space on remembering what you need to do), in a system you review regularly – David Allen, Getting Things Done

(1) Capture deadlines etc. and what needs to be done by when  

(2) Configure – Care more about how you organise what you capture – consolidate relevant information so you can quickly find out what you need to know – all the relevant info is there in one place when you need it  

(3) Control – don’t be reactive be proactive – make a plan for your time in advance which makes the most of the time you have available – think about the big picture not just the moment – you need to do this sort of planning on different time scales say quarterly, weekly, daily

Give your time a job

 

Some possible tools:

 

Trello – Roles – Projects

 

Google Docs

 

Time block planner - https://www.timeblockplanner.com/

 

WorkingMemory.Doc on your desktop for things you want to capture and process / action / store later

 

Calendar

 

To be processed

 

Waiting to hear back from  

 

Daily shut down

 

Weekly tidy up

 

(4) Constrain – what are you going to manage / accept onto your plate / decide how to say yes and no – what do I want to do and how do I want to do it that will help me to do it better or quicker – have a reliable process for doing it

 

Offer office hours for people who bother you! Come see me Monday 2-5pm

 

* * *

 

Slow Productivity

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZwPyB20lxg

 

cf. burn out / Exhaustion in the face of all that we have to do  

 

2019 onwards – we are tired of doing too much

 

Books:

 

How To Do Nothing

 

Do Nothing

 

Laziness does not exist

 

Can’t even

 

4000 weeks

 

Skilled and focused work at a natural pace – breaks – ups and down of intensity – never too many things at one time – this then that not 18 things!

 

Chronic overload – more things on our plate than we can easily imagine how we are going to get this done

 

We love to make a plan and complete a plan. We hate it when we can’t do this.

 

The overhead spiral – the admin that is required just to do our actual work in terms of information gathering, co-ordinating and co-operating - meetings and email add and add until they are mostly about the fixed overhead – we talk about the work rather than do the work! We have meetings about meetings!

 

Relentless pace – when do we relax? – sit in the shade in the heat of the day, nap and chat, or take the day off if its raining

 

There are always things to get done and you are always behind – no relief – 10/10 all the time, day after day

 

* * * 

 

Deep Work

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJYlhhT7hyE

 

Deep efforts often move the needle / produce the value / lead to growth, success etc. esp. in knowledge work, art, crafts etc. – adding value to information – skilled thought

 

Concentrate hard without distraction – do your underlying core activity – don’t just be busy!

 

Distraction is a problem and an opportunity – there is competitive advantage to depth in an increasingly shallow world

 

If running from a bear, you don’t have to be faster than the bear, just faster than the other runners!

 

Define your deep work, don’t just work more

 

Measure it and have goals

 

What is the ideal ratio of shallow and deep work in your role in a typical week?

 

Schedule your deep work – don’t wait for the instinct to hit you! Get it on the plan and treat it like a commitment in the diary

 

Have rituals around the deep work that help you

 

Train – likely you are out of cognitive shape – practice

 

* * *

 

How To Read 5 Books a Month

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRBkIdc_VYU

 

Reading well is like exercise for the brain

 

Choose more interesting books! Read what you want to read not what you feel you should read. Mix it up. Choose a wide variety and switch between different styles, difficulties, audio and written etc. Have fun reading.

 

Schedule reading like you schedule exercise. Set aside half and hour or an hour to read. Don’t wait until you have time and are in the mood.

 

Put rituals around reading which make reading more enjoyable. Have a drink with your book. Read outside or in some other conducive location.

 

Do closing pushes. Work through those last 100 pages. Get it done! Sprint to the end when the end is in sight.

 

Take everything interesting (distracting) off your phone! Take a book with you / have one nearby. Read when bored / you don’t have anything else to do.

 

* * *

 

How Professional Writers Take Notes On Books

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T79wobxay98

 

Corner marking

 

* * *

 

Tips for Doing Hard Things

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zv5GVT4FCvE

 

Brandon Sanderson, The Common Lies Writers Tell You (2020 talk) – you can’t do anything you want to / follow your dreams – rather, doing hard things is good, tell yourself “I can do hard things” (learn, practice, challenge yourself), and doing hard things will make me a better person whether I succeed or not

 

Have better goals – not “be a successful novelist”, set a goal which is more specific and which you can control, e.g. write X words, make your next MS better!

 

4DX – the 4 disciplines of execution – lead v lag indicators – lead indicators give you a concrete goal to focus on – you can track it and make changes etc.

 

Learn how you work – figure out what works for you to get yourself to do stuff – e.g. tracking, deadline, social pressure (tell someone what you are doing and ask them to ask you about it!), schedule, ritual etc.

 

(What has this to do with threat, food or mate? This makes it hard for us to do when it doesn’t seem an immediate survival necessity)

 

Trick yourself in to doing it

 

Break it down into manageable pieces so that you have something to go after

 

 


Thursday, March 14, 2024

The temptation of Jesus

Jesus is our sympathetic High Priest and brother. He knows what its like from the inside to be tired, and hungry, and thirsty and to suffer terribly, to be rejected and betrayed, and to be tempted and tempted and tempted.

We sometimes think Jesus’ temptation can’t have been real since he is the Son of God. But he was truly and fully human. He was tempted in every way as we are yet without sin.

But never was temptation like his. No doubt the devil assaulted Jesus more fiercely than he has ever attacked anyone.  

C. S. Lewis makes the point that many of our temptations are light and momentary because we quickly give in to them!

Do you see? Yield to the temptation and it is over. It becomes a sin not a temptation.

But Jesus never sinned. He never gave in to temptation or to the devil. All his life he resisted them faithfully, standing strong against them for us again and again and again, day after day, right to the very end. So wasn’t Jesus’ temptation in fact longer and harder than ours?

 Yet Jesus proved true. He is tried and tested. There could be no better approved guaranteed authentic pure High Priest who has passed through the flames for us.

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

What have you found helpful in prayer?

 

We might discuss this at our Lent Course today so I’ve made some jottings. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

 

Having some kind of pattern / routine / habit (e.g. regular time / place) but also sometimes mixing it up

 

Regular and brief is probably better than occasional heroic setting of the alarm clock super early

 

A mixture of set or extempore prayers (see The Book of Common Prayer and Common Worship. Other resources e.g. Valley of Vision Puritan Prayers, Every Moment Holy, Daily Prayers by F. B. Meyer, Evelyn Underhill’s Prayer Book, Jonathan Gibson, Liturgy for Daily Worship through the year published by Crossway). Other favourite prayers /resources?

 The Revd Dr Peter Adam’s Daily Prayers for Himself (July 2023) https://peteradam.org/peter-adams-daily-prayers-for-himself/

Just talk to God about whatever concerns you / the day ahead

 

Use Scripture – pray the Psalms – pray in the light of your Bible Reading

Pray the prayers of Paul / think about Paul’s priorities etc. see D. A. Carson, A Call to Spiritual Reformation / Praying with Paul

Some kind of structure:

TSP – Thank you, Sorry, Please

ACTS – Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication

 

Pray for the world and it’s leaders

The church and her leaders

Others and ourselves – the sick and suffering and those who care for them and those who mourn

 

The Lord’s Prayer – could be said or used as a launching off point / structure

 

Lists / prayer letters / cycles of prayer – Mission Support Partners, Church Prayer Diary, Sussex Gospel Partnership Prayer Diary – Operation World  

 

Silence – space – pause – be with Jesus. Even if prayer is talking to God, you don’t have to talk all the time. You can reflect / meditate / think in God’s presence.

 

Think about your body, posture, breathing, maybe.

 

Write down distractions as a way of getting them out of your head or turn them into prayer.  

 

Write out a prayer.

 

Keep a prayer journal.

 

Pray while walking / out in creation

 

Hymns / poetry / music / singing – The Psalms, again!

 

Arrow prayers for help etc. or before a task

 

Say thank you at meals

 

Pray with others

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Jottings for a brief thought on Isaiah 49v15 for Mothering Sunday

 

In our reading from the prophet Isaiah, God wants to comfort his people (v13).

They feel as if the LORD has forsaken and forgotten them (v14).

So God asks them a question, which I want to focus on for a moment, and then the sermon is done:

V15, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?”

 

What sort of question do you think that is?

Technically?

If this were a school lesson?

 

A rhetorical question.

A question asked for effect.

Not necessarily expecting an answer or seeking information.

God already knows the answer but he asks the question as part of an argument, to persuade us of something.

 

If mum was cross with you and she said:

“Do you think I’m stupid?

“Do I look as if I was born yesterday?

They would be rhetorical questions.

The question is meant to answer itself.

You’re meant to get the point, not to say, “well, mum, you don’t look that bright and you are looking quite old!”

 

So, what answer do you think God’s rhetorical question is expecting?

“Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne?”

 

What do you think?

What answer would you give?

 

Very unlikely.

Normally not.

 

Mothers’ love for their children.

They often show amazing compassion and care.

A mother’s love is legendary.  

 

Parents normally remember their children, don’t they?

Even I can remember all of all of my four children’s names!

I remember them!

 

V15b, God says: “Though she [the mother we’re imagining] may forget, I will not forget you!”

 

Sadly, some parents do neglect their children.

We don’t always love our children as well as we should.

 

But God’s love is greater, stronger, more long-lasting even than the best mother’s love.

 

God says, even if a mum might forget her child, I will never forget my people.

 

The love divine excels all other loves.

God’s love is the best love ever:

It’s a non-stop never failing never giving up for ever and always love.

 

V16 is remarkable verse:

God says, “see, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands”

 

I sometimes write things on my hand as a reminder.

Not the best as it sometimes gets washed off!

It’s very temporary and unsure.

 

But it’s as if God has engraved his peoples’ names on his hands for ever so that he won’t ever forget them.

God’s love is permeant and sure.

 

As we think of God’s palms, we might think of Jesus dying for us.

Jesus’ love for us meant he was willing to be crucified for us.

His love for you and me takes him to the cross.

 

Let me finish just by quoting some words from Augustus Toplady’s hymn, A debtor to mercy alone:

 

Talking about God, he says:

 

His promise is Yes and Amen,
And never was forfeited yet.
Things future, nor things that are now,
Not all things below or above,
Can make Him [God] His purpose forego,
Or sever my soul from His love.

 

Nothing could ever stop God loving us, in other words.

My name from the palms of [God’s] hands
Eternity will not erase;
Imprest on His heart, it remains
In marks of indelible grace.

May we know God’s best of all, never failing, never giving up love. 

Thursday, March 07, 2024

On Mary for Mothering Sunday

 As its mothering Sunday, I want to talk a little bit about Mary, the mother of Jesus.

I worry that some Christians might make too much of Mary. But that doesn't mean that we should neglect her.

Mary is a wonderful example to us of love and trust in her Saviour, Jesus. If Mary were here today, she would no doubt want to point us to her son.

 As her cousin Elizabeth says, Mary is indeed blessed amongst women (Luke 1:42): uniquely blessed to have God the Son in her womb and to give birth to him. But particularly blessed, according to Elizabeth, because she believed that what the Lord had said to her would be accomplished (Luke 1:45).

 According to the Angel Gabriel who announces Jesus’ forthcoming birth to Mary, Mary is highly favoured (Luke 1:28). She is the recipient of God’s grace, his undeserved love. God is being gracious, kind towards her. We can well understand that Mary would be greatly troubled at the angel's words and wonder what kind of greeting this might be (Luke 1:29). When she hears she is going to give birth to the Son of God, well might she ask, “How will this be?” (Luke 1:34). And yet, Mary humbly believes this impossible life-up-ending thing. She responds to the angel: “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as you have said.” That’s amazing faithful obedience.

In her famous song, The Magnificat, Mary praises and glorifies God for all that he is doing as her Saviour in exalting the humble and keeping his covenant promises (Luke 1:46-55).

When Jesus is born and the Shepherds come to see him, Mary treasures up all these things and ponders them in her heart (Luke 2:19). She had so much to think about! And so do we, of course, as we read the gospel accounts. The example of Mary ought to encourage us to prize these things and to reflect on them prayerfully.

When Mary and Joseph present Jesus in the temple, Simeon prophesies that “this child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign to be spoken against.” And then, movingly, he says to Mary: “a sword will pierce your own soul too.” (Luke 2:35)

 It’s hard to imagine what it must have been like for Mary to watch her son attracting large eager crowds, and then being rejected, betrayed and crucified. Jesus spoke tenderly to his mother as he died (John 19:26). It seems Mary was unique in being there at Jesus’ birth and death.

 It is understandable that Mary and Joseph were sometimes astonished at Jesus. When he was twelve years old and stayed behind in the Temple, Mary asks why Jesus has treated them like this. They did not understand that Jesus had to be in his Father’s house (Luke 2:48-50).

At the wedding at Cana, Mary points out to Jesus the wine crisis and his response to her is a bit enigmatic, perhaps off-putting. Literally, he says something like: “What [is that] to you and to me woman? My hour is not yet come.” It might even seem rude but Mary doesn’t seem offended or discouraged. She gives the servants excellent advice, which we would do well to listen to also: “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:1-5)

(If we think that Mark 3:21 refers to Jesus’ family[1] and includes his mother, this would represent a crisis of understanding and faith from which Jesus’ relatives recovered. It seems as if, at one stage, they might have thought that Jesus was out of his mind and needed them to come and take charge of him.)

We might agree with the woman who cried out to Jesus: “Blessed is the mother who gave you birth and nursed you.” But notice how Jesus redirects our attention: ““Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.” (Luke 11:27-28) That’s a blessing in which we can all share!

Jesus referred to those seated in a circle around him listening to his teaching and said: “Here are my mother and my brothers! Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:34) We’re invited into Jesus’ family by hearing and obeying his word.



[1] οἱ παρ᾽ αὐτοῦ para plus the genitive, those of him, from, indicating source or origin, rather than his friends (KJV) / associates / envoys / followers / companions / those with him. Consider the Markan sandwich (Edwards, Pillar, p117, house, crowd, vv20, 32, kratein, kalein, ze_tein) with v31 referring to Jesus’ mother. Doesn’t this make it more likely that the same group of people are in view in both sections? On kinsmen or household see the references in France NICGNT p166. Some Greek manuscripts (D W OL) and other witnesses have “the scribes and others” coming to seize Jesus. Metzger, Textual Commentary suggests that hoi par’ autou “apparently proved to be so embarrassing” that it was altered. France calls 3:20-21 bristling with difficulties but eventually supports the traditional interpretation that we have Jesus’ family offensively repudiating him here. Despite the problems France calls this “the least unsatisfactory solution to an exegetical conundrum” (p164, 6).  France also notes H. Wansborough’s view that Jesus followers go outside to calm down the crowd in v21 (165f). Some want to make elegon impersonal: “people were saying” Jesus was insane. Existe_mi (Mk 5:42; 2:12; 6:51; 2 Cor 5:13) does seem to mean out of his mind / one’s senses rather than amazed here (France, p167). Cf. also Ps 69:8. See John 7:3-10 on the unbelief of Jesus’ brothers. Lane thinks “it is unnecessary to suppose that Mary also suspected that Jesus had lost his grip upon reality. Her presence with Jesus’ brothers in Ch. 3:31, however, indicates that her faith was insufficient to resist the determination of her sons to restrain Jesus and bring him home.” (NICNT, p139).  Jerome refers to Jesus’ kinsfolk desiring to bind him as one of weak mind. Letter 108 to Eustochium.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Signs, Sermons (discourses) and I AM sayings in John's gospel

 

New Testament words for miracles:

 

Mighty works / works of power - δύναμις (dunamis) 'power' (120x)

 

Signs - σημεῖον (sēmeion) 'sign(78x)

John 2:11; 4:48, 54; 20:30: “signs” – significant – have a meaning – point beyond themselves

Not just displays of power or magic tricks but speak about Jesus and the salvation he brings – foretastes of the kingdom of God in all its fullness

 

Some have suggested that John’s gospel may contain seven (or more) signs, possibly with associated discourses and I AM sayings.

 

The following is neither original nor neat. Maybe you have a better scheme to offer?

 

(1) Changing the Water into Wine (2:1-11) - The New Birth (3:1-36)

(2) Healing of the Nobleman's Son (4:46-54) - The Water of Life (4:1-42)

(3) Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (5:1-9) - The Divine Son (5:19-47)

(4) Feeding the Multitude (6:1-14) - The Bread of Life (6:22-66) - I am the Bread of Life (John 6:35)

(5) Walking on the Water (6:15-25) - The Life-Giving Spirit (7:1-52)

(6) Healing the Man Born Blind (9:1-8) - The Light of the World (8:12-59) - I am the Light of the World (John 8:12)

(John 8:58 - before Abraham was, I am)

(7) Raising Lazarus from the Dead (11:1-46) - The Good Shepherd (10:1-42) - I am the Door (John 10:9)

 

I am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11,14)

I am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:25)

I am the Way and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6)

I am the Vine (John 15:1,5)

 

Also ? cross, resurrection, miraculous catch of fish as signs.

 

Monday, February 19, 2024

The most important sermon of all time - every week!

The preacher ought to preach the good news of the Lord Jesus every week. 

Yet his sermons should avoid being same-y. 

He should live with the Bible text or texts for a week or more and seek to get them into his bones. He wants his own heart and mind and will to be moved, and he wants to do the same in his hearers. 

We don't want to hear from a preacher who has a moderately important message to which you probably ought to pay due regard. 

Some preachers will be really good at preaching the passage to themselves and will be moved to feel that this Bible text is the most important thing ever. We may get exited by new things we have seen in the text. 

So every week we get more exciting new discoveries and most important things ever! 

In addition to all the most important things we had last week. 

It could all be a bit exhausting and overwhelming. 

There are weightier matters of the law. Some things are more central and more important and clearer than others. Sometimes it will be right to deal with things that are, in the grand scheme of things, not of absolutely central earth-shattering importance but which still matter and are meaningful to us. For example, God's care for the cattle is perhaps not in the top three Biblical truths, but as part of the larger Biblical whole, it is something probably worth touching upon in the course of a fifty year ministry. 

Over time, ideally, we want all Bible truth in Biblical proportions from all the Scriptures, which are all profitable and necessary. And we want them in Christ through the lens of the gospel, applied to us and our circumstances. 

And indeed we want these things with an appropriate mood and atmosphere. Sometimes joy, sorrow, exulting, rebuke, correction, encouragement and so on. We need to know ourselves and our people: what are we tempted to see or feel or overlook? And what do they need?

All of which is to say that the preacher has a great and weighty task which requires lots of wisdom, skill, prayer and grace. We look to the Spirit to help us do this as well as we can alongside all our other responsibilities, always knowing that there are no perfect preachers and no perfect sermons but that God is powerful and gracious and can use mightily even our most week and feeble efforts.