Preaching the Text
Preaching the Text
by Richard N. Boyce

Mark 12:28-34

So much of preaching is positioning. From what point of view will the congregation and its preacher hear this passage? In today’s text, there are three possibilities: the scribe, Jesus, the crowd. We’ll try out each and leave it to the preacher to decide which best positions her congregation.

The scribe. From the beginning, the story is told in such a way that we identify with the scribe. It is natural and perhaps intentional that we identify with the lead actor in the story. It is fitting that the congregation might see itself as a conversation partner with Jesus. There are, however, problems with this identification. First, this is a scene of disputation (v. 28). Though this scribe may be more or less disputatious than those who precede and follow, this is the setting nevertheless. Second, note that the scribe asks questions of Jesus rather than vice-versa. Yes, many of us have loads of questions for Jesus, but not necessarily ones to test his knowledge of of Scripture. Note, third, and most remarkable, the way the scribe approves of the answers Jesus provides: "Teacher, you have truly said." Wow! This positioning that starts so innocuously ends quite radically. How often do we approach God in the role of examiner versus examinee? How do we put God to the test? How, in worship, do we "come near" to God, not so much to praise God, but to see how God measures up to our standards, theologically and biblically? Is there a place in our understanding of ourselves as a congregation, and the role of the church in the world, for such "disputatiousness?" If so, how might it be lived out more fully in our worship and witness? Clearly, there is something in the scribe’s positioning that Jesus admires. Having Christ proclaim us "not far from the kingdom" (v. 34) is not a bad Sunday’s work.

Jesus. It is never a very comfortable place for us to assume the role of Jesus, but, for preaching purposes, it might be a proper position to assume. Neighbors draw near to ask us questions. Religious experts seek to examine us on biblical knowledge. The world is full of questions for all of us who claim to be listening to and following God in our lives. Here the preacher might wonder how we might answer the question the scribe proposes. Would our worship and witness provide alternative answers? Which appear to be the commandments that we hold in highest regard? Would we have the nerve to simply mimic the answers of Jesus, holding up love of God and love of neighbor as the standards to which we would be held? No, it is not comfortable to assume or presume the role of Jesus in any story, yet isn’t that, in some basic sense, the role of the church? No, not to be the Savior of the world. That part is taken. But to witness to, and represent that Savior’s work in the world. Apologetics is the fancy word for the ways God’s people seek to "defend" the ways of God to the world. It wouldn’t be bad, for a Sunday, for the congregation to position itself as Jesus, and wonder how its words and witness conform or don’t conform to the words of our Teacher. Can we get a witness?

The crowd. What is it about this exchange that leads those who overhear it to refrain from further questions? Is it the power of Jesus’ summary? The precision of the scribe’s follow-up? Or the final grade that the Teacher gives to this disputatious student: "You are not far from the kingdom of God?" (v. 34) It is hard for a congregation to locate itself in a space "not far" from the kingdom. Yet, in a sense, that’s where the entire gospel of Mark is located. Nobody gets it fully. Nobody proves able to follow. Nobody completely grasps how all of the commandments come to fruition in Jesus—in his death on the cross. The congregation which positions itself here, or is positioned here by the preacher, dares not ask Jesus any further questions because they know where this story is headed—toward the cross, where Jesus’ most essential power will be seen, and missed by most. The crowd overhears that the scribe is close to, but not in the kingdom, and perhaps begins to understand that an encounter with Jesus is always a test: "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news (Mk 1:15)." How would it work to position the congregation likewise, in order to receive the "punch line" of this particular gospel as if for the first time?

The preacher’s task is a hard one. Not only must she listen to the text, she must listen to the congregation. Which role is the role toward which this passage calls this congregation this Sunday—that of the disputatious scribe, the faithful witness to Christ, or the crowd which gets close yet misses the core of this gospel? Watch, and listen.

Union Prescyterian Church
Charlotte, NC

(from www.goodpreacher.com/blog/)