Gnosticism
Commentary
There are those who read the gospel of John and imagine that there they find more Gnosticism than Christianity. I am not convinced of that. What I am convinced of is that the writer was addressing a group of people for whom he had to develop a special way of speaking and to use special language. Remember, the gospel of John was addressed to a largely Gentile (Greek) church and has a quite different intent than the other gospels.
It is true that Gnosticism was a real problem for the church at the turn of the first century. There were those in the church who could not accept the proclamation that Jesus truly died. Imagining him to be a god and not fully human as the New Testament always maintains, they sought some way out of their dilemma. Gnostics, docetics, seemists -- take your pick --maintained that Jesus only seemed to die. When he spoke those words, ÒFather, into thy hand I commit my spirit,Ó the spirit left the body and only the body died. Gnostics had to be something of adoptionists in order to make such statements.
The early church fought back.
The clearest statement made at this point is John 1:14. This is not just a statement of faith. It is a weapon lifted against the Gnostics. Check out the letter to the Hebrews and you will find some of the same kind of material. Even as early as the days of Paul this matter was of concern. Check out 2 Corinthians 5, for instance, and Philippians.
The church today is filled with spiritual types who, without realizing it, are Gnostics. They believe so at their own peril. I, for one, want Jesus to be just like me. If he was not, then my hope for the Resurrection is dashed. I take my cue from 1 Corinthians 15. I am convinced that he was indeed like us, that he was the first born of the dead, and that what God wrought in him, he can bring to pass in us.
OUTLINE I
A Psalm with Many Uses
Psalm 30:4-12
Introduction: Some worry that we cannot date the Psalms. It is clear that most of them can be interpreted so as to be relevant in many different situations and times. This can be advantageous since it makes the Psalms useful in the present as in the past. Psalm 30 has that characteristic. For instance:
A. You can use this Psalm as a very personal expression. Here one finds a call to worship, a statement of gladness, a bit of uncertainty and gloom at the prospect of death, ending with a shout of joy because of what has been given by God.
B. A second option is to see this Psalm as one of the messianic Psalms. Just take time to go through it carefully and you will begin to see how it could be representative of the joys and pains of fulfilling the messianic role.
C. A third option may be to approach the psalm historically and see it as a cry of the nation Israel which says something about their experience. Here is something of the experience of the nation as it experienced GodÕs judgment, his rejection, his grace, and at the last his salvation.
Conclusion: Remember that the Psalms are the songs of Israel. They are representative of most of her history. By these songs Israel expressed her faith and her fears and looked to God for salvation. Perhaps one thing you can do is to choose the hymns for the day of worship on which you use this text in such a way as to enable your congregation to express something of their religious experience.
OUTLINE II
Extolling the Lamb
Revelation 5:1, 1-14
Introduction: Surely one must begin any sermon on any text from Revelation with a reminder that this is the New Testament selection of apocalyptic literature. Your hearers need to know that they are listening to one of the better examples of what was a flood of this type of literature during the 100 years before and after the birth of Jesus. They also need to know that much of the church has not accepted the general message of this literature. Of course that does not for a moment mean there is nothing to be gained from it.
A. Taking It Literally. If you are one of those who takes this Scripture literally, that will have a great deal to do with what you hear when you listen to todayÕs selection and it will color what you have to say about it. For you and those who agree with you, it will take on the element of prediction of what is to happen in our futures.
B. If you do not accept all of the premises of Revelation, that is no reason for writing it off. Especially is that true of a selection such as that for today. Surely all of us are convinced that our Lord is one who deserves such adulation and praise. And we are convinced that surely the one who sits upon the throne is God and that he surely deserves the praises that are given here. Especially important is the declaration that praise not only comes from people but from all creatures. We ought not ever forget that God is concerned with all of his creation.
Conclusion: Whatever your stance on the book of Revelation, you can use it carefully and make good use of it. There is no reason to run roughshod over the convictions and beliefs of others when making your comments, so do approach it carefully.
OUTLINE III
A Sermon Seeking a Title
John 21:1-14
Introduction: There are so many possibilities present in this scripture that one hardly knows where to begin. Do remember that the Book of John was probably written at about A.D. 110 and that the writer surely had the other three gospels at his disposal. Also remember that this gospel is written to a largely Greek church with an intention of reinterpreting and restating the Good News in terms they would understand. And do not forget that at this time the Gnostics were a special worry for the Gentile church and that, while this gospel must avoid falling into the trap of Gnosticism, it must at the same time use familiar language in order to communicate. Now with that in mind ...
A. You can focus on the miracle of the fish catch. Check out Barclay at this point and you will discover that the method of fishing pictured here is much like that used every day along the seaside as someone stayed on shore and gave instructions to those in the boat.
B. You can focus attention to Peter and his foolhardiness at jumping in the water. But be sure to remember how he has conducted himself lately and that he, of all the disciples, would covet another opportunity to speak with his Lord.
C. You can focus attention on the seaside picnic scene and show how John used this to oppose the Gnostics who said that JesusÕ resurrection was not in human form but as a spiritual being. Check out Gnosticism again before taking this approach.
Conclusion: You can use one or all of these approaches or make this into a series. Be careful that you do not fail to notice that the main thrust of this passage is to document appearances of Jesus and thus to validate the Resurrection.
It is true that Gnosticism was a real problem for the church at the turn of the first century. There were those in the church who could not accept the proclamation that Jesus truly died. Imagining him to be a god and not fully human as the New Testament always maintains, they sought some way out of their dilemma. Gnostics, docetics, seemists -- take your pick --maintained that Jesus only seemed to die. When he spoke those words, ÒFather, into thy hand I commit my spirit,Ó the spirit left the body and only the body died. Gnostics had to be something of adoptionists in order to make such statements.
The early church fought back.
The clearest statement made at this point is John 1:14. This is not just a statement of faith. It is a weapon lifted against the Gnostics. Check out the letter to the Hebrews and you will find some of the same kind of material. Even as early as the days of Paul this matter was of concern. Check out 2 Corinthians 5, for instance, and Philippians.
The church today is filled with spiritual types who, without realizing it, are Gnostics. They believe so at their own peril. I, for one, want Jesus to be just like me. If he was not, then my hope for the Resurrection is dashed. I take my cue from 1 Corinthians 15. I am convinced that he was indeed like us, that he was the first born of the dead, and that what God wrought in him, he can bring to pass in us.
OUTLINE I
A Psalm with Many Uses
Psalm 30:4-12
Introduction: Some worry that we cannot date the Psalms. It is clear that most of them can be interpreted so as to be relevant in many different situations and times. This can be advantageous since it makes the Psalms useful in the present as in the past. Psalm 30 has that characteristic. For instance:
A. You can use this Psalm as a very personal expression. Here one finds a call to worship, a statement of gladness, a bit of uncertainty and gloom at the prospect of death, ending with a shout of joy because of what has been given by God.
B. A second option is to see this Psalm as one of the messianic Psalms. Just take time to go through it carefully and you will begin to see how it could be representative of the joys and pains of fulfilling the messianic role.
C. A third option may be to approach the psalm historically and see it as a cry of the nation Israel which says something about their experience. Here is something of the experience of the nation as it experienced GodÕs judgment, his rejection, his grace, and at the last his salvation.
Conclusion: Remember that the Psalms are the songs of Israel. They are representative of most of her history. By these songs Israel expressed her faith and her fears and looked to God for salvation. Perhaps one thing you can do is to choose the hymns for the day of worship on which you use this text in such a way as to enable your congregation to express something of their religious experience.
OUTLINE II
Extolling the Lamb
Revelation 5:1, 1-14
Introduction: Surely one must begin any sermon on any text from Revelation with a reminder that this is the New Testament selection of apocalyptic literature. Your hearers need to know that they are listening to one of the better examples of what was a flood of this type of literature during the 100 years before and after the birth of Jesus. They also need to know that much of the church has not accepted the general message of this literature. Of course that does not for a moment mean there is nothing to be gained from it.
A. Taking It Literally. If you are one of those who takes this Scripture literally, that will have a great deal to do with what you hear when you listen to todayÕs selection and it will color what you have to say about it. For you and those who agree with you, it will take on the element of prediction of what is to happen in our futures.
B. If you do not accept all of the premises of Revelation, that is no reason for writing it off. Especially is that true of a selection such as that for today. Surely all of us are convinced that our Lord is one who deserves such adulation and praise. And we are convinced that surely the one who sits upon the throne is God and that he surely deserves the praises that are given here. Especially important is the declaration that praise not only comes from people but from all creatures. We ought not ever forget that God is concerned with all of his creation.
Conclusion: Whatever your stance on the book of Revelation, you can use it carefully and make good use of it. There is no reason to run roughshod over the convictions and beliefs of others when making your comments, so do approach it carefully.
OUTLINE III
A Sermon Seeking a Title
John 21:1-14
Introduction: There are so many possibilities present in this scripture that one hardly knows where to begin. Do remember that the Book of John was probably written at about A.D. 110 and that the writer surely had the other three gospels at his disposal. Also remember that this gospel is written to a largely Greek church with an intention of reinterpreting and restating the Good News in terms they would understand. And do not forget that at this time the Gnostics were a special worry for the Gentile church and that, while this gospel must avoid falling into the trap of Gnosticism, it must at the same time use familiar language in order to communicate. Now with that in mind ...
A. You can focus on the miracle of the fish catch. Check out Barclay at this point and you will discover that the method of fishing pictured here is much like that used every day along the seaside as someone stayed on shore and gave instructions to those in the boat.
B. You can focus attention to Peter and his foolhardiness at jumping in the water. But be sure to remember how he has conducted himself lately and that he, of all the disciples, would covet another opportunity to speak with his Lord.
C. You can focus attention on the seaside picnic scene and show how John used this to oppose the Gnostics who said that JesusÕ resurrection was not in human form but as a spiritual being. Check out Gnosticism again before taking this approach.
Conclusion: You can use one or all of these approaches or make this into a series. Be careful that you do not fail to notice that the main thrust of this passage is to document appearances of Jesus and thus to validate the Resurrection.
