The Sweet Dropper

Last night I watched Travel Channel’s curmudgeon/culinary tourist Anthony Bourdain‘s program on his visit the Greek islands. While on the isle of Crete, his host said to him at the table in heavy Greek accents, “If want to speak to the English, speak English. If want to speak to God, speak Greek!” This opinion is not too far off from what many in the church believe as well: that people who have studied the original biblical languages (Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) have a special “in”–special access to the meaning of the biblical texts. This is nonsense at best and dangerous at worst. It begins, as most nonsensical and dangerous ideas do, with a bit of truth. We need an educated ministry, and study of the original languages is a vital part of that education. It takes at least a working knowledge of Hebrew or Greek to work with the substantial commentaries and language helps. But to believe that “if you want to speak with God, speak Greek” inevitably involves exalting the preacher as the definitive interpreter of the Bible. How can an untrained person disagree with an “expert”? George Bernard Shaw wrote in Act 1 of Major Barbara:

“Let me advise you to study Greek, Mr. Undershaft. Greek scholars are privileged men. Few of them know Greek; and none of them know anything else; but their position is unchallengeable.”

That being said, I need to come clean and admit that although I made good grades in seminary in languages, I am by no means a scholar of Greek or Hebrew and certainly not Aramaic. Frequent flaunting of my supposed knowledge Greek in a sermon is nothing less than false advertising and pride. As a result, I studiously avoid Hebrew and Greek discussions in my sermon. On the rare occasions that I do bring it forward, it is because I think that we can gain some significant insight or illustration of the meaning of the text by so doing. I think there is no place for placing the weight of novel or controversial interpretations on alleged nuances and subtleties of Hebrew or Greek studies.

Dr. Bill Mounce, who is a true scholar in biblical languages, recently blogged about this subject. He has outlined some principles for preachers to follow. I wholeheartedly subscribe to his views and found them to be good encouragement and correction. I never want someone to say to me after a sermon, “Well, I never would have gotten that out of that text.” But my heart rejoices when someone says, “Of course, there it is! I could have drawn that out of the text.” Baffling people with Greek exegesis and erudite presentations makes much of the preacher. However, it rarely makes much of Christ. Here is Mounce’s warning:

…people want to put you [the preacher] up on a pedestal. They want to think that you are different from them. But as I have told people many times from the pulpit, we are all gifted people in the same body, and only Christ is the head. My gift puts me up front and puts me in a position of leadership, but I am still just one gift in the midst of other gifted people.