Three Homiletical Lenses to Strengthen Your Bible Teaching
In the movie National Treasure, the characters search for a massive treasure using a map on the back of the Declaration of Independence. However, part of the map can only be read with these multi-lensed eyeglasses supposedly invented by Benjamin Franklin. Using the colorful lenses, Cage and company correctly read the map on the Declaration of Independence and eventually (*spoiler*) find the treasure!
While Scripture is certainly not an invisible map, in our preparation to teach Scripture - moving from exegesis to exposition - we can consider the passage through three lenses to carefully craft the sermon for our students’ understanding. In our study of the text, running the Scripture passage through these three lenses - biblical theology, cultural contextualization, and spiritual formation - will greatly help us in our application of the text to our students’ lives. (1)
I also think these three lenses are so helpful to look through because they reveal how each passage of Scripture interacts with three important stories - the story of Scripture, the stories of our culture, and the stories of our students’ lives.
Lens One: Biblical Theology
Key Question: How does the passage fit into the whole story of Scripture?
You need to be able to place the text in its context within the grand meta-narrative of the Bible. You can begin by asking yourself, “Why is this passage here in the Bible? What would be missing if we took this text out?” But every text needs to be placed within its larger context.
Ultimately, we need to show our students how every text of Scripture leads to Jesus. As Jesus himself said, “the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms” are “written about me.” (Luke 24:44). Failing to teach how Scripture points to Christ means we are failing to teach our students Jesus’ own hermeneutic. As Spurgeon famously said in The Soul Winner, “Whenever I get hold of a text, I say to myself, ‘there is a road from here to Jesus Christ, and I mean to keep on his track till I get to him.’”
Pay close attention to important biblical-theological themes and how your text contributes to those themes. These themes include the presence of God, covenant, sacrifice, idolatry, image of God. Showing how your text contributes to any major themes is an excellent way to place your text in the context of the Bible’s story.
For example, I am currently teaching through Ruth in youth group. One key theme in Scripture is rest (sabbath). It’s what God’s people have been searching for since their exile from Eden. While Naomi tells Ruth to go back to Moab to find rest (1:9), Ruth finds refuge and rest under God’s “wings” (2:12), and then in her marriage with Boaz (3:1-2). In turn, we have invited students to receive the rest that we are offered in Christ (Heb 4:11), the ultimate descendant of Ruth and Boaz.
I would greatly encourage you to incorporate in your teaching how each text of Scripture fits into the grand meta-story of the Bible (what YPT often refers to as the “broad gospel”). If you don’t know where to start with biblical theology, there are some introductory resources on the subject at the end of this article.
Lens Two: Cultural Contextualization
Key Question: How does the passage fit into (or most likely, counteract), the complex web of stories in our culture?
The world we live in is constantly bombarding our brains with a multitude of narratives. From questions of personal identity, sexual orientation, purpose in life, places to find meaning, and ultimate right and wrong, our western world is full of stories that shaped the way we view reality. More likely than not, your students are hearing those stories and perspectives all the time, and they’re almost certainly wrestling with these questions.
We must show how Scripture offers us a greater perspective on reality. The story of Scripture is the ultimate story of reality - better than what our News Feeds and TikTok pages can offer. So while you communicate how a specific text of Scripture fits into the whole story of the Bible, flesh out how the text offers a counter perspective on reality to what our world does. This is exactly what Paul does in Athens in Acts 17, teaching in the Areopagus.
In Ruth, the honor that Ruth and Boaz receive is due to the steadfast love and sacrifice they have shown to others because of their faith in the Lord (Ruth 2:11, 20; 3:11). Our culture holds up the skilled, the wealthy, and the entertaining as those worth emulating and honoring. But the true pathway to honor in the Bible is through sacrifice and love, ultimately exemplified by Jesus Christ himself.
We must be aware of the cultural narratives our world is offering. As Karl Barth put it, “Take your Bible and your newspaper and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.” Take time to think carefully through the narratives of our day, and in sermon preparation to teach, think through how your specific text counters them.
Lens Three: Spiritual Formation
Key Question: How does the passage fit into the story of our students’ lives?
Think about personal application. A primary aim of our teaching should be the personal transformation of our students into the image of Jesus (2 Cor 3:18). Students understandably see themselves as the main characters of their own stories, and the text points to a reality that should truly impact those stories. As John Piper writes, “The aim of preaching is that people experience the God-drenched reality perceived through the window of the [Bible].” (2)
Our aim is spiritual formation in their discipleship of Jesus. Transformation of the head - learning to believe what is true about God, themselves, the world, etc. Transformation of the heart - having our affections shaped to love Christ and the gospel. Transformation of the hands - growing in obedience to God and service to others.
In Ruth, perhaps the foundational theme of the book is the hidden sovereignty of God. Although involved behind the scenes (i.e. Ruth 2:3), he works for the good of Naomi and Ruth, culminating in the birth of a baby (Ruth 4:13). One major theme of our series has been trusting in the sovereignty and purposes of God, even when we don’t understand what he’s doing in our lives.
We must know our students. We must be personally involved in their lives - learning their fears, hopes, anxieties, dreams, strengths, and weaknesses. Carefully consider how the text of Scripture fits into the stories of your students’ lives (not merely to “GenZ” as a statistical whole, but to your actual students) and how the reality it points to can aid in their spiritual formation.
Conclusion
Like many others, I have always found application to be very difficult. Viewing the text through these lenses in preparation has helped me discern what is most important for my students to hear. In your preparation to teach, prayerfully study the text through these lenses to see how it intersects with the stories of the Bible, culture, and your student’s lives.
Recommended Resources on Biblical Theology
According to Plan, Graeme Goldsworthy
Biblical Theology, by Nick Roark and Robert Cline
What is Biblical Theology?, by Jim Hamilton
The Story and Message of the Bible, by Stephen Wellum (essay from TGC)
The Bible Project (curriculum)
Recommended Resources on Cultural Contextualization
Meet Generation Z, by James Emory White
Strange New World, by Carl Trueman
Engaging GenZ, by Tim McKnight
Thanos to Theos (podcast, available on all platforms)
Editors Note: This page includes Amazon Affiliate links that provides a small financial gain for YPT, which we use to provide future content. Thank you for your support.
(1) I first heard this from John Mark Comer - although he describes the lenses as a Venn Diagram - in the Art of Teaching podcast episode 3.
(2) John Piper, Expository Exultation, p. 162.