Göttinger Predigten im Internet, hg. von Ulrich Nembach und Johannes Neukirch


18th Sunday after Trinity, Romans 14,17-19
Sunday, 11 October 1998
written by Joachim Schreiber
translated by Kersten Hörning


Exegetical previous reflections

18th Sunday after Trinity, Romans 14,17-19

Grace be with you and peace of God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Dear congregation, dear sisters and brothers!

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men. Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification."

"That is typical for the church", an elderly man once said. "That is typical for the church" - It is more than 30 years ago now, when we had invited the reverend to come to the restaurant for the wedding of our son.
We gave him the best seat for the banquet, next to the bride and the bridegroom. And then, when it was his turn to hold his speech, he did not mince matters. It seemed to me that his speech was only slightly different from the sermon he had given in the church.

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit", he started his speech. One could hear a murmur from among the quests. It seemed as if he took this sentence from the bible literally - and then he brought it right to the point: Such a serious matter as a wedding is not only a matter of the extrinsic festivities with a banquet and everything appertaining thereto. That might be quite nice but what would be more important are the spiritual gifts like love, respect and peaceful social intercourse in life and in matrimony. Exactly as the apostle says in his word: "Not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, joy, life from the Holy Spirit, that is the most important."

In the first instance the good mood of the party was gone. Although the reverend was right: Not the extension of the festivity and the externals, but the routine, the daily social intercourse of husband and wife, that is what keeps the common life together. Anyhow it was unsuitable. Only after a while, when the Reverend had left the party, it went on much better and the mood became really good again."

"For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. At first sight the colleague had quoted honest and good, exactly as the text of the sermon dictates it: Christian belief is, of course, an earnest matter and not joy. Christian belief deals with essential things, not with eating and other externals.

Typical also for Paul, some of us might think. Especially the earnest topics are those he likes most: Not eating and drinking, joy and happiness - no, righteousness, peace, a service community of Christians one with another, that is what determines Gods new world.

But let us just stop for a moment: Is Christian belief only a deathly solemn matter? The text does also talk about the joy in the Holy Spirit. Was there not also the accusation of contemporary enemies of Jesus that he would be a "guzzler and drunkard", that he would be someone who would not stay away from a happy festivity.

Therefore: Let us try to see this matter from quite a different point of view: Dear congregation, let me just invite you for a little walk. A walk through Rome as the Apostle Paul might have seen it when he lived there:
The Roman Christian congregations Paul visited there - and where he might often be as a guest - they are surely still very small, possibly fairly unimportant. But they are growing steadily. The Roman everyday life is - we can take that for granted - very much formed by the pagan religion. The cult for the Roman gods does not only determine the life in the temple but the entire life. When the apostle goes to one of the markets to buy something for his daily needs, then he can feel it: The barkers recommend their goods; they proudly present meat that was just in for them from an offering for one of the Roman gods - and therefore it is really valuable and cheap to buy.

And while having this offered meat so close before his eyes, he can see the problem so clearly: Should Christians eat this meat or not? - Especially the poorer people in the parishes were glad to enjoy a plentiful meal with meat once. Because: Who likes to eat the usual corn mash every day, when there are public feedings you do not have to pay for. - Although they took place to honour the old gods. To eat pagan meat which has been contaminated because it was used for an idolatrous sacrifice, impossible for one part of the people - according to Paul, those who he calls the weak people -.They refrain from this meat. They better do without it. They are afraid of the uncleanness, afraid to get into touch with the heathenish.

Others - with Paul we say the so called strong people - said: My belief and my life as a Christian do not suffer while eating meat that other people slaughtered in the belief of their dead idols. At least, the whole world belongs to the Lord, the one and only God. Both groups flew at each other: "You weak people, how small is your belief that you do not ignore it!?" "You strong ones in belief, who do you think you are, that you look down upon us, just because we are stung with remorse?"

If two people argue, one needs a third one!", that is what the famous proverb could mean here. Paul gets the role of an arbitrator and tries to settle the quarrel: "Do not judge each other!" - "Let us strive after what leads us to peace and to the promotion of congregational life between us!" "

Why arguing about which food is right or wrong? Why do you comment on, even condemn each other? "The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking - it does not mean to argue because of the right eating and drinking. - "But righteousness - and peace - and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Gods new world which starts here with us, this world is not due to the right eating and drinking. The implacable quarrel of different opinions, that is not to the purpose.

Because we are invited to gain peace with each other, to take heart from each other - no matter if weak or strong. One expects us to "be glad", also about the other person who is different. That is what we are qualified for through the Holy Spirit.

- Our journey through time to the old Rome might have already come to an end now, dear congregation. But is it not your opinion too, ... have we not been at home for quite a long time? Have we not already been in our own parish, in the native town? We do also have quarrels because of different opinions here. Whereby strength and weakness in belief surely cannot be as clearly separated as in Paul´s parishes.

Do, for example, take the matter of "eating and drinking". That is not so far away for us as Christians nowadays: Some of us are trying only to eat and drink what comes from preserved creation; for example biologically (dynamic) cultivated corn. When they have meat, it comes from animals which were kept true to type. Others do have no scruples, they even go to "Fast-food"-stores, although they get a lot of criticism for it. Especially you, dear confirmation candidates, do not see such a big problem here. You certainly like to eat a "Hamburger", although some square metres of rain forest might have been cut down for its beef.

So far concerning the mentioned topic of "eating". But we will also find such a conflict of different opinions in another place. Let us just think of the church service: Here we do also have quarrels concerning the right "eating and drinking" - in a figurative sense.

- Younger church attendants love modern hymns like "Laudato si", "Danke" (Thank you), "Herr, deine Liebe" (Lord, your love)... They often think that the older hymns are boring and somnolent.

- Despite this, others like the traditional church service, with older hymns, the Kyrie and a longer sermon. Innovative forms of the church service irritate them.

- Anyhow, people who do not come to church every Sunday, enjoy it to have a great variety during the church service: small plays, modern music and modern hymns, pictures to look at, a stronger participation of the congregation, that is all part of the church service for them. - But the traditional form of the church service seems quite obscure and only a little enticing to them.

Who, in contrast to that, often visits the traditional Sunday church service, might think that some of the new and modern things are not really ecclesiastical; anyhow he does not realise that from over 60 church services a year, only 10 are held in a different form.

Some people think that tradition is boring, not attractive or antiquated. But they do not realise how much especially tradition-conscious, often almost elderly people love this form.

Who prefers more innovative forms of the church service or devoutness, does not take the "weakness" of the others into consideration, for whom belief and life has to harmonise with the "peace of the flow" and the solidity of the traditional church service.

Who loves the older forms, should on the other hand respect the "weakness" of those who are of a different opinion and who would not find a way to the church without those innovative forms of church services and devoutness.

To see weakness and strength of different opinions on both sides, is that not also a step towards peace and promotion of congregational life? Although it might sound a bit risky, dear congregation: Let us make the apostle speak so that his "The Kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,..." comes up in a different guise:

Should it not even run as follows:
Gods new world is not implacable quarrel about right and wrong.
Gods new world shows itself in the social intercourse of different people with each other, who come together within the pale of the church.
Gods new world shows itself here, where we do not remonstrate with each other, but facing our own weakness, do also accept the weakness of the others.
Gods world shows itself where we even help others to live their peculiarity - although they might be of a totally different opinion as ourselves.

So consequently not: It is typical for the church that they want to spoil ones pleasure because everything is so severe there.

But:
- typical for the church that one is there for one another;
- that one person helps the other, although one might like to live ones peculiarities.

Finally Paul again in the original version: "Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification." Amen!


Exegetical previous reflections

In the translation I do follow Luther 84 as far as possible, as this text is due to the lectionary and is known to most of the audience (especially the famous Verse 17) which goes as follows:

(17) "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking,
but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
(18) Anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God
and approved by men.
(19)Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace
and to mutual edification."

The pericope in the context

After a Paranese in Chapter 13, which is kept more in general, the apostle now turns to more concrete problems in the Roman parish. 14,1-4 deals with the so called idolatrous sacrifice meat problem which is absolutely necessary for the understanding of V. 17. A lot of the meat that was offered on the Roman markets come from slaughters according to pagan sacrifice ceremonies. While Christians who still kling to the Jewish law thought that this meat was unclean and refused to eat it, others did not have these scruples:

As the Roman gods are dead gods and only one God is the Lord of the world, meat cannot be "idolatrous sacrifice meat" for them.

In the verses which surround our pericope, the apostle shows itself as a mediator between the positions. The so called "strong people", for whom the eating of the meat does not present a problem for their belief, shall not despise the "weak people" (Vv.1-4); they should better not eat the meat for not to make the weak people feel insecure. (V.21) Finally Christ died for all people, also for the weak. Everything is subject to his dominion and nobody should judge someone else. (Vv.7-9).5

  • Single exegesis

(17) Although the pericope cannot be understood without the direct context, it does stand out from the whole: With V.17 Paul reduces the quarrels he mentioned before absolutely to absurdity. Eating and drinking, of course not "eating and drinking" on principle but the quarrel about the right eating and drinking should not be in the centre of Christianity. The spiritual gifts like righteousness (the paulanian "d i k a i o s u n h t o u q e o u "), peace and (as eschatological "c a r a " understood) joy about Gods new world. Especially these gifts of salvation make each quarrel superfluous.

(18) And these gifts become more concrete in the service for Christ. Who now serves the Lord keeps away from each dogmatism according to the question of being strong or weak.

(19) To "hunt for peace" means, according to the Old Testament, to stand up for peace.7 The promotion of congregational life (not the elevating "uplift" of older translations and Theology) is the aim: On the fundament of Jesus Christ (see 15,20) the church builds itself up in mutual service. One would like to add:

Everybody should support this with its gifts of the Spirit. Because also the paulanian Charisma teaching (see 1. Kor.12) knows the mutual respect and appreciation of the different talents, strength and weakness which all serve the "o i k o d o m h ", the promotion of congregational life.8

  • Systematic-theological contemplation

The "Kingdom of God", a principal of Theology (see the Lord´s Prayer) here totally becomes a presentic size: "The Kingdom of God is not ..., but ...". As the futuristic aspect is not stressed here so much, it means:

God`s Kingdom, God`s new world is not a too far and futuristic size, but even starts here already very strongly.

The word of Paul becomes a slogan for the new freedom of God`s children. The spirit liberated from the fear according to old obligations (Jewish purity restrictions)9 does not excuse from the considerateness according to the fears of other sisters and brothers.

  • Homiletic decisions

"The Kingdom of God is not ..", a negation which invites also to start the sermon with a negation. This diction of the text for the sermon has to be given another meaning. Finally it is really difficult to have a stronger positive follow a negative that has been put at the beginning.10 – Therewith we have to honour the serious diction of "the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking .." for some church service attendants according to pastoral reasons. Belief and life of Christians are a serious matter for many people, not fun.11

The entry narration tries to come up to this: It approaches to the topic quite carefully. ("Belief is a serious matter, but ..."). – So also the further progress: I can imagine a picture concerning this matter. It is a picture of the "camera guidance":

The camera of the preacher/narrator first points to a point quite far away (1.: Wedding of strange people 30 years ago/different Reverend – 2.: Antique Rome/market-place). And step for step it comes back to the presence – and suddenly views the person listening to the sermon sitting in the rows, who then also step by step can see himself on the "screen".

In my point of view it is absolutely necessary for the further procession of the sermon to work up the matter with the idolatrous sacrifice meat. It belongs to the context and makes it possible to clear out the misunderstanding, which comes up with the quite known word "The Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking".

The aim of the sermon is not only to cover the gifts of the Spirit like righteousness, peace and promotion of congregational life with general conceptions but to let them become concrete within the life of the parish: Where strength and weakness of different opinions are being mutually accepted, one can see that the parish life should not stop during an implacable quarrel concerning the right traditions and customs.

This leads us to the following construction of the sermon:

  1. The wedding speech about Rom.14,17.
  2. The life of the Christians, only a serious matter?
  3. The walk through Rome/the idolatrous sacrifice meat problem.
  4. Tolerance in today´s parish to concretise the gifts of the Spirit.

Bibliography

BUKOWSKI, Peter: Predigt wahrnehmen. Homiletische Perspektiven, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 31995
HERTZSCH, Klaus-Peter: 18. Sonntag nach Trinitatis – 11.10.98, in: GPM 3/98, Göttingen 1998.
LANG, Friedrich: Die Briefe an die Korinther, in: NTD, BD.7, Göttingen 1986.
WEBER, Otto: Grundlagen der Dogmatik, Bd. 2, Neukirchen-Vluyn, 61983.
WILCKENS, Ulrich: Der Brief an die Römer, in: EKK, Band VI/3, Neukirchen-Vluyn 1982.
18th Sunday after Trinity, Romans 14,17-19


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