Don’t Preach a Commentary

Line by line, word by word, the preacher amazed the congregation with his knowledge, his understanding of theology, and the fact he could preach so long on that one verse. One member exclaimed to another, “Pastor really dug deep today; he pulled out more from that verse than I ever could’ve!” Another chimed in, “He knows so many books and authors! We are blessed!”

The congregation was impressed. They now knew the Greek words, the interpretive options, and the history of how Calvin, Luther, and Ryle interpreted the verse.

But no hearts were changed. No sinners were brought to repentance. No mourning widows comforted. No parents equipped for the week. No Jesus exalted. No gospel.

That preacher was me.

I am immensely thankful for pastors who take the Scriptures seriously and preach exegetical sermons. As a man who often has the privilege of sharing God’s Word on Sunday mornings,  I am thoroughly committed to exegetical preaching. We need more serious exegesis from the pulpit, not less. Yet the job of the pastor is not to preach like a Bible commentary.

Yes, give God’s people the text! Yes, go deep! Yes, careful exposition should be the bedrock of preaching. But a sermon should never sound as if it were ripped from the pages of a commentary. Anyone can exegete—even nonbelievers! But the aim of the pastor is not to make people exegetes. The aim of the pastor is to make God’s people faithful followers of Jesus who embody the Christian message of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

This is not to say, of course, that pastors shouldn’t want to help believers exegete the Scriptures. With the Apostle Paul, we desire that God’s people rightly handle the word of truth (2 Tim 2:15)! But Bible commentary preaching tends to shape people into intellectual tombs. Where some are prone to the error of zeal without knowledge, commentary preaching makes people prone to knowledge without zeal.

Here are three symptoms of a sermon that might be more akin to Bible commentary preaching than truly discipling a congregation.

1. Appealing to Hebrew and Greek

The biblical languages are a lot like underwear—you need to have it wherever you go. But we don’t want to see it!

Whenever a pastor is tempted to include a word from the Hebrew or Greek in your sermon, a hard question should be considered: why does the flock need to hear the pronunciation of a Hebrew or Greek word? Will it edify them?  Will it make them more mature in Christ (Eph. 4:12)?

Pronouncing Hebrew and Greek words, or telling the congregation the form of a verb (e.g., “This is an Aorist…”), distances the preacher from his congregation. Appealing to Hebrew and Greek from the pulpit can create an unnecessary intellectual and emotional barrier. It wrongly encourages the congregation to view these original words as magical doors that will open a whole new level of spirituality to them.  

Using Hebrew and Greek words in a sermon may even be a tell-tale sign of a pastor’s anxiety and discomfort with how his congregation perceives him. Many pastors fight their insecurity by elevating themselves over the congregation with his education and expertise in the biblical languages. Far too many times, I’ve heard preachers pounce on a specific Hebrew or Greek word and completely miss the true beauty of something in the original text.

The value of the biblical languages is found in understanding the whole package that the original languages bring (lexical, syntactical, discourse analysis, etc.)–something that a congregation does not need to hear unpacked from the pulpit, but can help a pastor preach the text more faithfully.

Currently, I teach biblical Hebrew. And I have served many years in pastoral ministry. This is why I believe that every gospel minister should get as much training in the languages as possible. Vast riches await the pastor who prepares his sermons from the Hebrew and Greek. My own preaching benefits from the original languages. But a congregation will rarely benefit from seeing the biblical languages explained in a sermon.

2. Quoting All the Authors

Much like throwing around Greek and Hebrew words and terms, when a pastor quotes an author, often a commentary, he distances himself from the congregation. While he appears smart and widely read,  he unintentionally teaches his congregation that their reading is not nearly as profound as his.

Every congregation needs to hear the Scriptures preached, but they don’t need to know what six different authors say about that verse. Pastors should quote authors verbatim only when there is no other way to say what they want to say. Calvin, Spurgeon, and Wesley are insightful men, but they are not their pastor! Each congregation needs to hear the Holy Spirit speak through the humble words of its pastor as he preaches God’s Word.

There’s another danger here, but more subtle. A busy pastor can fall into the trap of going to their Bible commentaries instead of meditating on the text of Scripture itself. The pastor should wrestle with the text himself!

In our efficiency-driven, easily distracted culture, pastors are tempted to take shortcuts and jump straight to the commentaries before immersing themselves in the text of God’s Word. The faithful pastor should resist the urge to rely too heavily on commentaries for his study. Instead, he must learn to be quiet before God with the Scriptures and a pen and paper nearby. Do the Puritans have insightful things to say about the text? Sure. Might they be helpful? Yes. But the pastor should only go to them after he has struggled with the text himself—studying on his knees in prayer.

Certainly, this is the more inefficient path for today’s pastor. Yet, choosing this path will lead to greater preaching insight and more personal heart change for him and his congregation.

3. Preaching Nuts and Bolts.

Preachers must help God’s people understand the text. The Scriptures are a source of life to those in your congregation. It’s our primary book for discipleship. Careful preaching moves thoughtfully through the biblical text, sometimes verse by verse, and other times organized in a different creative way—but always with the text's main point in view.

In contrast, Bible commentary preaching highlights pieces of the text without a view of the whole. After hearing 30 minutes of this style of preaching, the congregation leaves not understanding what the passage is actually about or how it applies to them. What they miss is the big idea: What does the passage say to the people of God? What does the text tell us about the character of God in redemptive history? What hope does the passage bring God’s people? What can they meditate on in the coming week that will draw their hearts closer to Jesus?

I’m not advocating that the only way to preach is with one big idea. But few congregations can absorb disparate facts while listening to exegetical preaching without an overarching theme or goal befor them that these facts relate to. Bible commentary preaching leaves the congregation with only the nuts and bolts of the passage. Sadly, the average pew sitter does not know what to do with these disconnected bits when they leave the worship service.

Don’t Preach Commentary Sermons

Preaching that truly disciples a congregation is rooted in intimacy with the biblical languages, a knowledge of the rich history of interpretation, and sound exegesis. But this combination does not make a sermon. These are the building blocks of a pastor’s sermon. They are the raw materials in the hands of a craftsman. Instead , what every congregation needs is the finished product—not the building materials.

True, authentic, effective Bible preaching shapes hearts and minds every time God’s people gather. It disciples people’s hearts into God-fearing, sin-repenting, Christ-treasuring, Scripture-loving, people-serving followers of Jesus! And these things are rarely developed in the life of a believer when their pastor preaches a Bible commentary.