What were the “many other words” and how did he “continue to exhort them"? I want to know the details but, perhaps, that is not the point.
You have to love phrases like, “And with many other words [Peter] bore witness and continued to exhort them” (Acts 2:40), as we have in our reading today (said sarcastically). There are moments in the Bible when they hurry things up that I find very interesting. To me, this ambiguous phrase creates an intense kind of curiosity. What were the “many other words” and how did he “continue to exhort them"? I want to know the details but, perhaps, that is not the point.
Perhaps, the truth we are meant to focus on is much simpler. We tend to overcomplicate things and lose the heart of the matter. Maybe, that is why they say, “The devil is in the details.” Surely, that cannot be the case here in our text though, right? These details were not about the Devil or of the Devil! You are correct and perhaps more correct than you know.
Did you know that the phrase, “The devil is in the details,” is not the origin or original phrase. The 1960’s is when people believe this common alteration of the original phrase occurred. The idea behind the reason for the change in the phrase is that something overlooked in the details would cause major problems later. But the original phrase is attributed to architect Ludwig Mies vand der Rohe, and the original phrase is, “Der liebe Gott steckt im Detail,” or “God is in the details.” As an architect, you can see his point. One small flaw in the plans equals ruin but planned to the last detail is divine. That is more of what this summative phrase is in our first reading for this Sunday. Namely, that many other details were provided to bear witness to the great plan of salvation which Peter and the apostles had preached to show that, “God was in those details,” doing the work of building a strong bridge between God and mankind with two pieces of wood and three nails which was opened up to us through an empty tomb.
After all, is this not what Jesus was proving in our Gospel Lesson for today from Luke 24:13-35, as He is on the road to Emmaus with those discouraged disciples? Does not Luke 24:27 just drive you nuts! “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, [Jesus] interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.” We want to know what He said, but the bigger point is what we need to walk away with.
You see, those discouraged disciples had thought they had missed a detail about Jesus when they said in verse 21, “But we had hoped that He was the one.” Can you hear the helplessness in their words? They were discouraged and the Devil wanted to swoop down and snatch up that seed of faith just like in Jesus’ parable of the Sower (Luke 8:12). But then, Jesus reveals some key details from throughout the bible, and they were left on fire again for the truth. Jesus, no doubt, revealed that the Christ must suffer for the sins of the people and be raised so that justification and life may be proclaimed in His name. The Gospel is the heart of the revealed scriptures. They brought Jesus back with them to where they were staying and, in a very sacramental way, He was revealed to them in the “breaking of the bread.” The devil tried to snatch away the good news, but God, the great architect, was in every detail of scripture. Jesus showed them not only the way to understand the Word but that He Himself was the Way as they walked down the road together (John 14:6). This only became clear because of Christ through Word and Sacrament.
Jesus showed them not only the way to understand the Word but that He Himself was the Way as they walked down the road together
This Easter, we do not need to wonder what those details are that were used to prove the truth of Christ. We already have it. We have the scriptures! We have all the words of the Old Testament, from Moses through the prophets, and we have the words of the prophets made more clear about Christ. Listen to another word that Peter shared about how the whole Old Testament points to Christ, from 2 Peter 1:19-21:
“And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Now, when working with a phrase or a proverb like this, there is a very helpful structure to guide us as we develop it for preaching called the Proverbial Structure.
“The Proverbial Structure works with the prevalence of proverbs in contemporary discourse (like advertising slogans and sound bites) and seeks to use that experience for the purpose of proclaiming the divine wisdom tradition. In this structure, the sermon develops a single proverb for the hearers by using it as a refrain throughout the sermon. Often, this proverb arises out of the text itself. For example, Jesus tells His disciples, “Whoever saves his life with lose it and whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.” The sermon consists of offering the hearers various life situations in which this proverb is reflected upon. In each case, the hearer needs wisdom to discern the application of the proverb, and the sermon offers that contemplative wisdom which discerns how the proverb applies. At one point in the sermon, the proverb is related to the proclamation of the Gospel. By moving from biblical stories to contemporary situations and punctuating each situation with a statement of and reflection on the proverb, the preacher forms hearers who enter the world remembering the proverb and seeing situations where it guides their daily life with godly wisdom.”[1]
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Craft of Preaching-Check out 1517’s resources on Acts 2:14a, 36-41.
Concordia Theology-Various helps from Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, MO to assist you in preaching Acts 2:14a, 36-41.
Lectionary Kick-Start-Check out this fantastic podcast from Craft of Preaching authors Peter Nafzger and David Schmitt as they dig into the texts for this Sunday!
The Pastor’s Workshop-Check out all the great preaching resources from our friends at the Pastor’s Workshop!
[1] https://concordiatheology.org/sermon-structs/dynamic/proverbial/
