From time to time, we’ll offer some practical tips for those engaged in teaching or preaching God’s Word. Our hope is to provide helpful insights on how teachers/preachers can grow in their effectiveness in communicating God’s Word to others.
Uncovering the Backstory
Today’s teaching tip relates to the value uncovering the backstory of a passage you are teaching. By “backstory” I’m referring to the historical setting that gives context to the content of a passage.
Every passage of Scripture is embedded in a historical time and place; so every passage has a backstory. This is quite obvious when you are dealing with narrative passages since they are recorded as stories (for example, much of Genesis, the books of 1 & 2 Samuel, Ruth, Esther, the Gospels, Acts, etc). However, the backstory is not front and centre when you are working with the epistles in the New Testament.
But even the epistles have backstories. For example, as you study the book of 2 Peter, you discover that this letter is embedded in a historical context. Peter is writing to Christians who are scattered and suffering. What’s more, as Peter indicates in the opening chapter, he knows his time on earth is short. In 2 Peter 1:12-15 we read these words:
Therefore I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body to stir you up by way of reminder, since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ made clear to me. And I will make every effort so that after my departure you may be able at any time to recall these things.
Understanding this historical context for the book of 2 Peter adds extra urgency and poignancy to what Peter writes. In a sense, these are Peter’s lasts words to the people receiving his letter. The truths he highlights in this epistle are those he most wants his readers to remember when he is gone.
Knowing this backstory can help you as you prepare to teach the passage. In the case of 2 Peter, the backstory helps you understand Peter’s pastoral purpose in writing. He wants his readers to remember key truths when he is no longer with them. As you explain the historical context to your hearers, you will help them feel the urgency and importance of the passage. In short, you will give them added motivation to listen and learn.
How do you discover the backstory of a passage? Here are some questions you can ask as you study the text.
- What do I learn about the historical setting of the passage from clues within the passage itself?
- What do I learn in the passage (or wider context of the book) about WHY the author wrote these words? How did the Spirit of God intend to transform the original readers through what was written?
- What do I know from the larger story of biblical history about the author, the original readers and the relationship between the two? For example, if you were teaching a lesson or preaching a sermon on the letter Jeremiah wrote to Jewish exiles in Babylon (Jeremiah 29), you would want to know something about Jeremiah’s life and calling, the situation of the exiles in Babylon who first received the letter, and Jeremiah’s concern that they were being deceived by smooth-talking false prophets.
- How would I summarize the author’s pastoral purpose in writing this passage?
- What commentaries or other resources can I consult to shed additional light on the backstory of the passage? (I’d encourage you to delay checking commentaries until you’ve made a solid effort at uncovering the backstory through your own study.)
As you uncover the backstory for the passage and gain clarity on the author’s pastoral purpose in writing, you will begin to see how that original pastoral purpose has relevance for your listeners. The closer you can link your lesson to the original author’s pastoral purpose, the more you will connect with the hearts of your hearers.
Rick and Linda Reed 