Jonathan T. Pennington, professor of New Testament interpretation at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, spoke on the importance, purpose and context for the Sermon on the Mount Friday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in the Carl Grant Center. This was the first of four plenaries he will be speaking at for the Twelfth Annual Spring Bible Conference, presented by the Ryan Center for Biblical Studies.
The plenary was opened by director and librarian for the Ryan Center, Mike Garrett, introducing Pennington as well as the Conference’s other speakers, Kelvin Moore, Union University professor of Biblical studies, Justin Wainscott, Union University assistant professor of ministry, Russ Quinn, associate pastor of Englewood Baptist Church, and Benjamin Quinn, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary associate professor of theology and history of ideas.
J. P. Barden, pastor of New Vision Baptist Church and Michael Tankersley, junior biblical studies and languages major, both spoke next on the personal impact that the Union School of Theology and Missions (STM) has had on them and their spiritual growth, thanking the staff and faculty of the STM.
“I am thankful for the rigorous academics that we were sent through as students that helped prepare us and me particularly for our time at Southern Seminary in preparation in ministry, and however else the Lord calls me to serve throughout my life,” Barden said.
Garrett then briefly spoke on living in a victory mindset as you walk with God, and the effect that perspective would have on Bible reading and the zeal of the Church. He pointed out how many Christians live in a defeated mindset which has the tendency to deaden faith and enthusiasm for the gospel, and that trusting in the Holy Spirit will lift that burden from us.
With a word of prayer, Garrett then welcomed Pennington to the stage, who opened his plenary with a question for the attendees.
“What message did you receive from your parents, or aunts and uncles, about how to find a good life?” Pennington said.
He explained that the Sermon on the Mount was ultimately a piece of wisdom literature, along with Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. The word “Beatitude,” he said, comes from the Latin word “beatus” Jerome used for the opening passage of the Sermon in the Vulgate. This word does not translate to “blessed,” as the English Bible puts it, but is a word that does not have an easy English translation.
“‘Beatus’ translates to something more like ‘happy,’” Pennington said. “What I think probably is the best word for that is ‘flourishing’ or ‘thriving’ – ‘abundant life,’ like it says in John 10:10.”
Pennington went on to say that there is an archaic English word to describe what the Beatitudes are: “Macarisms.” This term is a saying from a credible teacher to their students that tells them how to live, as Pennington puts it, “the good life”. He pointed out to the attendees that the Sermon on the Mount has been said to be the guide for Christian ethical living. He believes it goes further than that and tells disciples of Christ how to life a good life just as Proverbs and Psalm 1 does. Thus, he places the Beatitudes, and by extension the whole of the Sermon, in the category of wisdom literature.
“God is constantly inviting us into a life of flourishing – inviting us with wisdom,” Pennington said. “Everyone is offering you a vision for how to find the good life, and Jesus is not afraid to address this because he has come to bring men life, and bring it abundantly.”
Pennington also emphasized the importance of proper context for reading both the Beatitudes and the whole of the Sermon in order to interpret it correctly. This includes a Matthean/Literary context, which helps us to understand the structure and flow of the chapters, the Canonical context, placing it as a part of the whole of Scripture, and lastly the Greco-Roman Philosophical context, reminding us that the Sermon took place in a world influenced by the course of history. When these contexts are forgotten, Pennington explained, what you are left with is a flawed understanding of the Scripture.
After giving a brief preview into what the next plenary would be covering, Pennington dismissed the attendees with a word of prayer.
“This was incredibly helpful,” Tankersley said. “I really appreciated the metaphors he used – they really brought life into words that were very common to me as somebody who’s been in church.”
