He alone could ‘amen’ Himself! |
|
The minister began his lesson to a congregation filled with future ministers, and all of those preacher wannabes began amening (bombastic: AMEN!; timid: er, amen; emphatic: a-MEN!; dramatic: Ay-MEH-yen!; ecclesiastical: Ah-men!). I thought, I’ve never amened a sermon. Here’s my chance! With all of them going on, no one will notice my fumbling attempts.
By the first century the Jews had been amen-ing speakers for over a thousand years. The people would say “Amen!” when the Levites recited the 12 curses atop Mt. Ebal (Deut. 27:15-26). Three psalms close with “Amen and Amen” (41:13; 72:19; 89:52). But Jesus used “Amen” in a new way. Rather than amen-ing some great saying, he would amen his own sayings, often double amening (the KJV’s familiar “Verily, verily I say unto thee” is really “Amen, Amen I say...”). Plus, he did it before he said it, not after, as tradition dictated. Prophets said, “Thus says the Lord.” Scribes said, “As Rabbi Hillel of blessed memory used to say....” But Jesus says, “Amen, Amen, I tell you,” teaching with authority, and not as the scribes (Matt. 7:29). Furthermore, Jesus is the significance of Amen. One translation of Amen is “So be it!” Jesus is the means by which God’s promises are fulfilled, “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through Him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God” (2 Cor. 1:20 NIV). Whenever you say "Amen," remember the Lord. Because of what He has done and is doing, you can confidently approach the throne of grace. Because of who He is, your life has meaning. Secure in Him, you can look at all of life's difficulties and challenges and boldly say, "So be it!" |
| —Steve Singleton DeeperStudy.com |
Want to go deeper?The Greek particle amēn ("so let it be, truly, amen") is actually not a Greek word at all, but a Greek transliteration of a Hebrew word with the same sound. The earliest occurrence in the Hebrew Scriptures is in Num. 5:22, in which the woman accused of adultery must say "Amen" to the priest's call for curses on her if she is guilty. Similarly, the people say "Amen" again and again as the priests call out curses on those who would break God's covenant in various ways (Deut. 27:15-26). "Amen" marks the end of each of the first four of the five sections of the Book of Psalms, the first three of which have "Amen and amen" (Ps. 41:13; 72:19; 89:52; and 106:48--the last section ends with "Hallelujah" instead of "Amen," Ps. 150:6). This pattern of a person or group using "Amen" to affirm what someone else has said is the routine pattern in the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus breaks that pattern in two ways: by affirming His own statements rather than the statements of another, and by placing the "Amen" at the beginning of His statement rather than at the end. In the Fourth Gospel, He regularly says "Amen, amen, I tell you" (the famous "Verily, verily, I say unto thee" of the King James Version). Outside of the teachings of Jesus, the other occurrences in the New Testament regularly continue Old Testament usage (e.g., Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 11:36; etc.). Paul emphasizes the connection between Jesus and prayer in 2 Cor. 1:19-20:
Robert H. Stein. The Method and Message of Jesus' Teachings (1994). Originally written as a resource for Stein's students while studying about the life and teachings of Jesus. However, this book is a general resource for any who want to know more about the form and content of Jesus' teachings. They called him "Rabbi" meaning teacher because he spoke with authority and wisdom. Stein presents what Jesus taught and in the manner in which he taught as recorded in the Gospel accounts. Recommended for online reading: Robert H. Stein. "Jesus' Use of Amēn," p. 121 in his The Method and Message of Jesus' Teachings (rev. ed., 1994). |
| Return to DeeperStudy Home Page |
The preacher shouted: “You young people tell your parents, ‘Everybody else is doing it! Everybody else is getting drunk. Everybody else is doing drugs. Everybody else is sleeping around.’ Well, I got news for you…” (And I thought, Here comes my opportunity.) “…Everybody else is going to HELL!” I yelled, “AMEN!” Those preacher students were stone-silent, staring blankly at me. I instantly melted and dribbled under the pews.
