341 - From a Marburh Sermon

From a Marburg Sermon
Rudolf Bultmann

1884-1976

Rudolf Bultmann died, July30,1976, in Marburg, Germany, where he had served as Professor of New Testament from1921to1951. Recognized everywhere as one of the most influential and controversial New Testament interpreters of our generation, he was the last in the long, distinguished line of "B" names, including Barth, Brunner, Baillie, Buber, Berdyaev, and Bonhoeffer. Identified with his existentialist principle of "demythologizing," Bultmann sought to retain the basic core of the biblical message while separating it from its mythological wrappings. Some found this an exhilarating option between an irrational fundamentalism and an effete liberalism. While dispute over the implications of his principle continues to divide theologians, everyone acknowledges his academic scholarship, his Christian integrity, and his constructive intention. Not so well known was Bultmann the preacher, though, curiously, most of the above-named theologians, in contrast to today's names, were as much at home in the pulpit as in the classroom. We here reprint, in memoriam, a portion of Rudolf Bultmann's sermon based on Luke5:1-11(the miraculous draught of fishes), preached in Marburg, July31,1941, the same year in which his programmatic essay, "New Testament and Mythology," was published. This excerpt first appeared in THEOLOGY TODAY, Vol. XVII, No. I (April,1960); the full text is found in Marburger Predigten (1956), translated into English as This World and the Beyond (1960). "This passage," we noted more than fifteen years ago, "is a lucid illustration of how Bultmann applies his own exegetical method to a passage of Scripture chosen as a text for preaching. One sees how ruthlessly honest he is, and how the criticism of the classroom is not hidden from the congregation."

342 - From a Marburh Sermon

IT is not surprising that not only many who have turned their backs upon Christian faith but also many who earnestly want to be Christians have declared the New Testament miracle-stories to be incredible.. . [The latter] want to hold on to Christian faith, but they suppose that as a Christian one is obligated, to regard such stories as true-and since they cannot do that, they fall into doubt whether they have the right to call themselves Christians.

What shall we say to that? First we must say: to regard the New Testament's miracle-stories as true is certainly not what "Christian faith " means! Christian faith does mean: faith in the grace of God as it presents itself to us in Christ. The real work of Christ, as Luther said, was that he conquered the Law and death. Christian faith therefore means having faith in Christ as our Liberator from the Law and death; but to regard the miracles of the New Testament as true is not what "faith" means.

And what of those who say the very opposite, declaring: to regard the miracle-stories as true also belongs to Christian faith! In fact, they say, Christian faith manifests itself precisely in so regarding them! It does, they claim, because Christian faith means letting God take captive of not only all our will but also all our thinking so that it will not assert itself against God's Word. Since we must sacrifice to God all we have and are, we must also sacrifice our thinking. Consequently, they conclude, if a miraculous occurrence [such as that in this story] is impossible to modern thinking, then what is wrong is our modern thinking! We must sacrifice it!

What shall we reply? First, let us say to them: Please pause to consider that those who cannot do what you demand are held back not by evil will but by simple honesty. But honesty, even though they may be mistaken, cannot now or ever separate them from Christ, from God. On the contrary, honesty is intrinsic to Christian faith.

But let us further tell them: in your words there is a truth. It is true that we must let God take our thinking captive. But we must ask more exactly what that means. It simply cannot mean that we are to give up thinking entirely, and so regard as true what we honestly cannot so regard. It cannot mean that we are to choke truthfulness to death. Surely it is permitted us to say of the miracle-stories something similar to what Paul says about eating meat offered to idols: "Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do" (I Cor.8:8).

[But now that we have clearly said that], we must just as clearly say: Christian faith is faith in wonder, faith in the wondrous dealing of God, readiness to experience God's wonders in our own lives. Now we must let this story guide us in understanding what that means.

We are not debating whether this story is an actual occurrence or whether it is reverent poetry, a legend. But lest I be misunderstood, let me say that I do regard it as reverent poetry. But whether it is the report of an historical event or whether it is a poetic creation, in either

343 - From a Marburh Sermon

case it still teaches us what it intends to teach. We must understand it as a symbol depicting the wondrous power which Jesus can achieve over human life. The story itself guides us to the necessity of so understanding it. For its central point is not that Peter made a miraculous haul, but that Peter is called to be an apostle, a proclaimer of the Word. When Jesus says to Peter, "Henceforth you will be catching men," it is apparent that the wonder of his fishing is the symbol for something far greater. The true wonder (yes, true miracle) is Peter's effectiveness as an apostle, the effectiveness of the divine Word spoken by a human mouth. This wonder is just what the symbol of the wondrous catch of fish is intended to display.