Calvin on Christ and him crucified

John Woods reviews Behold My Servant by John Calvin and translated by Robert White.

Robert White is to be congratulated for his valiant efforts in translating the works of the Reformer John Calvin. I have enjoyed reading his translations of sermons on 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, and the volume on the synoptic Gospels: In the Power of the Spirit. The latest instalment brings us a fresh translation of Calvin’s sermons on Isaiah 52 and 53.

What immediately struck me is how different these sermons are from both the more heavily structured sermons of the Puritans and contemporary expository preaching that tackle large sections of Scripture in each sermon.

Calvin lingers over the rich phrases of Isaiah 53 like a diner enjoying every mouthful of a nutritious gourmet meal.

The sermons are richly and unashamedly Christological. Calvin preaches the big story of the whole Bible through his meditative handling of this key Old Testament text (Isaiah is sometimes referred to as the 5th Gospel). The sermons are carefully applied to the hearer. Some of the applications refer to largely forgotten people or doctrinal disputes.

When reading them, it is good to keep in mind the context in which they were preached. Calvin preached on the New Testament or the Psalms on Sundays, leaving the rest of the Old Testament to weekday mornings. As these seven sermons on Isaiah were preached at 6am or 7am in the winter, this was clearly a hardcore congregation that was keen to listen before their working day began. There was no need to grasp people’s attention.

When preachers learn from these sermons they must factor in this dynamic and consider how, by contrast, we do need to think about how we communicate the Biblical text to a more distracted congregation in the 21st century.

Perhaps one secret that Calvin shares with us is the importance of the liveliness that comes from preaching that drills down into a Biblical text with love for its message and an evident dependence on the divine Author of that text. This dependence is displayed in the fresh extempore prayers that Calvin prayed at the conclusion of his sermons. Also included here are the set prayers that featured on Wednesday mornings, which were more specifically set aside for prayer.

It does preachers and hearers good to be exposed to preaching that is a bit different from what they are used to hearing. This volume of Calvin’s sermons is a great place to start.

BEHOLD MY SERVANT: Sermons on Isaiah 52v13–53v12 By John Calvin
Translated by Robert White
Banner of Truth. 135 pages. £15
ISBN 978 1 800 405 080