HYPERFOCAL DISTANCE IN PREACHING

Posted on Jun 12, 2024 in BLOG |

I recently had cataract surgery, a common surgery as we get older. I learned much about vision and focus after the cataracts were removed and new lenses installed in my eyes. My new lenses are set for distance vision, which makes focusing up close difficult. I needed reading glasses, so I went to the store to purchase some cheap ones. Not knowing much about reading glasses, I assumed that the higher the magnification, the better I could see the text. So, I purchased a 3.0 magnification level. I found that the text was only in focus at about 6-8 inches.

The eye doctor informed me that I misunderstood the way the lens works. Yes, the diopter number indicates the level of magnification, but more importantly, it is all about the focal distance. The higher the magnification, the closer the focal distance. If I want to read text at 12-14 inches, I need a lens that is 2.0 diopters, even less if I want to see clearly at 2 feet. Focal distance is the critical issue. At what point do I want to focus my vision?

What is hyperfocal distance?

My daughter bought me an online photography class for my birthday since I like to dabble in photography. The instructor, Phil Ebener, talked about focal distance. He pointed out that we cannot achieve perfect focus for everything at once. Our camera lens will focus perfectly on a certain distance, depending on the settings. Usually, we have to choose between focusing near, middle, and far.

In landscape photography, our aim is not perfect focus but acceptable focus. If we focus on infinity, objects in the foreground will be out of focus. If we focus on objects ten feet away, the background (infinity) will be out of focus. What we are seeking is acceptable focus, where the greatest range of objects in the picture are in focus. This is where hyperfocal distance comes into play. It is the distance between the camera lens and a point in the scene where everything is in acceptable focus from half that point to infinity.

How does hyperfocal distance relate to preaching?

Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart, in How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, remind us that we read the Bible on three levels (p.95). We also preach the Bible on three levels, particularly in the Old Testament. Think about these three levels as three focal distances for our preaching.

First, we have the Micro Level. This is the lowest level, and it reads and preaches the Bible as an example of life. We read hundreds of individual stories that give us examples of how to live or not live. These exemplars—stories that teach moral lessons—are an important and biblical aspect of understanding the Old Testament. Paul used the Old Testament stories as examples of holy living in 1 Corinthians 10:6. The danger of this focal distance for our preaching is that our sermons can degenerate into moralism.

The second level is the Mid Level. At this level, we read the Bible as the story of God’s people. God redeemed and formed His people to follow, obey, and worship Him. In the Old Testament, God’s people are the nation of Israel, so they become the focus of our mid-level reading of the Old Testament Scriptures. In the New Testament, it is the story of the church, so the text is the record of Christ’s ecclesia as it expands through missional growth.

The Macro Level is the third level of preaching the Word. The upper level, the “metanarrative,” is the whole plan of God that ties the Scripture into an organic unity. The Bible is ultimately God’s story leading to the cross and culminating in Christ’s return as King. At the Macro Level, we want to make sure that we explain how the first and second levels fit into the third level–the level of God’s story.

The Story of Joseph

For example, take Joseph’s life in Genesis 37–50. At the Micro Level, we can preach “Be Like Joseph” messages. We focus on Joseph as a model for our lives. Themes like “flee immorality” in the story of Potiphar’s wife, “work hard” in the stories about his service to the jailor and Pharoah, and “forgive others” showing how Joseph forgave his brothers teach moral lessons.

Mid Level sermons focus on God as a promise-keeping God. He keeps His promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Gen. 50:24). God protects and preserves His people by providing a means of escape as they go through a terrible famine. There are no coincidences with God, and He may set up solutions for His people in extraordinary ways. Therefore, God knows how to take care of you, too!

Joseph’s classic response to his brothers in Genesis 50:20 points us to the sovereignty of God. At the macro level, God is working His perfect plan and will accomplish His goals for all humanity. Our sermon can look ahead to the redeeming work of Christ on the cross. We can point forward to God’s plan to save humanity through the coming king by using the prophecy of the scepter of Judah in Genesis 49:10 as a messianic prophecy.

Where do I focus my message?

Hyperfocal distance means that we focus the sermon on the point where all three levels are in acceptable focus for our people. The sermon needs depth of field, which requires a focal range. If I use Joseph as a moral example, I need to balance that exemplar with the grace of God through Jesus Christ, who enables us to live like Joseph. If I focus on the sovereignty of God, I must balance the big picture with the reality of life in the here and now so that the sermon doesn’t degenerate into irrelevant platitudes for our people.

Remember hyperfocal distance as you preach, my friends. It will keep your sermons fresh and powerful to modern ears.

David Christensen served in dual ministry for thirty years as a Bible college professor and local church pastor. He is the founder of The Rephidim Project, a ministry devoted to encouraging and equipping pastors for expository preaching. David is the author of seven books including “A Philosophy of Pastoral Preaching: Shepherding God’s People with God’s Word in One Place.” He retired as Preaching Pastor of Galilee Baptist Church in 2018 to devote himself to encouraging pastors, missionaries, and church leaders through Bible exposition and teaching the methods of expository preaching to the next generation of preachers.