inspiration for a weary greek student

I am in the middle of an intensive NT Greek class. (6 hours a day of class and I have lost track of the time memorizing and doing the exercises.) We have a break this week before we hit it again next week. My brain feels like mush but it is already encouraging to be able to read some of the text. I have so far to go... why am I doing this?

I took Greek 15 years ago at School of Ministry in Costa Mesa but didn't take it seriously nor was I convinced of the usefulness and need. I thought "if i need to know a word, I'll just look up the definitions." But after 15 years in Ministry I am aware of my exegetical weakness because I cannot access the Word directly. Specifically the Grammar.

Having taken Greek before, I am often frustrated and haunted and by the knowledge that I could actually know what clauses are subordinate to what, and what modifies what within the passage I am studying ...if I could just read it in Greek.

Because I can't, all that essential grammatical information and therefore exegetical information that I need to understand and teach the text, is unavailable to me. Knowing that the information is in the text, and not being able to see it has left me feeling a bit naked, and certainly weaker in my teaching through the years.

So, I am subjecting myself again to the crucible of Greek class so that I can actually see these things in the text.

It's a great idea, but language learning is mostly frustrating and discouraging. Having spent time in a couple different languages, I have lived that frustration. I realize how much work it is to develop the ability to understand and discover meaning. You need conviction about the need to learn this stuff, especially at 2 in the morning when the Perfect Indicative has caused your brain to mutiny and run out your ear. (...Not that I know anything about that...I only lasted till 12:30.)

A guy needs a little encouragement sometimes. So along came the following encouragement and exhortation...

I was listening to Piper's Sunday sermon this week where he gave a wonderful description of why it is essential to be able to see these things in the text. I immediately wanted to pull out a clip from that video to post, but I lack the technical savvy. Today on my blog reader I found out someone has done it for me!!

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This really isn't a slam on translations (... well no more than is necessary anyway) nor is it a snobby "I know Greek and you don't" kind of point Piper is making. He brings it up because as the sermon develops, he shows that the main points of the scriptural text hang on something that cannot be seen well in English... though if you are a careful reader of an accurate translation you will at least notice that something is going on. If you read something else, where the editors have done you a favor (you decide if that's a kind favor) by "smoothing" it out to make it "readable" you will miss John's point about Jesus, Belief and True Faith.

...Oh and that's John the Apostle's point BTW, the writer of Holy Scripture ...not John Piper.

Watch listen or read the whole sermon to see how this grammatical point plays out. You will see the Greek is not merely snobby, nor a small detail. ...it's also a really good sermon.