Before joining the staff at Maranatha Fellowship Church, I was called on to provide temporary pulpit supply. And weeks later it was apparent that the Lord was calling me here to become the next Pastor. As an expositional pastor, I would want to preach chapter by chapter, verse by verse, through a particular book of the Bible. So, when I was installed officially as the Pastor, there was no question where I would begin to preach from. I had already started preaching through the first epistle to the Corinthians on Sunday mornings, and I was determined to continue on until I had finished what I started.
Now just about two years have gone by. And I’m still preaching in the first epistle to the Corinthians. Until this next Sunday morning! I’ve finally reached the last sermon on I Corinthians. And you could say that I’ve been looking forward to this sermon since I started here. You see, our church’s name – Maranatha – has its source from this last few verses in I Corinthians. (I Cor. 16:22)
“Maranatha” is a compound Aramaic word (Maran-atha) that was transliterated into Greek. That means that the Greeks did not have compatible word for it, so they transferred the sound into letters of the Greek alphabet. I Corinthians 16:22 is the only place it appears in the entire Bible. Because of the transition of languages, there is some difficulty translating the word, resulting in various interpretations of the phrase.
Consider the following variations: The English Standard Version (ESV) and the Revised Standard Version (RSV) translate it as “Our Lord, come!” The New International Version (NIV) renders it as “Come, O Lord!” The Contemporary English Version (CEV) gives their translation as “…may the Lord come soon.” And several translators have taken the safest approach by leaving the word uninterpreted, such as the King James Version (KJV) and the New American Standard (NAS) which close the verse with simply “Maranatha.” Personally, I prefer the New King James (NKJ) version which translates it as “O Lord, come!”
The NKJ version of Maranatha seems to best capture the essence of Paul’s emotion in the context of his other closing words. He was expressing his passion and devotion to the Lord Jesus Christ, and in doing so he issues a judgment upon all those claiming fellowship in the church that don’t share his affection. In other words, he was exposing their hypocrisy and revealing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, their final outcome. All those who didn’t love Jesus Christ had no affiliation with Him, which leads Paul to utter the words, “O Lord, come!”
When Paul uttered these words, he was pleading with the Lord to come quickly, and to come in judgment to usher in the kingdom for the sake of His own honor and for the blessing of His devoted people. It was an appeal for clearing up the distinction between nominal, or false followers and genuine believers. It was a desire for the final vindication of the Lord and His disciples.
Simon Kistemaker, one of my former seminary professors at Reformed Theological Seminary, offers the following words in his commentary regarding this imperative expression of Paul:
Churches sometimes look for a unique name to identify themselves. They choose the word “Maranatha” and want to be known as a church that prays for and anticipates the imminent return of Jesus Christ. But in the universal church, every sincere Christian longs for the day of the Lord and prays fervently for his return. Peter instructs his readers that they must “look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” (II Pet. 3:12) He means that all believers must hasten the day by proclaiming and teaching Christ’s gospel to all the inhabitants and the nations of the world.
Perhaps this is what our charter members had in mind when our church name was chosen in 1993. May each of us love the Lord with our whole heart, soul, mind, and strength. (Mark 12:30) And may we all be eager for the Lord’s return. “Maranatha” represents the most earnest hope for the Lord’s coming kingdom that will finally and completely restore all that was broken in the fall. “Maranatha” represents our joyous expectation of seeing the Lord face-to-face. O Lord, come! This is our urgent plea.