Although I grew up in “Bible Churches” in which exposition of the Bible was standard fare (if given through a dispensational interpretive grid), I don’t recall hearing any discussion of Paul’s use of the term “Maranatha” found at the end of 1 Corinthians 16:22. But when I occasionally attended Calvary Chapel, I noticed the word Maranatha, was ubiquitous. Everyone seemed to know it came from an Aramaic word which means “the Lord Come.” Maranatha appeared on bumper stickers and tee-shirts. Calvary’s rapidly growing music enterprise was labeled “Maranatha Music,” which had its own a slick logo complete with the Calvary Chapel dove. At the time, this struck me as odd since Paul was obviously referring to the parousia of Jesus when using Maranatha and not Pentecost.

A quick internet search will reveal a surprisingly wide range of businesses, churches, and other enterprises which use Maranatha as a title—presumably to identify themselves as evangelical Christians of a particular sort even if not directly affiliated with Calvary Chapel. I use the term to end each of my podcasts, since it is the perfect way to end any discussion of Paul’s letters, just as he closes out his first Corinthian letter in the same way (cf. 1 Corinthians 16:22).

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