The following article is part of a series of articles that will traverse church history to examine the preaching of great preachers.

John Jasper (1812-1901), a fifty-year antebellum slave turned preacher, is best known for his sermon “The Sun Do Move”, a sermon crafted to essentially answer the question, ‘is the earth flat or round?’ Although the sermon does not plumb theological depths, it does provide a well of insight for preachers today. Jasper, whose education was limited to an elementary reading level, took what he read in Scripture at face value and held tightly to his understanding of what he read. He preached “The Sun Do Move” sermon several hundred times with the utmost confidence and conviction. The most fascinating point to this legacy is that this was the sermon Jasper preached to the Virginia Legislature. It is hard to capture the significance of this event. Being in the heart of the confederate states, Virginia would be considered one of the last places a former slave would be seen or heard preaching to a group of recently defeated white political leaders. William Hatcher, fellow preacher and mentor, recorded his friend’s life, preaching, and ministry. Within his biography of Jasper, Hatcher recounts his first experience hearing him preach this famous sermon stating,

The curious result of it all was that Jasper didn’t convert me to his theory, nor did he convert me to his religion, but he did convert me to himself…Now in plain contradiction of what I have said I must make an admission. In the triumph of his ending Jasper polled his crowd to see how his theory was prospering. He bade everybody who really endorsed his theory that the sun moved to show the hand. I stretched up my arm about four feet, and would have punched the ceiling with my fingers if it could have been done. Yes, I voted that the earth was flat and had four corners, and that the sun drove his steeds from the gates of the morning over to the barns in the West, and I never asked the question for a moment as to how the team was got back during the night. Call me a hypocrite, if it will comfort you to do it…My vote was in favour of Jasper’s logic, his genuineness, his originality, his philosophic honesty, and his religion. If it was hypocrisy to hold up the hand on that occasion, then there was a mammoth pile of hypocrites; for it seemed to me that there were forty hundred of the Brirareus family present and that the last one of them tried to hold up each one of his hands higher than all of his other hands and higher than anybody else’s hands.[1]

It is difficult to imagine any preacher today not desiring to witness congregant zeal like this. Any time spent reading through material related to Jasper’s life, ministry and preaching is time well spent, providing clear lessons for preachers to take note. The following are simply a few obvious lessons:

1. Words Matter: simple is relatable. There is very little need for academic, intellectual sermons. Being uneducated, Jasper knew nothing other than simplicity. Jasper proclaimed…

• “…my Gord doan’t lie an’ He ain’ put no lie in de Book uv eternal truf, an’ if I giv you wat de Bible say, den I boun’ ter tell de truf.”[2]

Sermons should be understood by young and old alike!

2. Confidence is Critical: It is important to study well, knowing eternal destinies are in the balance. Hatcher stated of Jasper…

• “There was a kinship between the Bible and himself, and, untaught of the schools, he studied himself in the light of the Bible and studied the Bible in the darkness of himself”.[3]

Pastoring is a lifestyle, not a job, requiring many hours each week dedicated to this most important task. Time well spent in study builds confidence!

3. Conviction is Contagious: Believe what is preached. A sermon should always be preached to the preacher in private before being preached to congregants in public!

• “He [The Lord] klars dat His glory is gwine ter spred. Spred? Whar? Frum de risin’ uv de sun ter de goin’ down uv de same. Wat? Doan’t say dat, duz it? Dat’s edzakly wat it sez. Ain’t dat cleer ‘nuff fer yer?”[4]

If it is not believed, it should not be preached!

4. Wit can be Worthwhile: There is no room in the pulpit for jokes; however, wit can be valuable. When used judiciously, it is a useful tool to engage congregants without diminishing the seriousness of the preaching endeavor or content. Convinced the earth was flat, Jasper rhetorically asked…

• “Ef de worl’ is roun’ an’ turn over ev’y night, how we hol’ on? Is we got claws on our feet like pecker-woods?”[5]

Where wit can quickly connect, joking can quickly discredit!

5. Rely on the Holy Spirit’s Power to Preach: Preaching must be an endeavor saturated in prayer. Jasper understood his divine call and preached in the power of the Spirit admitting with confidence (and wit)…

• “I got a notion dat ef de debbul put dis thing in me, den he wuz a bigger fool dan I ever thought he cud be. I don’t think he have made much by settin’ me out ter preach ef he did fer I done knocked his kingdom hard blows many a day, but arter more dan forty years servin’ my Gord I know who I hev b’lieved. I feel dat wenever I stan’ up in His name, de Lord is wid me”.[6]

Sadly, slaves held little human value and therefore detailed records rarely exist of the thousands of slaves similar to Jasper. With that said, there are unfortunately limited records of Jasper’s life and preaching; however, the research and records that do exist are a treasure trove of information and insight. Ultimately, if Jasper could convince others that ‘the sun do move’, then there is no doubt that ‘God do move in the most unexpected ways and in the most unexpected people!” Therefore, go preach the word!

[1] William E. Hatcher, John Jasper: The Unmatched Negro Philosopher and Preacher, (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1908), 171–172.

[2] Hatcher, John Jasper, 136.

[3] Hatcher, John Jasper, 48.

[4] Hatcher, John Jasper, 145–146.

[5] This quotation was captured by a writer for the Journal of Education, published August 29, 1901. “The Famous Sun-do-move Sermon.” The Journal of Education, vol. 54, no. 8 (1342), 1901, p 143. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44053710. Accessed March 6, 2024.

[6] Hatcher, John Jasper, 158.

Jeffrey Chapman is a member of Redeemer Church in Denton, Texas, and a PhD student in Preaching at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary.