Interpreting Gospel

Material
TCMI 2010
Haus Edelweiss
Remember:
Think vertically and horizontally
◦ I.e., compare, but protect the distinctives

Interpretive principles
Select a paragraph
◦ Ask the standard questions.
 Who? (characters)
 What? (story line)
 When? (time)
 Where? (place)
 Why? (reason)
 How? (means)

Interpretive principles
Look for interpretive instructions from the
author himself.
◦ Luke 19:10 after Zacchaeus (seek and save the
lost)
◦ Mark 2:10 in story of paralytic (Son has power to
forgive sins)
◦ Luke 14:7 "picked their places" (addresses
attitude)
◦ Mark 4:35-41 "Who is this?" (emphasis on identity)
◦ Mark 7:19 (all foods clean); John 20:8-9 (still
didn't see)

Interpretive principles
Watch for editorial comment
◦ Mark 6:52 "hearts were hardened"
Take note of anything that is repeated in
the story.
◦ Mark 13: 5, 9, 23, 33, 37 = Watch! Be ready!
◦ John 15:1-17 “bear fruit” (vs. 2); “much fruit”
(vs. 5, 8); “fruit that lasts” (vs. 16)
◦ Matthew 23: “woe…”

Interpretive principles
Be alert to shifts to direct discourse.
◦ Mark 4:35-41
◦ Matt. 17:5
◦ John 4:9
Recognize the "dual causation".
◦ God is always in the background
 Mark 8:31
 Luke 22:22
 Acts 13:26-31

Interpretive principles
Read in context (see the series of stories unfold)
(Remember--this is narrative literature)
◦ Watch for structure and progression
 Passion concern of Mark
◦ 2:19-20; 3:6; 6:4; 8:31; 9:31; 10:33-34
 Teaching sections in Matthew
◦ "And it happened when Jesus finished . . .“
 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1
◦ Length may be meaningful
 Mark 6:14-29 Death of John the Baptist
 Allusion to John's fate as a result of faithfulness

Interpretive principles
Read in context (continued)
◦ "Intercalation" = sandwiching; bookends;
"inclusio"
 Mark 8:22-26; 10:46-52
 Mark 11:12-21 cursing fig tree; cleansing/cursing
temple
 John 18:15-27 Jesus' faithfulness vis-a-vis Peter's
weakness
◦ Keep the story in its totality
 John 9:1-34

Interpretive principles
Text Description Development
1-7 Jesus heals the blind no faith, except to obey
man
8-12 man questioned by man called Jesus
neighbors
13-17 man questioned by Jesus is a prophet
Pharisees
18-23 man's parents questioned close to acknowledging Christ
by Pharisees
24-34 man questioned 2nd time portrayed in opposition (disciple)
by Pharisees
35-41 Jesus dialogues with man confesses belief and worships
blind man/Pharisees

Interpretive principles
Note the "teachings of Jesus"
◦ Figurative language/imagery
 Mt. 5:13, 14
 Lk. 6:39-40
◦ "I am" sayings (found in John)/metaphors
 bread of life (6:35, 41, 48, 51)
 light of the world (8:12; 9:5)
 door of the sheep (10:7, 9)
 good shepherd (10:11, 14)
 resurrection and the life (11:25)
 way, the truth and the life (14:6)
 true vine (15:1, 5)
◦ Exaggeration
 Mt. 5:29-20 "cut it off"
 Lk. 14:26 "hate"

Interpretive Principles
Compare parallels
◦ don't harmonize; respect the distinctiveness
 "[W]e must turn our back on any temptation to fill
in the story of that Gospel with details take from
the others."
◦ Compare Matthew 9:19-22 with Mark 5:24-34
 Matthew--brief; focused on Jesus; his ability to
heal immediately
 Mark--more details; human trial; needed more
and that was Jesus

Interpretive Principles
Specialliterary forms
Exaggeration
◦ A truth is overstated for the sake of effect to
the point that a literal fulfillment is either
impossible or completely ridiculous
 Mt. 5:29-30
 Luke 14:26
 Mk. 10:24b-25

Practice Basic Hermeneutics

Metaphor and Similes
◦ Comparisons
 Metaphors are implicit
◦ John 6:48, 51 “I am the bread of life”
◦ Matthew 5:13-14
 Similes (like or as)
◦ Matthew 7:24, 26 “…is like a house”
◦ John 15:6 “is like a branch”

Practice Basic Hermeneutics

Irony
◦ Contrast between the expected and what actually
happens
 Luke 12:16-20
Rhetorical questions
◦ Designed to make a point rather than retrieve an
answer
 Mt. 5:46
 Mt. 6:27
 Mk. 4:40
 Luke 12:51

Practice Basic Hermeneutics

Parallelism
◦ Synonymous--say the same in a similar way
 Mt. 7:7
 Mk. 4:22
◦ Antithetic--contrasts the thought
 Mk. 4:25
 Mt. 12:35
◦ Climactic--advances the thought
 Mt. 10:40
 Jn. 6:37

Practice Basic Hermeneutics

Seek to see Christ

Practice Basic Hermeneutics