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How to Interpret: Determine the Main Point

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This week I’ll explain the third of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step three was Determine the Author’s Main Point:

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture.  Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages.  I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important).  I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Here are a few ideas to help you get to the author’s main point:

  • Take note of the author’s flow of thought.  How did he get from the first verse to the last verse?  One way to do this is to break the chapter into paragraphs.  Then determine the main point for each paragraph.  String them together to see what might be the main point of the whole chapter.  If you’re still not sure, you could break it down further into sentences before putting it back together.
  • Outline the essential grammar.  This requires careful observation of the passage.  You can distill narratives to their basic plot structure.  You can outline instructional texts by writing out just the subjects and verbs of each sentence.  Often, noticing the shape of this skeleton helps with identifying the main point.
  • Consider what the passage says about Jesus.  We know he’s the main point of the Bible (John 5:39), so we should expect each section to say something about him.  I believe Luke 24:46-47 provides a helpful template.  Every passage of Scripture reveals Jesus by explaining at least one of the following truths:
    1. The Messiah would suffer (die).
    2. The Messiah would rise from the dead.
    3. We must repent of our sin and be forgiven.
    4. This message (that the Messiah’s death and resurrection make forgiveness possible) must be preached to all nations.
  • Always ask “Why?”  We’re after more than a summary of what the author wrote.  We want to do our best to figure out why he wrote it.

Your analysis of the main point of Luke 2:1-21 might look something like this:

  • verses 1-7: in contrast to the might of Rome, Jesus, the heir of King David, is born into great obscurity.
  • verses 8-14: heavenly soldiers herald his birth to the lowly, not the powerful.  Jesus is not presented as a conquering king, but as a savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord.
  • verses 15-21: the lowly serve the true King by racing, viewing, and testifying.

So far, so good.  We could summarize the passage by calling it “The Birth of Jesus Christ.”  But we must move beyond summarizing to ask why it is here.  What does Luke want to teach us?

I’d suggest something like: God sent Jesus to be born so he might save the lowly and rule them graciously.  This brings him highest glory.

Is understanding a movie different than understanding the Bible?

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Recently a Christian friend said to me, “I’m not able to understand the Bible when I read it.”

I asked, “Are you able to understand movies you watch?”

My friend replied, “Yes, but that’s different!”

Is my friend right? Do we use a different set of skills to understand movies vs the Bible?

There certainly are some differences! You can more easily convey some things in writing than you can in visual media (and vice versa). Also, the Bible generally doesn’t come with a soundtrack nor does a movie come with cross-references.

However, a majority of the skills you use to watch and understand a movie are actually quite similar to how you’d read (and understand, and apply) the Bible. That’s what we’d expect, after all, from a God who desires that His Word be truly knowable.

Consider the following:

#1: The Bible often uses repeated words and themes in order to point out when something is important and should be remembered. Movies do the same thing. How many times has the last line of a movie simply been a repeated phrase from earlier? How many romantic comedies climax with the girl repeating the exact phrase the guy had said back on the first date? Even this memorable movie quote comes as a direct result of repeated words!

#2: The Bible is full of stories about people. As you read, it is expected that you’ll love them (e.g. Jesus, Joseph, Daniel), hate them (e.g. Eli and his sons, the Pharisees, just about all Israelite kings), learn from them (e.g. Paul, Peter, Jethro), empathize with them (e.g. the woman caught in adultery in John 8, the Psalmists) or avoid them (e.g. the “fool”, the sexually immoral, the Judaizers). Movies make heavy use of this same technique. You get drawn in, identify yourself with some character, and are are often meant to change your life as a result. Consider your favorite movie characters. Don’t you in some ways try to be more like them?

#3: The Bible is full of stories about how the world works and what is true. The Bible talks about the worth of life, of family, of work, of rest, and countless other topics. Movies address the same things. For example: What is reality? What is perseverance? What is worth fighting for? What is it to be falsely accused? What is it to sacrifice? The answers to those questions are meant to teach us more about how to live.

#4: After you watch a movie with a friend, you can discuss what the movie was about. While not everything is easily explained the first time through and may require thinking for a while, you know for a fact that the writer, actors, director and producer fully intended to communicate something. They had a main point that they wanted you to understand and wrestle with. So it is with the Bible. The author (and Author) intended it to be understood and applied.

Much more can be said here, but my conclusion is that the friend I spoke of above can indeed understand the Bible. Moreover, as one who watches many movies, I suspect my friend actually knows a lot more about Bible study than either of us even realizes!

The next time you watch a movie, ask yourself how you know what you know about it. Then determine how you knew that, and try the same technique on the Bible.

How to Interpret: Answer Questions

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This week I’ll unpack the second of 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step two was Answer the Questions from the Text:

Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them.  There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (or clearly implied) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).

Don’t go on rabbit trails.  Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say.  Don’t build a whole theology from one verse.  Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text.  Let the rest go.

Two kinds of answers are “in the text”:

  1. Some answers are assumed in the text.  The original audience would have known these answers, but they’re lost on us because of the thousands of years that separate our lifetime from theirs.  We need websites or Bible dictionaries to help us understand what scholars have learned about ancient cultures. We can also reference related Scripture passages to illuminate the one at hand.
  2. Some answers are addressed in the text.  The author made these explicit for his audience.

From Luke 2:1-21, here are some examples of answers assumed in the text:

  • What was it like to experience upheaval for a census?
    • Some in Luke’s original audience may have remembered this very census that occurred during Quirinius’s governorship.  We should look it up. (On the link, scroll down to point (2) “Census of Quirinius.”)
  • What does it mean that Jesus is called “Christ”?
    • We need help from passages like Psalm 2:2 to provide the necessary background.
  • How long was Joseph and Mary’s trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem?  How did people view shepherds at this time?
    • Most of the original audience would understand what it was like to travel from Galilee to Judea, or to interact with shepherds.  We need tools like websites or Bible dictionaries to help us understand such things.

Here’s an example of answers addressed in the text:

  • Why does Luke contrast Jesus’ glory with that of the Roman rulers?
    • Because God deserves the highest glory (Luke 2:14).  He is saving the world through Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).
  • So what does Luke want us to do about Jesus?
    • In contrast to the Might of Rome (Luke 2:1-2), Mary treasured up these things (Luke 2:19), and the shepherds gave God highest praise & glory (Luke 2:20).  Luke implies that we should have similar responses to Jesus.

Finally, here are some possible questions not assumed or addressed in the text.  We ought to let them go (at least for now):

  • Did Mary walk or ride on a donkey?
  • Was Jesus born in a stable or a cave?
  • Do angels have wings?
  • Who are those “with whom he is pleased” (Luke 2:14), and what does this tell us about predestination?

What other answers to your questions can you find in the passage?

How to Interpret: Ask Questions

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Last week I introduced 3 steps for interpreting the Bible.

Step one was Ask Questions of Your Observations:

Take your observations and ask questions of them.  Lots of questions.  Tackle those observations from every direction.

Be as inquisitive as possible.  Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.

Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text.  Don’t ask just any old questions.  Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever.  Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover.  (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)

The main questions to ask are What? Why? and So What?

  • What? questions define the terms.  (“What did he mean?”)
  • Why? questions uncover the author’s purpose.  (“Why did he say that?”)
  • So What? questions draw out the implications.  (“So what does he want me to do about it?”)

For example, let’s say you’re studying Luke 2:1-21.  You just observed that there’s a repeated idea of power and authority.  You saw lots of words like, “Lord,” “governor,” “decree,” “Caesar,” and “glory.”  Now it’s time to ask questions:

  • What kind of authority is Luke concerned with?  What was a “governor” in Ancient Rome?  What was the extent of Caesar’s power?  What will Jesus do that’s different?  What are angels?
    • How questions often fit into this category as well: How long was the trip from Nazareth to Bethlehem?  How did people view shepherds at this time?
  • Why is Luke so concerned with power?  Why did Caesar make this decree?  Why does the author contrast baby Jesus’ glory with the Roman leaders’ authority?  Why were the shepherds filled with fear at the sight of an angel?
  • So what does this mean about where true authority lies?  So what should we believe about Jesus?  So what should we expect when Jesus comes into conflict with the world?

What other questions can you think of from your observation of Luke 2:1-21?  See if you can identify whether your question is a What? Why? or So What? question.

3 Steps for Interpreting the Bible

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Misunderstandings stink. I once got cussed out on the phone because of one.

The guy who did the cussing thought I’d scheduled an event on a certain date in order to purposely exclude him from attending.  Well, he had misunderstood, and I wish he’d asked more questions before jumping to conclusions.

If he’d asked, I could have given more information (for example, I had no idea this fellow was unavailable on the proposed date, and I primarily chose the date to avoid conflicts with other events).

It is possible to misunderstand the Bible, but with careful interpretation it’s also possible to rightly understand it.  God’s Word is a Knowable Word.

Interpretation is the second of three steps in the Bible study process.  We’ve seen why we should interpret the Bible.  We’ve seen two things that will hinder interpretation.  But how do we interpret?

These three steps will help you to interpret any passage of the Bible.

1.  Ask Questions of Your Observations

If you’ve observed well, you’re ready to interpret.

Take your observations and ask questions of them.  Lots of questions.  Tackle those observations from every direction.

Be as inquisitive as possible.  Get better at asking questions, and you’ll get better at interpreting the Bible.

Note that your questions should be about your observations of the text.  Don’t ask just any old questions.  Don’t feel the need to be particularly clever.  Your job is not to innovate, but to uncover.  (Note how the disciples didn’t observe well, and so asked the wrong questions in John 21:22-23.)

2.  Answer the Questions from the Text

Once you’ve asked your questions, answer them.  There’s one critical rule, though: answer questions only if they are answered (explicitly or implicitly) in the text (Prov 30:5-6).

Don’t go on rabbit trails.  Don’t use minor details to make the text say what you want it to say.  Don’t build a whole theology from one verse.  Instead, answer only those questions that are either assumed or addressed in the text.  Let the rest go.

3.  Determine the Author’s Main Point

As you answer all your questions, pull them together into a big picture.  Your job is to understand the main thing the author is communicating through the passage (2 Pet 3:15-18).

Most theological disagreements among Christians take place when people focus on things other than the main points of passages.  I’m not saying that theology is bad (in fact, it’s very important).  I’m simply saying that it’s important to focus on the main points of the Bible and not on secondary, questionable, or implied points (Matt 23:23-24).

Missing the main point means misunderstanding the text.  And misunderstandings stink.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll unpack each of these steps in greater detail.

Which of these steps seems most obvious to you?  Which one is most difficult?

Another Enemy of Interpretation is Relativism

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Yesterday I wrote, “Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.”  Some might wonder if there is such a thing as “incorrect interpretation.”

YES, there is.

In Luke 7:18-19, John the Baptist wanted to make sure he had the right interpretation.

In Mark 12:24-27, Jesus accused the Sadducees of having the wrong interpretation.

The Apostle Peter tells us that ignorance or instability can lead someone to distort (misinterpret) the Bible.  This practice has dire consequences (2 Pet 3:15-16).

I’ve heard people speak of the Bible: “it means whatever you want it to mean.”

Although I appreciate the desire for relevance, may I propose that extreme relativism is, in fact, self-defeating?  If a communication could mean anything the receiver wanted it to mean, then there could be no such thing as meaningful communication.  The speaker or writer intends a certain meaning.  We can agree or disagree with it, but we can’t overlook the fact that it’s there.

In other words, when someone says that it means whatever you want it to mean, a helpful and respectful response might be, “do you really mean that?”

By all means, let us work hard to figure out what it means.

The Greatest Enemy of Interpretation is Observation

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Interpretation happens when we figure out why a passage says what it says. We fail to interpret well when we fail to figure out why the passage says what it says.

The chief obstacle to excellent interpretation is observation.

Of course I don’t think observation is a bad thing. I’ve already written about how we should value careful observation. (See here for a few common examples of less-than-careful observation.) Careless observation leads directly to incorrect interpretation.

However, when you study the Bible, you can’t stay in observation. It’s easy to feel like you’ve really studied the Bible, when it’s possible that all you’ve done is observe.

For example, people often go to Romans 1:18-32 to show that humanity is sinful. Excellent observation! But why does Paul go to such great lengths to show how sinful humanity is? Perhaps it’s because he wants to tighten the noose slowly and imperceptibly around the reader. “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges” (Rom 2:1, ESV).

We find another example in Philippians 4:4-9. This passage is full of beautiful sayings commonly quoted by Christians. We love to “rejoice in the Lord always” (Phil 4:4). We find great comfort in letting our requests be made known to God, with supplication and thanksgiving (Phil 4:6).

These are good observations. But why are these verses here? The Philippian church was experiencing a serious rift between two prominent women (Phil 4:2-3). So Paul sent instructions for resolving the conflict to one of his companions in the church. Read Phil 4:4-9 in that light, and the passage comes alive.

Old Testament narratives make up one last set of examples. As we observe these stories, we might notice all kinds of characters to either imitate or avoid, but we might fail to move into interpretation. Now viewing these characters as examples is not wrong (see 1 Cor 10:11), but it’s all too easy to stop with such observation. Why are the stories there? To show us Jesus, of course (John 1:45, Luke 24:44-47). The trick each time is to figure out how.

Remember not to let familiarity get in the way of your observation. And don’t let observation get in the way of your interpretation.

Why Should We Interpret?

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The second major step in the Bible study process is interpretation.  To ask why we should do it is to assume the answer.

Do you get it?  Interpretation is all about asking WHY.

In the Observation phase, we deal with what a passage says.  In the Interpretation phase, we deal with why the passage says what it says.

Please tell me “Why?”

My 2-year old daughter just entered the interpretation phase of life.  It’s a significant milestone!  I remember when it happened.  We got home from church, and my wife told the children to get out of the van and go into the house.  Charlotte immediately asked, “Why?”

I’m pretty sure she doesn’t even know what “why” means.  She’s just heard her older siblings say it so much that she figured she should do so as well.

God created us to interpret.  Communication always moves beyond the What to the Why.  A sidelong glance appears to imply romantic interest.  A grunt gets interpreted as displeasure.  Failure to make eye contact seems to indicate uncertainty.  Such analysis is the stuff of slumber parties and network news programs.  We move from Observation to Interpretation all the time.

We ought to do it in Bible study as well.  Don’t stop with Observation.  Keep moving forward to make sure you understand the Why.  That’s the key to interpretation.

How’d You Do That? (9/16/12)

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From time to time we like to “show our work” and explain what principles drive our Bible study.

In Sunday’s post, we examined Proverbs 1:10, ESV (“My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent”) and saw how the Bible commands us to reject easy money.  Here’s how we got there.

Observation

By observing the grammar of the verse, we noticed that the main sentence is a command: “Do not consent.”  Also, we observed the words: the thing we ought not consent to is enticement from sinners.

Interpretation

In my study, I started with a question: what is the enticement from sinners that we ought not consent to?  Is it just anything, or does Solomon have something specific in mind?

Answering that question led me to observe the whole section (Prov 1:10-19) in its context.  This examination led me to observe the final verse (Prov 1:19), which makes clear that the chief enticement Solomon has in mind is toward “unjust gain.”

What is “unjust gain”?  Acquiring money or possessions through any unlawful means.  Since most of the section describes a gang recruiting someone to violence against another person, it would appear that Solomon considers “unjust” any means of gaining money that will hurt other people.

Thus, my conclusion of the main idea: “the pursuit of a quick buck, at the cost of serving others, will always keep us from being wise.”

Application

From here, we merely had to consider what it looks like in our generation to gain more money at the cost of serving others.

The chief heart application is that we allow ourselves to be sucked into money-making schemes (like going into more credit card debt, getting a new car like the neighbor’s, or spending too much time at the office).

By way of head application, we must know which things will tempt us, and we must choose in advance to watch out for them.

For hands application, we should make different choices when the temptation comes.  We should reject easy money.

See here for an explanation of these three types of application.

 

My hope in walking through this process is that you will be able to duplicate it in your own study of the Bible!