Naked Exegesis?
So this last few weeks have been interesting.
In an effort to give CF a balanced biblical diet we’ve finished Luke (main meetings) and Ephesians (cell group) and begun Proverbs (main meetings) and Minor Prophets (cell group). On top of this my friend Pete and I are preaching through 1 Peter at an expat church we both attend.
The CF work has been a real challenge for me as I wrestle with wisdom literature (which I’ve barely read let alone taught before) as well as the wider grappling with biblical theology in teaching OT texts (which NTE has given me some grounding in at least). One thing that has been on my mind is how much of the ‘mechanics’ of my reading, thinking and studying do I pass on? For example, we began our Minor Prophet studies with a 2-week overview of the Old Testament storyline and began the books themselves with Jonah. Jonah was a great book to study as I got to see the subtleties of the language used in the narrative that all contribute to the real meaning of the book. But when I came to actually writing the study I was a bit stumped. Do I give them a brief overview of the text as it reads on the surface? Do I go into detail of the linguistic and narrative techniques that underpin it? Or do I just put forward my conclusions based on my more detailed study? How ‘naked’/exposed should my exegesis be?
I’m the first to admit I’m probably more likely to be too detailed than not (and by ‘too detailed’ I mean too detailed for whatever level of english ability they’re at…I’m not about to start harping on about every greek nuance I happened to read in a commentary), so perhaps I’m being unhelpful spending more time in my Proverbs talks showing how I came to certain conclusions, and even more so in the 1 Peter talks. But one thing I’ve noticed here that I desperately want to address is the feeling that lay people can’t really grasp the bible on their own…I’d like them to know enough about what questions to ask of a text to feel comfortable reading their bibles with other people.
I am wondering if with the Minor Prophet studies I might be better off doing more work ‘behind-the-scenes’ and giving them a more finished product.
Thoughts?
Posted: May 29, 07:58 PM Category: Reflections
Tags for this article: bible, cell, cf, preaching
katty · Jul 24, 08:02 AM
i think you can show – in how you get to a conclusion – the process, without having to get all lecture-ish
i think thats easier in a bible study format, where you can write the questions making them a simple progression of understanding. what does this passage say sort of stuf, that they can ask of any passage. because if someone comes to a realisation themself then its far more likely to stick than if you give it to them on a platter
blahblahblah
i dont know if iv been clear at all