Doing the exegesis paper for the

Gospels
The end goal of the task is to provide a coherent overall interpretation of the passage.
In the end, you should be able to answer clearly and succinctly the question: “What
was the main point of interpretation in the passage?”

Before you do any research, you need to find a passage to work with. A selection of
passages is given below, together with their number in Aland

Luke 4:16-30 (Aland 33) Luke 5:17-26 (Aland 43) Luke 7:1-10 (Aland 85)

Luke 7:36-50 (Aland 114) Luke 16:19-31 (Aland 228) Luke 18:1-8 (Aland 236)

Luke 20:20-26 (Aland 280)

Step 1 – Quote the entirety of your chosen passage in your favoured

translation.

It is assumed you have consulted at least 3 translations, but you will need to favour one of
these as your base translation (make sure it is a Formal Equivalent or Mediating Translation
– No NLT, GNB, CEV, NCV, etc). By printing out the passage in full, you indicate to your
marker which translation you are using. This will NOT contribute to your word count.
Step 2 – Write an Introductory Paragraph (100-150 words)

Summarise the text you are studying and your basic interpretation of its meaning and
significance. This interpretation will then be demonstrated in detail through the exegesis.

Step 3 – Text and Translation Issues (100-200 words) (OPTIONAL – only if

necessary)

Are there any major textual variants, or are there any major translation debates?

To find MAJOR textual variants, you need to consult Bruce Metzger, A Textual
Commentary on the Greek New Testament. If you find a variant which is given a {C} or {D}
rating, then that usually indicates some debate. Check the commentaries to see if they make
comment on the variant. If they do, summarise the discussion to the best of your ability.
Only give textual variants if they matter in a substantial way.

To find major translation debates, these will usually be indicated by comparing English
translations. See John 14:26 in different translations as an example.

But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all
26

things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (TNIV)
26
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you
all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (ESV)

26But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit —the Father will send Him in My name—will teach
you all things and remind you of everything I have told you. (HCSB)

Commentaries will also often make comment on the difficulties of translating a certain word.
Again, inasmuch as people make comment on the translational difficulties, provide a
summary of the discussion to the best of your ability.

Step 4 Historical Context (200-400 words)

When dealing with a gospel, there are two historical contexts or settings you must
consider:

The setting in the life and ministry of Jesus.

 Where does this come in the overall ministry of Jesus?

 Is there anything relevant in the history of Judea and Galilee which provides
general background to the life-setting of the text?
The setting in the life of the first hearers

 This will depend on your own level of certainty about reconstructing the real
author and his original audience for the Gospel of Luke.

 E.g. For using Mark - If you think the Gospel of Mark is written to a situation
of Roman persecution, then how might this influence your reading of the text.

It may be that you feel you can only say a little in speculation about the audience and
setting of the first hearers.

Step 5 Literary Context (200-300 words)

Provide a brief indication of where the passage sits in its immediate narrative context (i.e.
the pericopae immediately surrounding) and perhaps also how it fits within the entirety of
the work.

For example:

Mark 2:23 is one of a series of “conflict-stories” spanning from 2:1 to 3:6. Through a range of
incidents (healing of the forgiven paralytic; the call of “sinful” Levi; the question over
fasting), Jesus authority and actions are constantly called into question by the Jewish
leadership of the day. This likely reflects a topical ordering of events on the part of Mark,
rather than a strict chronological account.
The structural significance of this whole “conflict-story” section lies in the way it
stands in juxtaposition with the opening chapter of Mark, in which a triumphant sequence of
healings and exorcisms seems to suggest a uniformly positive momentum to the ministry of
Jesus. The sharp disjunction created between reactions of amazement and hostility, helps to
communicate Mark’s larger theological point that the ministry of Jesus brought both
deliverance and division. It is within this literary context that our passage is set, and the larger
framework necessarily impinges upon our interpretation.

So the key questions for literary context are:

What happens before your passage?

What happens after your passage?

Is your incident/saying part of a larger related sequence of events? Does it represent

the start of something new? Does it represent the conclusion of a series of related
events?

Having done your own work, you can then check it against the commentators.

Step 6 – Provide a brief account of the passage structure (150-250 words)

Can we break up the passage into smaller sub-units

 Could you use form-critical categories like “miracle story” or “pronouncement story”
to identify the sub-units (n.b. you don’t have to! Don’t make stuff up!)

 If it is a narrative of events, look for changes in time, setting (scene) or characters

(cast)

 For example:

o Mark 6:1-6
 Jesus arrives and teaches in the synagogue (vv.1-2a)
 The reaction of the people of Nazareth (vv.2b-3)
 Jesus’s response (6:4-6)

Again, once you have done your own work, check it against the commentators to see
how they break up the passage into smaller units. Ask yourself the question: Why
have they broken it up like this? Are you convinced?

Step 7 - Provide a sequential commentary on your passage (i.e. moving

through the major thought units that you identified in your
structural outline in Step 6) (1000-1250 words)

Essentially, you are explaining what the text says in detail. This should include, but is not
limited to the suggestions that follow. What is outlined below is not sections in your detailed
analysis, but rather various things you need to consider.

A. If it is an account of events, you will need to explain what is significant about the
events (why has the Gospel writer included them). What do they reveal about Jesus, his
mission, his disciples, his enemies, etc.

B. Consider the narrative art of the passages – how is the story told, and is part of the
meaning embedded in the way the story is told

1. e.g. For the account of the healing of the leper in Matt 8:1-4, the way the
story is told has the “touching” of Jesus right at its centre. This whole mini-narrative is
shaped and oriented around the shocking act of Jesus’ touch. The fact that the “touch” sits at
the centre suggests that Jesus’ transgression of standard purity boundaries is fundamental to
the meaning of this passage.

2. Having done your own work, commentaries should help guide you if there
are significant features to the artistry of the narrative.

C. Is the incident/saying paralleled in the other Synoptic Gospels? If so, how

does Luke’s presentation differ from Mark (who Luke probably used as a
source), or Matthew (with whom he often shares a common source – called
Q). Aland’s Synopsis will help you see the parallels, and to create meaningful
comparisons, which will often highlight the unique aspects of Luke’s agenda.
The advanced commentators should also highlight these comparisons for you.
D. If the passage is a teaching, or teachings, of Jesus, can you discern a logical
coherence in what Jesus is saying? Explain the logic, instead of just paraphrasing the
teachings.
If you have a group of teachings strung together, even though they might appear at
first unrelated, is there a coherent reason why the Evangelist has brought the
teachings together?

E. If there are any KEY words (not EVERY word) that need to be emphasised or
clarified, then do so.

1. i.e. What is the significance of the word “ransom” which is used in

Mark 10:45?
2. What does it mean that the kingdom of God has “come near” or is “at
hand”?

F. Are there any cultural/historical details that an uninformed reader might be

likely to miss or misinterpret?

 i.e. our culture does not practice the same purity regulations
as ancient Judaism. Therefore, the touch of a
haemorrhaging woman in Mark 5 is likely to be
insignificant to a modern reader. It wasn’t to the original
audience of Jesus.

 These details are critical to the interpretation of many

parables, which often have at their centre a surprising image
that reverses standard expectations.

G. Is there an OT background or allusion in your passage? For example, Jesus

and the Gospel writers often call upon large-scale OT ideas like exodus, exile,
the temple, sacrifice, Moses, the law, etc.

Step 8 – Provide a concluding synthesis which restates the main point of

interpretation, and how the text was intended to function in the life
of its first audience (150-250 words)

This will involve drawing together your thoughts for a final statement of the meaning
and function of the text.

 What is the main idea(s) which is being communicated?

 What is the text trying to do?

This will involve considering how the passage fits into the broader agenda of the
author for his whole Gospel. What was the author’s purpose in writing this Gospel?
Does this passage “plug in” to standard themes that are emphasised throughout the
Gospel?

In simple terms, if the Gospel writer is telling his particular story of Jesus, how does
this episode contribute?

Step 9 – Responsibly apply the passage to our present day situation

(anywhere from 200-400 words)

Think about how the passage combines with other biblical passages. How does this passage
add insight to an overall biblical theme? How does it apply to us individually? How does it
apply to us corporately (as a body of believers)?

Is there…

a truth to be believed?
A promise to be trusted?
A command to obey?
A warning to heed?
An example to follow

Some Good Commentaries to use on Luke

D. Bock, Luke Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Baker, 1994; 1996). 2
vols.
J. Green, The Gospel According to Luke. New International Commentary on the New
Testament (Eerdmans, 1997).
I. Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke. New International Greek Commentary on the
Greek Text (Eerdmans, 1978).
J. Fitzmyer, The Gospel According to Luke. Anchor Bible. (Doubleday, 1981-85). 2 vols.
L. Morris, The Gospel According to St Luke. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand
Rapids, 1974)
John Nolland, Luke. Word Biblical Commentaries (Dallas, 1989-93). 3 vols.
Robert H. Stein, Luke. New American Commentary (Nashville, 1992).
Michael Wilcock, Luke. The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, 1997)
Francois Bovon, Luke 1:1-9:50. Hermeneia (Minneapolis, 2002).
R. Alan Culpepper, “Luke” in The New Interpreters Bible: volume 9: Luke and John
(Minneapolis, 1995)
Walter Liefeld, “Luke” in The Expositors Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, 1984)
George B. Caird, Luke. Pelican Commentaries (London, 1963)

If you are studying a parable of Jesus in Luke, you should definitely consult:

Kenneth Bailey, Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes (Downers Grove, 2008)
Klyne Snodgrass, Stories with Intent (Grand Rapids, 2008)
Craig Blomberg, Interpreting the Parables (Leicester, 1990)
For the Gospel of Luke, some general accounts of Lukan theology can be found in:

David A. deSilva, An Introduction to the New Testament, pp.316-333.

D. L. Bock, “Luke, Gospel of” in Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, pp.502-510.

Good commentaries on Luke will also have a section in their introductions

summarising Luke’s unique theology (look for it as a subheading)

Also, I. Howard Marshall wrote an older, but still relevant work, called Luke:
Historian and Theologian. If you use the index judiciously, you could find much here
to benefit you (i.e. looking at index topics relevant to your passage).

Also, you can search on ATLA using a field called Scripture Citation. In addition, if that
doesn’t work, try searching on some of the topics you have discovered.