L‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍uke 8: 4-15 Parable of the Sower Parable Paper—Interpretive Steps When interpreting a parable, several layers of reality come into play. The Gospel writer is recording a parable spoken by Jesus (probably in Aramaic) to a particular audience, but the Gospel writer records the event decades later in Koine Greek to a different intended audience. And you are interpreting the parable over 2,000 years later in English to an entirely different audience. Having said this, it is important to reduce the cultural difference between “now” and “then” by first learning the original intent of the author from his perspective of what Jesus meant before moving quickly to what the Spirit means for this parable for today. Below are the steps required to better accomplish this. General Interpretive Steps (Parable) Read the passages before and after the parable while also looking at the overall arrangement to decipher how this parable fits within the author’s intended overall, literary “flow” of his Gospel. Read the parable several times in one sitting, jotting down observations and questions about the author’s meaning, (key words), his audience, the purpose of the parable, the tone, and difficulties. If appropriate, divide the passage into its “units of thought” (similar to contemporary paragraphs) based on the author’s intent. Specific Interpretive Steps Analyze key words (“reference points”)—determine the range of meaning that the author may have intended. 1. Research the cultural-historical meaning of key words or phrases that would help today’s audience understand the meaning (in a sense, “reduce the cultural distance” due to the difference in culture, language, setting, other translations, exegetical commentaries, and relevant lexicons). 2. Look to see how the author uses this word in other sections of the Gospel (use a concordance or Greek Lexicon). 3. [How is this word used in 1st Century Palestine (Judaism) or the Greco-Roman world?] Make a decision and write down what you believe the authors intended meaning of the significant word(s) and phrase(s) are. Make note of any literary devices and their function in the passage. Analyze key sentenc‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍es—grammar and function—of the passage (consult exegetical commentaries and Hebrew or Greek Grammars). Determine the Main Point (Now that the “reference points” have been identified and investigated, and now that the relationship of how this parable fits within the overall flow of the Gospel is understood, determine what the main point of this parable is “then”). Answer the question, “How does this point fit within the theological purpose of this Gospel?” Apply the main point of the parable for today. A. Align the reference points from “then” to similar and appropriate reference points for today. B. Pray and ask for wisdom, and then state clearly what Jesus’ point was “then” and what the Spirit’s point is for “today.” C. State what might be “mistaken” main point(s) of an audience today for this parable. Writing • Read: Luke 8:4-15 • Begin with a brief one-paragraph summary of the parable and then state a clear one-sentence thesis at the end of this first paragraph. Also at the end of the paper, include a brief three or four sentence paragraph (Conclusion) which restates the main points of the paper without adding new information. • Due to the short length of this paper, do not quote verses verbatim (word-for-word) in the paper; simply cite the address in parenthesis, such as (15:3). • Arrange the “Body” of the paper in three relevant sections with appropriate length (something like: “Background of the Parable” (1/2 to 1 page double spaced, New Times Roman, 12 point font); “Meaning of the Parable ‘Then,’” (2 pages to pages); and “Meaning of the Parable for Today” (1/5 to 1 page). • Use at least two exegetical commentaries for the second section (when determining the meaning “then”). 4 Sources Total • See rubric for grading criteria Grading Criteria • 70% Content and Analysis—interpretive steps are completed with quality research, appropriate detail and relevance. • 15% Organization and Style—paper is well organized (Introduction, thesis, Conclusion, cohesive paragraphs, and transitions) and is written in a formal tone. • 15% Format and Grammar—paper is free of grammatical errors and cites ‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‌‌‍‍‍‌‍‍‍‍‌‍‍sources properly (including a bibliography with at least four quality sources, two of which are exegetical commentaries).