Rooted; Session 3- Inductive Bible study: Luke 2:8-20

Review

the goal of this is to develop your bible reading and study ability

MINI-LESSON: The Three-Step Method

OBSERVATION = "What does the text say?"

Read slowly

Notice: who, what, when, where, how

Circle repeated words

Mark transitions

Ask yourself:

What details did the author include?

Why those details?

what does the rest of the Bible say about this passage or similar situations

cross references

INTERPRETATION = "What does it mean?"

Why did the author add this story?

Why did the author put this story here (in this location in the narrative)?

How does the context around it help us understand it?

What does the rest of Scripture say about similar situations?

APPLICATION = "How does it change me?"

What does this reveal about God?

What does this reveal about how God wants us to respond to His Word?

Facilitator Tip:

Think of it like detective work. First, you gather facts (observation). Then you analyze what those facts mean in context (interpretation). Then you ask: what does this mean for my life (application)? Tonight, we're going to do all three with this story.

lets do this

You all know this story. Tonight we’re not asking what it means yet. We’re asking: what does it actually say? If we skip that step, we usually just import what we already think.

as sherlock holms would say

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

reading

2 people reading

read everthing, slowly and boldly

do it again

while the reading, everyone pay attention to repeated words, movements, commands, contrasts or parallels

now i will give you 10-15 mins of observation work

circle repeated words, underline action, box any commands, put question mark next to confusing things

DON NOT TRY TO EXPLIN THE PASSAGE, just look at the words and makes sense of them.

Group work:

Group A — Words & Repetition

What words or ideas show up more than once?

what is not repeated

are there things that are repeated in different ways?

Group B — Actions & Movement

Who moves?

Where?

When?

why?

Group C — Responses

what are the response of the actors in the story?

Track the emotions of the actors:

Group D (if needed) — Titles of Jesus

List every name or description of Jesus

and the divine reference

Observation report

write the observations down

“where do you see that in the text”

“anything else we missed”

“does another verse support that”

what do you see in the text?

Interpretation (what does this passage mean)

we have all these facts about the text, what are they pointing us too. as s

“It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts.”

but now we have a lot of the facts, not all but a lot; what are they pointing us to

here are the interpretation questions:

what does the passage tell us about God?

what does it show us about Jesus

what does it show us about humans response to God

Application

based on this text, on the observation, interpretation, how would you can you apply this text to your personal life.

“Based on what we saw—not what we assume—what response does this passage call for from you this Christmas?”