Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction to “Exegesis”

Exegesis is the practice of discovering the meaning of a text in its original cultural, literary, historical, and theological contexts.

“We must know what the passage means before we can ask what it means for us.”

We do exegesis by using hermeneutics, the rules and principles for interpreting scripture.

Exegesis is important because it keeps us from arriving at false applications or doctrines from the text.

For instance, we might come away from with a teaching that God wants everyone to be healed, since Jesus healed the man with Dropsy.

Equally wrong would be to come away with the teaching that God wants us to only minister to the disabled.

That is not what this pericope is primarily about, although it’s teaching has an application to our ministry to the disabled, the suffering, and those at the most vulnerable segment of our society.

Healing on the Sabbath

Cast of Characters:

Jesus sets up a parallel with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in Rev. 19:7-9; Rev. 21:4 and the LORD’s Banquet in Isaiah 25:6-8

Pharisees: Separatists (from persahin or parash “to separate”).

Successors of Assideans (pious), a party that originated in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes in revolt against his heathenizing policy.

Josephus describes them as one of three sects or schools of the Jews at the time along with the Essenes and the Sadducees (no resurrection, rigid interpretation of the law).

There was much that was sound in their creed, but it was also mostly form over substance.

What are the main theological (information about how God functions) points to this pericope?

Jesus establishes his authority

Jesus sets up a distinction between the self-exhalted and the debased for later parallelism with their position in the Kingdom

Parable of the Guests

What are the big ideas in this pericope?

-15

Jesus sets up a parallel with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in ; and the LORD’s Banquet in

Who can enter the Kingdom?

God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5b-6)

Note: parables usually have one central message and contain a lesson regarding people’s relationship to God in addition to interpersonal relationships.

Those who exalt themselves will be humiliated (now and to come) and those who humble themselves will be exalted

Luke 14:12

Is this primarily a social/ethical, or etiquette lesson or is there a spiritual lesson and, if so, what is that?

If the parallelism is to the Banquet at the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, who is the host?

Who are the relatives, rich neighbors?

Who are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind?

If refers primarily to the spiritually poor, what does that say about the poor, crippled, lame and blind in v. 12 above?

Spiritually humble as opposed to the arrogant form-over-substance religious people.

We’ve gone from an earthly social lesson to a heavenly, spiritual one.

What is the spiritual parallel Jesus is making with this banquet?

Jesus sets up a parallel with the Marriage Supper of the Lamb in ; and the LORD’s Banquet in

If the parallelism is to the Banquet at the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, who is the host and who are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind?

(Hint: ; ; cc Matthew 5:3)

Who are the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind?

(Hint: Luke 4:18; Luke 6:20)

The host is God, the poor, etc. are those who are allowed into the Kingdom because they are poor in spirit (gentiles, Jews, and all who recognized the invitation of the Master; not just the Jewish haves—see Essene belief that Banquet was only for Jewish, whole men).

Is there something that God particularly loves about poor, disabled, taxpayers, sinners, Samaritans?

Why the constant comparisons with the Pharisees and leaders of the Synagog?

Who can enter the Kingdom?

What are some other Lukean parables that seem to present a similar teaching?

The parable of the son and the vineyard (Luke 20:9-18)

The parable of the fig tree ()

Mark 16:

Matthew 28:19-20

Mark 16:15

So tying all of these verses together in the context of the Great Commission () What is our obligation in Disabled Ministry?

Luke 4:18-19