Yeshua in Context » Beginners, Reading Strategies, Study Tips » Study Methods, Gospels and Life of Yeshua
Study Methods, Gospels and Life of Yeshua
The way we study the gospels and the life of Yeshua matters. Uncritical methods lead to uncritical results. Much reading of the Bible and the gospels misses much of the wealth. There is value in simple reading which finds peace and leaves aside complexities and problems. All reading is potentially beneficial and much of the life and message of Yeshua can be absorbed without reaching deep into the toolbag. But there is so much more which is available with good methods. The following list of methodological principles is specifically directed at the reading of the gospels, but could apply to other parts of the Bible as well.
…Reading methodically, regularly, as a
discipline.
The best method is reading through the gospels, from
start to finish, in order, a little each day. The
practice in Judaism of reading the books of the Torah
daily is a good point of comparison (Yeshua-followers
could add acts to the gospels, making five books
which correspond in a reading cycle to the five books
of Torah).
…Question assumptions while reading.
Many readers find a word such as “saved”
or “life” or “kingdom” and
gloss over these as terms already understood and
defined. Frequently the theologies which people bring
into their reading are not well thought out. A holy
uncertainty about such terms while reading is not a
bad idea. And assumptions about motivations and
unstated conclusions should also be questioned. We
should not assume we will understand the depths of
Yeshua’s teaching without finding our
assumptions challenged.
…Don’t ignore gaps.
Yeshua doesn’t exactly answer the questions
Nicodemus poses in John 3. Matthew 7:13-14 speak of
few finding the way of life but 8:11 speaks of many.
Matthew 11:30 says Yeshua’s yoke is easy, but
10:34-39 makes is sound hard. Notice the problems,
the mysteries, the things that don’t seem to
add up. Note them and come back to them. The gap
itself often turns out to hold the clues to deeper
insight.
…Seek the references.
Some are obvious, such as when Matthew cites a verse
and says Yeshua has filled it up (often rendered
“fulfilled”). Others are less so, such as
Yeshua speaking of a house which may be built on his
words in Matthew 7:24-27 (see Proverbs 9:1 and
following and 24:3 and following).
…Learn theological arcs from the Hebrew
Bible.
Related to the last method, we should assume that
Yeshua uses themes from the Hebrew Bible in ways that
call for a deep knowledge, not surface reading. Thus,
Yeshua as the giver of wisdom in Matthew 7:24-27 may
be a deeper clue to his identity, if you understand
the theme of wisdom personified in Proverbs and its
relation to later Jewish thought about God and
creation.
…Read both in the context of each gospel
and in harmony with parallels.
It matters both how Matthew or Mark cast a story or
saying and how they compare or differ in different
accounts. Mark may not use a story or saying in the
same context as Luke. In studying Mark’s
theology, the near context matters. In studying
Yeshua’s life, the comparisons and differences
matter.
Filed under: Beginners, Reading Strategies, Study Tips