Interpretation – Part One: Asking the Right Questions
We have been considering how to grow in reading and understanding God’s Word, beginning with observation of the text. Once we have observed the details of the passage before us (the book overview, genre, words, grammar, structure and mood) we can then move to the next key step of Bible reading: interpretation.
Interpretation is when things get exciting! Interpretation is where we move from “what did the author say” to “what does the author mean?” We said that observation was like putting a puzzle together. Interpretation is figuring out why someone gave you the puzzle. And a good first step to interpretation is asking the right questions. Peter Krol, in his book “Knowable Word,” presents three groups of questions we should ask about our observations of the text.
First, we need to ask the what questions. The what questions are the bread, lettuce, and tomato of the interpretation sandwich. Without the bread, we don’t have much of a sandwich at all. Let’s imagine that you are studying 1 John 1 and one of your observations is that John mentions the word “fellowship” several times. Great observation! We begin interpretation when we ask a what question: what does John mean by the word “fellowship?” Along with the what can come the who, when, and where. Who does John have fellowship with? When does John and his audience have fellowship? Where does John use this word in this book? Next time, we will talk about how to answer our questions, but the first step is learning to ask them.
Second, we need to ask the why questions. This is the meat of the interpretation sandwich. When we ask the why questions, we are learning to search for the author’s meaning, which is the whole point of Bible reading. Without the author’s meaning, we might come up with something totally out of left field. So, again, in 1 John 1, some why questions might be: why does John care so much about fellowship? Why would John choose this word over other words? Again, we might not always find an answer, but we have to ask the questions.
Third, we need to ask the so what questions. This is the special sauce of the interpretation sandwich. This question will eventually move us from interpretation to application (what does this passage mean for my life?). In 1 John 1, some so what questions might be: So, what does fellowship have to do with the Christian life? So, what happens if there is no fellowship? These questions get to the implications (the “so what”) of the passage.
When you practice asking the right questions, it will eventually become second nature so that you are always observing and interpreting Scripture as you read and study. Consider reading 1 John 3 this week, make observations, and then write down 2-3 of the what, why, and so what questions to begin the interpretation process.
Pastor Mark