Module 6 · From Exegesis to Teaching · Lesson 1
Observation: What Does the Text Say?
Watch
Video lesson — coming soon
The full written lesson below is ready to study now.
Big idea
Before explaining what a passage means, learn to see what is actually there. Observation trains attention to the words, structure, relationships, and literary features of the text.
Learning objectives
- Define observation.
- Distinguish observation from interpretation.
- Identify repetition, contrast, comparison, commands, questions, cause/result, structure, and surprise.
- Summarize a passage without prematurely preaching it.
- Generate interpretive questions from observation.
Primary text
Mark 2:1–12
“Use the healing of the paralytic as the primary observation exercise.”
Scaffolded Scriptures
- Nehemiah 8:8 — Careful reading precedes explanation.
- Proverbs 18:13 — Do not answer a matter before hearing it.
- Luke 10:26 — What is written? How do you read it?
- Matthew 21:42 — Jesus asks whether people have read the Scriptures.
Teaching movements
Movement 1
Observation Is Not Interpretation — Jesus wept: observation. Why He wept: interpretation. How grief should shape us: application.
Movement 2
Slow Down — Familiarity can make readers rush past what is actually in the text.
Movement 3
Look for Repetition — Repeated words and ideas often reveal emphasis.
Movement 4
Look for Contrast — Wise/foolish, flesh/Spirit, light/darkness, death/life.
Movement 5
Look for Cause and Result — Because, for, therefore, so that, since, then.
Movement 6
Look for Questions — Questions often reveal the issue the text wants us to consider.
Movement 7
Look for Commands — Identify who receives them and what reason supports them before applying them.
Movement 8
Look for the Unexpected — Surprises often expose the theological center.
Movement 9
Mark 2 Case Study — Forgiveness before healing, scribal objection, authority of the Son of Man, validating miracle.
Movement 10
Observe Structure — Break a passage into movements before assigning meaning.
Movement 11
Write Questions Before Answers — Good observations generate strong interpretive questions.
Key terms / word study
- Observation
- Identifying what is present in the text before determining its full meaning.
Christ at the center
Christ-centered interpretation begins with Christ-honoring observation. In Mark 2, the text itself brings us to Jesus’ authority to forgive sins.
Common error to avoid
Do not turn observation into 'What does this remind me of?' Association is not observation.
Reflect
- Why are familiar passages sometimes harder to observe?
- Which textual feature do you most often miss?
- How can observation prevent forced Christocentrism?
Practice
Choose a paragraph and write at least ten observations before writing one interpretation. Then turn them into at least five interpretive questions.
Remember
Do not rush to WHAT DOES IT MEAN? First ask WHAT DOES IT SAY?