READING THE BIBLE GOD MATTERS XS IB CLE 2013-2014

WORKSHEET 5

Reading the Bible as Literature

ON THE PRINCIPLES OF LITERARY INTERPRETATION

GENERAL DIRECTIONS: Use the three principles of literary interpretation to come up with a full reading of a Biblical passage.

SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS: 1. As a group, agree on which text i.e. passage each of the members is going to read. 2. Individually, research about your passage. Make sure that your sources are valid and legitimate. 3. After gathering enough data, discuss among yourselves the passage you have chosen. Agree on the genre of the text. Cite evidences to support your claim (genre). Then articulate the Author Meaning and Text Meaning of the passage. When you do these, make sure that you employ the big ideas of the three principles on literary interpretation. 4. When your group is done, work individually for the Personal Meaning of the text. Elaborate on it i.e. articulate your context so that any reader would clearly understand your reading. 5. Complete the table on the next page. 6. When you are done, upload your worksheet to Scribd, and embed it to your PLW.

BIBLICAL PASSAGES (CHOOSE ONE):

The Potters Vessel

JEREMIAH 18, 1-12

Promises of Redemption & Restoration

ISAIAH 43, 1-11

The Parable of the Rich Fool

LUKE 12, 13-21

The Healing of a Deaf Man

MARK 7, 31-37

The Parable of the Lost Son

LUKE 15, 11-32

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NAME:

Rainean Calubad
LC NO.: DATE:

1
PASSAGE

August 5, 2013

The Potters Vessel (Jeremiah 18: 1-12)

LITERARY GENRE

Fiction. It talked about the Lord telling Jeremiah His capabilities so that Jeremiah could tell the people to change their evil deeds.
AUTHOR MEANING Jeremiah is a prophet who is guided by the Lord thus his prophecies are real. The Lord tasked Jeremiah to make prophecies in order to warn the people. Therefore, the authors meaning to this poem is to tell the people of Israel a prophecy to make them change their evil ways. The prophecy is similar to how a potter is able to manipulate the shape of the pot. Thus, God is able to build and destroy a nation, but he will only destroy a nation if it does evil. Despite Gods warning, the people are stubborn. Thats why in the life of Jeremiah he saw the destruction of Jerusalem and Beth.

TEXT MEANING During that time, the people never listened to the warnings of Jeremiah due to their king. The meaning of the text for them would be a joke. Gods capability to do unto Israel what the potter does is not true, and that the nation is not in Gods hands. The last line says it all, which states: We will continue with our own plans; we will all follow the stubbornness of our evil hearts. In todays context, the text would mean that God is really in charge of everything, that he the world, but gives us free will. However, we been doing a lot of bad deeds, so God would give us the right consequences. We could also see that God is forgiving as evidence in how a nation He will destroy could still be saved if they repent. In the end, unfortunately, a lot of us do not listen to His warnings and are very stubborn. PERSONAL MEANING God is able to shape our lives because everything is in His hands just like how he is able to answer my prayers, and I think that the hardships in my life is a way for God to deliver a message to me. Just like what the passage states about relating God to a potter who shapes the pot in his hands. God constantly warns us through others and events in our life, but often times we are stubborn and ignore his warnings and message about turning away from evil. In the end, it is us then who will suffer the consequences for our actions.

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