Doing an Inductive Bible Study

Inductive Bible Study

       I.            Observation

    II.            Analysis (Interpretation)

 III.            Application

Observation (If I were there, what would I see/hear?)

Ø  What does the passage really say?

Analysis (Ask, why is this here/why did this happen this way/ Meditate on the passage.)

Ø  Cultural context

Ø  Word meanings

Ø  How would those to whom the passage was written think it meant?

Ø  What does it mean to us today (in general)?

Application (Therefore)

Ø  How does this apply to me as an individual?

Ø  What is God saying to me through this passage?

Ø  What is new to me?

Ø  What requires a change in my thinking?

Ø  Where do I go from here?

Example

John 5:1-15

I.                   Observation

a.       This was feast time. What do you hear and smell? What is the atmosphere? There would be many people around Jerusalem.

      The pool was near the Sheep Gate where sheep were taken to the Temple for sacrifice. According to an ancient tradition, Bethesda is also where Jesus’ maternal grandparents, Anne and Joachim, lived — and where his mother Mary was born. http://www.seetheholyland.net/pools-of-bethesda/

b.      A great number of disabled people used to lie at the pool. How would you picture the invalid?

c.       The pool had five porches.

d.      The purpose of the pool was to collect rainwater for Temple use.

e.       The angel stirring the waters was a superstition.

f.       The man there was an invalid for 38 years.

g.      When Jesus asked him if he wanted to get well the man did not say yes.

h.      Jesus told the man to carry his mat on the Sabbath.

i.        Immediately, the Jews questioned why the man was carrying his mat.

j.        The man did not know his healer until later.

k.      Jesus saw the man at the Temple and said, “You are well, stop sinning or worse may happen to you.

l.        The only place in Scripture this story you will find this story is in the Gospel of John.

m.    It does not mention if there was more than one person there.

n.      The Pool of Bethesda may have originally been a mikvah, or ritual-bathing place.

o.      This is not the only time Jesus healed at a pool. The Pool of Siloam is where He healed the blind man.

p.      Jesus did not touch the man or ask him to enter the water. He commanded the man.

II.                Analysis

a.       The Gospel of John was written to inspire faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God.

b.      Bethesda means house of mercy.

c.       At that time, there were no sacrifices happening at the Temple, so the Romans probably controlled the Pool as a healing shrine.

d.      The Pool of Bethesda may have been a healing center (shrine) for the Greco-Roman god of healing, Asclepius. We encounter Asclepius as related to the Hippocratic Oath, which our medical professionals take.

e.       Jesus brought about a confrontation with the pagan healing belief system. He also healed here without the man even touching the water. Who does the healing here, an angel who only comes occasionally, or Jesus who can heal anytime, anywhere?

f.       Jesus had to purpose to go to the Pool of Bethesda, since it was outside the city walls and was about 100 yards from the Sheep Gate.

g.      “Do you want to get well?” seems to be an obvious question. If you were an invalid for 38 years, would you not want to get well? There are times in our lives when Jesus asks us if we want to get well (physically, mentally, or spiritually) and instead of jumping up and saying, “Yes, what do I have to do?”We do just as the man did and say, “Other people always beat me to the healing. I am doing the best I can, but it does not help.” We may say, “No, I think I can handle the situation, it has not gotten any better in 38 years, and therefore, it must be God’s will for me. The man thought that the stirring of the waters was his only hope when at that point Jesus was his only hope.

h.      Jesus told the man to do 3 things:

                                                              i.      Get up

                                                            ii.      Pick up your mat

                                                          iii.      Walk

1.      If you are an invalid, you generally cannot walk.

2.      Invalids are usually too weak to carry things.

3.      Years of not walking on muscles would essentially be impossible due to atrophy.

i.        Jesus asked the man to do three things that the man normally would find impossible to do, yet the man did them.

j.        There were very strict rules about working on the Sabbath, and carrying your mat was working. The Jewish leaders were more concerned about a rule being broken than with the fact the man received healing.

k.      Jesus several times “worked” on the Sabbath. Usually He worked as a healer and in this case, He told the man to “work” by carrying his mat. Perhaps Jesus was trying to show that the Sabbath rules as found in the Talmud were more restrictive than the original intention in the Law of Moses (Gen.-Deut.). The Pharisees were following the letter of the Law rather than ascribing to the spirit of the Law. (See Mark 7:6-13)

l.        When questioned, the man told the Jews that he was told to carry his mat. At that point, as they intensely questioned him, the man could have started to doubt whether or not his healing was from God. The Jewish leaders were powerful people and considered the teachers of the people. Whom should the man believe? Should he believe the man who healed him, (he at that time did not even know who it was), or the Jewish leaders whose authority was recognized throughout Judaism? Would not it be easier to trust someone you know over a perfect stranger? The one thing he did know was that he received healing; however, there may have been some questions in his mind for when Jesus found him at the Temple, He stated another obvious fact. “You are well again”, removing any of the questions the man may have had for the man did not seem afraid to encounter the Jews again and to declare the name of his healer.

m.    Why did Jesus tell the man to stop sinning or something worse might happen?

                                                              i.      Had sin caused his original illness? Probably not, since in other cases Jesus said, “Your sins are forgiven”. In this case, He did not.

                                                            ii.      Sin would take him out from under God’s protective umbrella.

                                                          iii.      Was the man thinking about what he could do now? Perhaps the things he missed for the last 38 years and some of the things might have included sin. (See Gal. 5:13)

n.      There was no mention of any other people in the Pool area as clamoring for healing from Jesus after they saw the man healed. Jesus slipped away almost as quickly as He came, otherwise, the man would have had time to discover His name. Obviously, Jesus had not healed anyone else in the pool area before the man; otherwise, the man would not have said what he did. It almost looked as if Jesus went to the Pool to heal one man, then left.

o.      Now that he received healing, what changes will the man see?

III.             Application

a.       We often only see one way in which we feel God can solve our problem (the stirring of the waters), when God actually has another plan in view (Jesus)

b.      Do we desire health enough to go with God’s alternate plan?

c.       God is the one to go to for healing and relying on superstitions gets you nowhere.

d.      We must be willing to do what we perceive is impossible to effect healing. (Get up, pick up your mat and walk)

e.       The choice is ours. Jesus did not force the man to receive healing.

f.       Sometimes our fellow Christians will attempt to shake our faith in the fact we have received healing, but we need to realize who healed us, and that He has the ability and power to do it.

g.      When you realize you have received healing, also realize that does not mean you will never be sick again. Sin opens a door for illness and problems (whatever kind, spiritual, physical, emotional_.

h.      Jesus is interested in you as an individual.

      How badly do we want healing?

i.        Do we operate a certain way because the Bible tells us we should or because of love and compassion for those involved?

j.        Do we intensely question those who are trying to follow God’s direction not because it is not God’s direction, but because it does not fit into our scheme of things?

k.      Because God chooses to operate in a different manner then we are used to does that:

                                                              i.      Make it any less God doing it

                                                            ii.      Shake up our preconceived notions

l.        Are we sometimes more concerned with the technicalities than with the fact that the man received healing after 38 years?

m.    Would we have rejoiced with the man for his healing or condemned the man for carrying his mat?

n.      How does this healing at the Pool affect me?

o.      Responsibility comes with healing. If I allow God to heal me, am I willing to now get a job, go to college, and change my clothes? Which is easier, being healed or being well? Why is that? If I receive healing, I no longer expect to rely on others for my every need.

p.      How do people today try to be healed spiritually outside of Jesus?

q.      Have you ever had someone challenge your healing, whether it is spiritual, physical or mental? How did you feel and how did you respond?

r.        It is more difficult, to receive a challenge by the church than by someone outside the church. Do you agree?

s.       Think about how the rules of the Sabbath fit here.

t.        How can I allow this to change me?

u.      Where do I go from here?

What might you add?

It is a good idea to keep a journal of your studies and dating the entries makes them act as a diary of God working in your life.