Exegesis Paper
You will complete an exegesis of a passage from the New Testament (employing methods of 
interpretation and perspectives, such as literary and historical context, literary form, and structure). 
Exegesis means to expound upon a text, to unpack a text of its many meanings. Elements of various 
types of criticism will be employed to further develop your ability to interpret the Bible. The paper should 
be 2000-3000 words in length and follow MLA style. 
Select one of the following passages as the basis for your exegesis: (available online search the same with google you will get the reading)

 Matthew 6:9-13 
 Matthew 17:1-13 
 Luke 9:18-36 
 Luke 11:2-4 

Follow the outline below and answer the questions in each section using recommended sources. Keep 
the outline headings below as the subheadings of your exegesis. 

1. Literary Criticism 
a. Context: What follows and precedes your passage? Are your pages affected by this context? 
b. Form criticism: What is the literary form of your passage? Are there other places in the Bible 
(or related text) where this form is used and which help to interpret this passage? 
c. Structure: Do you detect any particular structural pattern (e.g., parallelism within your 
assigned book of the Bible)? Describe the parts of your passage. 
d. Redaction criticism: Has your passage come through an editorial process? What changes 
have been made? Explain why certain changes have been made. 
e. Key words: What are the theologically important words in the passage? Do these words 
evoke any other parts of the Bible? Are these words used in a new way by the author of this 
passage? What do these words mean? 

2. Theological Analysis 
a. What does this passage say about the relationship with God? 
b. What questions might this passage have addressed in the community for which it was 
originally written?

Use the checklist below to ensure that you are following the format properly:

1. Are all ideas documented (including page numbers)?

2. Are all quotations documented (including page numbers)?

4

3. Is there a works cited page?

4. Do the notes and bibliography include sources recommended by the syllabus?

5. Does the format include the headings from the syllabus?

6. Does each sentence make sense?

7. Does the “form” section clearly name a literary form?

8. Does the redaction section contrast the assigned passage with Mark’s version (except for infancy narrative and Lord’s Prayer)?

9. Does the key word section include more than one key word?

10. Does the key word section refer to Old Testament material?