Lesson 11 Explore 3: How Can the Bible Help Me?—Enjoy Bible Reading | Young People Ask
YOUNG PEOPLE ASK How Can the Bible Help Me?—Part 2: Make Bible Reading Enjoyable
“The Bible can seem boring,” says a teenager named Will, “if you don’t know the right way to read it.”
Would you like to discover the secrets of how to enjoy Bible reading? This article will help you.
Make the Scriptures live
Get involved in what you read. You could use this approach:
1. Select a Bible account that you would like to study. You could pick a Bible event or a passage from a Gospel, or you could choose an account from the collection of dramatic Bible readings available on jw.org.
2. Read the account. You could read it by yourself, or you could read it aloud with friends or family members. One person could read the narration while others take on character parts.
3. Try one or more of the following suggestions: Draw pictures to illustrate the account. Or draw a storyboard—a series of simple pictures that illustrate a sequence of events. Use captions to describe what is happening in each scene. Draw diagrams. For example, as you read about a faithful character, connect that person’s qualities and actions with the blessings he or she received. Turn the account into a news story. Report the event from several perspectives, and include “interviews” with the main characters and eyewitnesses. If one of the characters in the account made an unwise decision, imagine a different ending. For example, consider Peter’s denial of Jesus.
(Mark 14.66-72: Now while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. On seeing Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said: “You too were with the Nazarene, this Jesus.” But he denied it, saying: “Neither do I know him nor do I understand what you are talking about,” and he went outside to the entryway. There the servant girl saw him and again began to say to those standing by: “This is one of them.” Again he was denying it. And after a little while, those standing by again began saying to Peter: “Certainly you are one of them, for you are, in fact, a Galilean.” But he started to curse and swear: “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter recalled what Jesus had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and began to weep.)
How could Peter have responded better to the pressure? If you are feeling especially creative, take on the challenge of writing your own drama based on a Bible account. Include lessons that can be learned from the account.
(Romans 15.4: For all the things that were written beforehand were written for our instruction, so that through our endurance and through the comfort from the Scriptures we might have hope.)
CAPTION: You can make the Bible come to life!
Investigate!
If you analyze details, you can uncover hidden gems in an account. In fact, sometimes just a word or two in a Bible account is significant.
For example, compare with
(Matthew 28.7: Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he was raised up from the dead, for look! he is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there. Look! I have told you.”)
(Mark 16.7: But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you.’”)
• Why did Mark include the detail that Jesus would soon appear to the disciples “and Peter”?
• Clue: Mark was not an eyewitness of these events; evidently, he got his information from Peter.
• The hidden gem: Why must Peter have felt reassured to hear that Jesus wanted to see him again?
(Mark 14.66-72: Now while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the servant girls of the high priest came. On seeing Peter warming himself, she looked straight at him and said: “You too were with the Nazarene, this Jesus.” But he denied it, saying: “Neither do I know him nor do I understand what you are talking about,” and he went outside to the entryway. There the servant girl saw him and again began to say to those standing by: “This is one of them.” Again he was denying it. And after a little while, those standing by again began saying to Peter: “Certainly you are one of them, for you are, in fact, a Galilean.” But he started to curse and swear: “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” Immediately a rooster crowed a second time, and Peter recalled what Jesus had said to him: “Before a rooster crows twice, you will disown me three times.” And he broke down and began to weep.)
How did Jesus prove himself a real friend to Peter? How can you imitate Jesus and be a real friend to others?
When you make the Scriptures live and investigate the details, Bible reading becomes much more enjoyable!
What your peers say
“Sometimes I’ll take one chapter and examine it until I understand it. When I do that, it seems that I always discover something that I hadn’t seen before or wasn’t fully aware of. It comes as a pleasant surprise every time.”—Bonnie.
“I studied the book of Ruth and used Watchtower Library to do extra research to help get the full meaning of the book. I highly recommend using this electronic tool. It helped me realize just how enjoyable Bible reading can be.”—Timothy.
“It’s fun to have group Bible readings, where each person takes a character, reading the account like a script. I also enjoy the dramatic Bible readings on jw.org. They really make Bible events come to life!”—Isabel.
[End of article.]