By Harold Shank
Few disciplines lie closer to the core of our faith than reading the Bible. But exactly how do we read such a book? More significantly, how do we help others absorb Scripture? Let me suggest a portable, easily memorized, simple means of Bible study:
When deciding to undertake a serious reading of Scripture, or when faced with helping novices navigate the text, suggest that they take up the Gospel of Mark with three goals in mind. Read about four chapters per day (covering the whole book in less than a week) with this assignment.
When a question comes up in reading that cannot be readily answered, then place a question mark next to that verse. On a piece of paper, write down the question. Putting it in print keeps the nature of the uncertainly in your mind.
As the text unfolds in Mark, readers will experience certain insights or “ahas.” As they read they will say, “Oh, now I understand” or “That’s where that idea comes from.” Instruct the reader to mark those with an “*” or a star.
In reading, most people will see verses that strike them deeply. It might be a sentence that convicts them of sin, or creates faith, or dictates a change in behavior. Their response might be, “That applies to me.” Mark that verse with an “A” for “applies to me.”
Whenever I encounter a person who reads the Bible for the first time, I assign them the Gospel of Mark and give them this easy to remember Bible study method: ? * A. As we part, we set a time for us to get together to go over what they discovered. Inevitably, they come excited with their list of questions, with “ahas” from reading the story of Jesus and with passages that challenge their lives.
As they explain what they have found, they usually ask me the answer to their questions. Typically I respond with this line: “What do you think?” Generally they have some response, often the correct answer to the question (unless the inquiry parallels basic information materials such as, “What is a Pharisee?”). Sometimes they raise a question that even scholars find difficult to answer. When they ask that question, I often say, “I don’t know.”
What does all this accomplish? Four things:
One, novices learn to study the Bible for themselves. They do not have to depend on me or somebody else, but they encounter the text on their own. I’ve not given them a tract or a book written by some devoted Christian, but I have directed them to Scripture itself. They begin what could be a life-long journey with God’s book.
Two, they learn to read with a spiritual purpose in mind. The questions demand answers. The “*” marks significant passages. The “A” indicator directs them to life change. This simple method brings substantial rewards.
Three, this technique is completely portable. No need for computer software. No promise of “I’ll get you that material.” No wait. No dependence on others.
Four, using this simple assignment, anybody can become a Bible teacher. The person who has read Mark once can invite a person who has never read Mark before to engage in elementary study. The Bible itself becomes the authority.
After using this simple method for many years, I find that in the resulting discussions a time comes to add one more dimension to the procedure. After they have read Mark, answered their questions, cited their insights, noted the demands of the text on their lives, I pose this question, “So what do you think of Jesus Christ?” Inevitably, that question leads to a discussion of salvation and ultimately to a rejoicing in heaven.
All from ? * A. Try it.