halbhh
The wonder and awe of "all things".
Perhaps it seemed I was suggesting to never do analysis, not to look for historical context, investigate how to translate words, and so on....?
Let me be sure to be clear about those other ways of reading -- they are often rewarding, in my experience. Always a good practice.
What I'm saying earlier is rather that those analytical and background types of study aren't the first (that is, most key) thing to do.
The most key (most needed, most rewarding) thing to do is to first just read for listening, to read the whole passage first, trying to just listen for the main messages being conveyed. By listening (putting aside analysis, debates, etc.).
Let's see an example:
Suppose your study group reads in John 13 and they read through these verses:
33 “My children, I will be with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and just as I told the Jews, so I tell you now: Where I am going, you cannot come.
34 “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
36 Simon Peter asked him, “Lord, where are you going?”
Jesus replied, “Where I am going, you cannot follow now, but you will follow later.”
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So the group reads that. Ok?
So, someone might bring up a discussion about what Christ meant precisely here about how they would 'follow later'. And then that might get involved in various cross referencing, and also perhaps a discussion could happen about being a disciple, and what all the meanings of 'follow' might mean in that time, and so on....
Right?
Ok, now suppose after all the group discussion, many have just forgotten verse 34, and specifically, the wording of verse 34 also....
Would that be ok? Would it be satisfactory?
To avoid that serious loss of not getting the message of verse 34, the reliable way to avoid that mistake and sharp loss is to read first and foremost with a listening attitude, trying to get the main messages.
Before you go off into the analysis stuff.
It's a what-comes-first thing.
Does that help clarify? See, I've done a huge amount of the analysis stuff, and I'm not suggesting to others they should not do what I've done plenty of (analysis), or that I was wasting my time in all the extraneous reading and analysis.
This might help clarify more:
Commonly a typical bible study group does a lot of commentaries and analysis and so on, and people may need help to remember to put first things first, and just read for comprehension. Romans can do that to a group pretty often for example, as from just a dozen verses there will be several topics usually!
I've noticed at times groups I attend get off into side topics (of interest, and valuable), and fail to notice something crucial that is one of the valuable messages in the passage. It happens.
But it's easy to avoid that, by just reading with listening, uncritically (thus without sidetracking your mind on some analysis point).
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