Study From The Watchtower, Week of April 10 to 16, 2023, Let's get the juice out of reading the Bible, Underlined Answers.

Watchtower Study, April 10-16, 2023, Let's Get the Most Out of Bible Reading, Underlined Answers.

Yellow: Direct Answer.

Dark Yellow: Additional Answer.

Light Blue: Additional Points.

“What is written in the Law? What do you read in it? (Luke 10:26).

1. What evidence do we have that the Scriptures were important to Jesus?

HAVE we thought about what it must have been like to hear Jesus teach? He was in the habit of quoting from the Holy Scriptures, and always from memory. Proof of this are the first recorded words of his after his baptism, as well as some of the last he spoke before he died (Deut. 8:3; Ps. 31:5; Luke 4:4; 23:46).   And, during the three and a half years of his ministry, Jesus often read from the Scriptures, quoted from them, and explained them (Matt. 5:17, 18, 21, 22, 27, 28; Luke 4: 16-20).

2. What helped Jesus to know the Scriptures well while growing up? (See cover drawing.)

2 Even before Jesus began his ministry, he was in the habit of reading God's Word and listening to others read and discuss it. Surely in his house he heard Mary and Joseph quoting from the Scriptures when they talked as a family (Deut. 6: 6, 7). We are sure that Jesus went to the synagogue every Saturday with his family and that he paid close attention to reading the Scriptures (Luke 4:16). And he in time he began to read them himself. The result was that he not only came to know what they said, but he came to love them and allow them to have an effect on him.An example of this was what happened in the temple when he was just 12 years old. The teachers, who knew the Law of Moses very well, were “astonished to see his understanding of the matters and the answers he gave” (Luke 2:46, 47, 52).

ILLUSTRATION

Series of images: 1. Jesus as a child listens to his parents. 2. Jesus is already a teenager and is with his family in the synagogue. Everyone listens attentively to the reading of the Scriptures. 3. Jesus is now a grown man and is reading a scroll of Scripture. During his lifetime, Jesus demonstrated that he loved the Scriptures and allowed them to influence his actions. (See paragraph 2).

3. What will we see in this article?

3 We, too, can come to know and love God's Word if we read it often. But what can we do to get the most out of our Bible reading? To find out, we'll look at what Jesus said to those who knew the Law very well, such as the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees. Although these religious leaders were in the habit of reading the scriptures, they were unable to take advantage of them. Jesus highlighted three things they should have done to achieve that goal. Jesus' words will help us 1) better understand what we read, 2) discover more spiritual treasures, and 3) let God's Word influence us even more.

WE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE READ

4. What does Luke 10:25-29 teach us about our reading of the Bible?

4 We want to understand what we read in the Bible because if we don't, we won't be able to get the most out of it. Let's think about the conversation that Jesus had with “a man expert in the Law” (read Luke 10:25-29). The man wanted to know what he had to do to obtain eternal life, and to answer him, Jesus made him think about the Word of God. He said to him: “What is written in the Law? What do you read in it? The man gave the correct answer. Quoting from Scripture, he said that one must love God and one's neighbor (Lev. 19:18; Deut. 6:5). But then he asked: "And who really is my neighbor?" With these words he showed that he did not really understand what he had read. And as a consequence he did not know how to put it into practice correctly.

We can all learn to better understand what we read

5. Why does praying and reading slowly help us to better understand the message of the Bible?

5 Having good reading habits helps us better understand God's Word. There are several things we can do. First, we have to pray before we start reading. We cannot understand the Bible without Jehovah's help, so we ask him for holy spirit to help us focus. Then let's start reading, but not in a hurry, but at a pace that allows us to assimilate the information. It can also help us to read aloud or play the recording of the Bible while we read it. This will help us get into the story, and thus the information will be recorded in our minds and hearts (Jos. 1:8) . When we finish reading, let's pray to Jehovah again to thank him for his Word and ask him to help us apply what we read.

6. What are the benefits of asking questions and taking brief notes while reading the Bible? (See also pictures).

6 What else will help us better understand what we read in the Bible? Ask us questions about the story. For example, who are the main characters? Who is speaking? Who is being addressed and why? Where and when is everything happening? These questions will help us think and focus on the main ideas. We can also take short notes. Putting something in writing forces us to order our ideas. And that helps us to better understand what we have read and to record it in our minds. What could we target? The questions we asked ourselves, what we investigated, the main points, how we can use what we read, or just how the story made us feel.If we do this exercise when reading the Bible, we will feel that Jehovah is speaking to us personally.

ILLUSTRATION

Picture series: 1. A sister writes a note to put in her Bible. 2. A brother studies an article on her tablet. He highlights some words and creates his notes. 3. A sister reads the Bible in the JW Library app. She highlights some words and creates her notes. Why do short notes help us better understand what we read and remember it? (See paragraph 6).

7. What quality do we need when reading the Bible, and why? (Matthew 24:15).

7 Jesus mentioned an essential quality for understanding the Bible: discernment (read Matthew 24:15). What is discernment? It is the ability to see how ideas are related to each other and the difference between them. It also involves seeing beyond what is obvious. And, just as Jesus said, discernment will help us see that certain events fulfill Bible prophecies. In addition, this quality is essential to get the most out of everything we read in the Bible.

8. What can we do to read with discernment?

8 Jehovah is the one who gives discernment to his servants. That is why we must pray to him and ask him to help us develop this quality (Prov. 2:6). But we must do more than just pray. We must slowly analyze what we read and see how it relates to what we already know. There are many Bible publications that will help us do this, such as the Jehovah's Witness Study Guide. If we consult them, we will be able to perceive the meaning of the Biblical stories and we will see how to put into practice what we learn (Heb. 5:14). If we read the Scriptures with discernment, we will understand them better and better.

LET'S DISCOVER SPIRITUAL TREASURES

9. What fundamental truth did the Sadducees overlook?

9 Although the Sadducees knew the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures very well, they overlooked fundamental truths found in those God-inspired books. Think, for example, of what Jesus said to the Sadducees when they tried to trap him on the subject of the resurrection. He asked them: “Did you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, that God said to him: 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'?” (Mark 12:18, 26). Surely the Sadducees had read the account many times, but Jesus' question showed that they had missed a very important biblical teaching: the resurrection (Mark 12:27; Luke 20:38).

10. What should we be aware of when we read the Bible?

10 What do we learn from that conversation? That, when we read the Bible, we must be very aware of everything that a verse or a story can teach us. We do not stay on the surface; we want to discover the deep truths and principles that are hidden in the pages of the Bible.

11. According to 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, how can we search for spiritual treasures in the Bible?

11 How can we find those treasures that are in the Bible? Let's discuss 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (read it). There he says that "all Scripture [...] is useful" for four things: teaching, censoring, rectifying things and educating. Even books of the Bible that are not mentioned so much are useful for all this. Let's analyze what we read to see what it teaches us about Jehovah , his purpose or his principles. For a story to be useful for censorship, what should we look for in it? Anything that helps identify and reject our bad tendencies and attitudes and helps us to remain faithful to Jehovah. Let's think about how the passage can rectify or correct a wrong point of view,maybe something they told us in the preaching. And what should we do for a story to educate us? Find everything that helps us think like Jehovah. If we keep these four useful ideas in mind, we will discover more spiritual treasures that will enrich our reading of the Bible.

MAY THE READING OF THE BIBLE INFLUENCE US

12. Why did Jesus ask the Pharisees if they had not read what the Scriptures said?

12 The Pharisees read the Word of God with a bad attitude. Jesus made that clear when he asked them if they had not read what the Scriptures said (Matt. 12:1-7).  On that occasion, the Pharisees accused Jesus' disciples of violating the Sabbath law. To answer them, Jesus mentioned two examples from the Scriptures and quoted from a verse in Hosea. Thus he showed that the Pharisees did not understand the purpose of that law and that they had acted without compassion. These men read the Word of God, but it did not influence them. Because? Because they were proud and read it only to criticize others. Their bad attitude prevented them from understanding the true meaning of what they read (Matt. 23:23; John 5:39, 40).

13. What attitude should we have when we read the Bible, and why?

13 The words of Jesus teach us that we must read the Bible with the right attitude. Let's not copy the Pharisees. Rather, let us be humble and let Jehovah teach us. As James 1:21 says, “gently accept that the word . . . take root in you.” If we are mild, we will let God's Word take root in our hearts. When we read the Bible, we should not be proud or think about the faults of others. Only then will we allow what it teaches us about mercy, compassion and love to sink deep into us.

14. How can we know if we are letting the Bible influence us? (See also pictures).

14 The way we treat others shows whether we are letting the Bible influence us. Since the Pharisees had their hearts closed to the message of God's Word, they condemned those who were not guilty (Matt. 12:7). So let's look at how we see and treat others. For example, are we in the habit of talking about the good qualities of others, or do we focus on their flaws? Are we always ready to forgive, or are we critical and spiteful? Our answers will reveal whether we are letting the Bible influence what we think, feel, and do (1 Tim. 4:12, 15; Heb. 4:12).

ILLUSTRATION

How can we know if we are letting the Word of God influence us? (See paragraph 14).

READING THE BIBLE MAKES US HAPPY

15. How did Jesus feel about the Holy Scriptures?

15 Jesus loved the Holy Scriptures. In fact, Psalm 40:8 predicted how much he would value them: “To do your will, oh my God, it is my pleasure, and your law is in the depths of my being.” Appreciating them so much helped him to be happy and to continue serving Jehovah. We will achieve the same result if we strive to read God's Word and love it (Ps. 1:1-3).

16. What do you plan to do to get the most out of reading the Bible? (See the box “The Words of Jesus Help Us Understand What We Read.”)

16 The words and example of Jesus motivate us to improve our habits of reading and studying the Bible. To better understand what we read, let us pray to Jehovah, read slowly, ask questions, and take brief notes. To read with discernment, let's calmly analyze the story and consult our publications. To better understand the Scriptures, let's look for spiritual treasures in its pages, even in the lesser-known stories. And, in order to let the Word of God influence us, let us always read it with the right attitude. If we do all this, we will get the most out of our Bible reading and get closer to Jehovah (Ps. 119:17, 18; James 4:8).

The words of Jesus help us understand what we read

Let's strive to understand what we read and cultivate discernment to know how to put the information into practice (Matt. 24:15; Luke 10:25-37).

Let's carefully analyze the Bible stories to discover spiritual treasures (Mark 12:18-27).

Let the Word of God influence us and how we treat others (Matt. 12:1-8).

HE REMEMBERS?

What will help you better understand what you read in the Bible?

First, we have to pray before we start reading. We cannot understand the Bible without Jehovah's help, so we ask him for holy spirit to help us focus. Then let's start reading, but not in a hurry, but at a pace that allows us to assimilate the information. It can also help us to read aloud or play the recording of the Bible while we read it. 

What can you do to discover spiritual treasures?

We must be very aware of everything that a verse or a story can teach us. We do not stay on the surface; we want to discover the deep truths and principles that are hidden in the pages of the Bible.

What can you do to be influenced by God's Word?

Let's look at how we see and treat others. For example, are we in the habit of talking about the good qualities of others, or do we focus on their flaws? Are we always ready to forgive, or are we critical and spiteful?