Study of the Watchtower, Let's get the juice out of reading the Bible, Week of April 10 to 16, 2023, Comments and Practical Answers.

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

“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?

The fact that Jesus quoted texts from memory shows that for Jesus the scriptures were very important, proof of this are his first recorded words after his baptism, as well as some of the last words he said before he died. And what can we say when he established his ministry here on earth, when Jesus preached he also used the scriptures, quoted biblical texts and explained through the Bible the teachings of his father. 

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

Like every servant of Jehovah who grows in the truth, Jesus was helped to know the scriptures well while growing up, to have the habit of reading the word of God and not only that, but also to listen to others when they read it and spoke about it. And as the paragraph mentions, the result was that he not only came to know or have knowledge of everything he heard or was told, but he came to love them and most important of all, he allowed this knowledge to have a profound effect on him. .

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?

Just like Jesus, we too can come to know and love the scriptures, and we will do that if we read it frequently. That is why in this article we are going to see what Jesus said to those who knew the law very well, such as the scribes, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Because Jesus highlighted several things that they should have done to get the most out of the scriptures. Which will help us in three aspects: better understand what we read, discover more spiritual treasures and let the word of God influence us even more.

WE UNDERSTAND WHAT WE READ

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

This interesting account teaches us something very important about our reading of the Bible. That it is extremely important to understand what we are reading, because it is the only way to get the most out of our reading. Because if we don't understand what we read, what happened to an expert man of the law quoted in Luke 10:25-29, who had many Bible texts in his head, is likely to happen to us. But by asking Jesus about who really was his neighbor, he showed that he did not really understand what he had read and since he had not understood, consequently 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?

Sometimes because we live in a very busy world, sometimes it might happen that we are in the habit of praying and reading in a hurry. But, we should not be alarmed if it is our case. Because if we make an effort to read at a pace that allows us to assimilate the information, it will help us get into the story. And that way the information will be recorded not only in our minds, but in our hearts.

And in the paragraph he gives us some suggestions on how we can get to read slowly. For example, we could pray to Jehovah and ask him to guide us through his Holy Spirit to help us concentrate, then when we start reading try not to do it on the run, it can also help us to read aloud or play the recording of the Bible while we read.

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

The advantages of asking questions is that they will help us focus on the main ideas, and when it comes to making brief notes or putting something in writing, it will help us, or it will force us to order the ideas in a great way. . If we do, this will help us better understand what we are reading and record it in our minds and we will feel that Jehovah is speaking to us in a personal way.

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).

The essential quality we need when reading the Bible is discernment. This quality will allow us to relate ideas to each other and find the difference between one idea and another. This quality also implies seeing beyond what is evident or palpable. And we need it in our reading, because it will help us see that certain events fulfill Biblical prophecies. In addition, as the paragraph mentions, this quality is essential to get the most out of our reading of the Bible. 

8. What can we do to read with discernment?

What we can do to read with discernment is to slowly analyze what we read and pay attention to how it relates to what we already know, which is why the paragraph mentions that we have many aids to achieve it. For example: Biblical Publications and the study guide for Jehovah's Witnesses, if we consult, we will be able to perceive the meaning of the Biblical stories and thus we will be able to see how we can put into practice what we are learning. 

LET'S DISCOVER SPIRITUAL TREASURES

9. What fundamental truth did the Sadducees overlook?

The Sadducees overlooked very fundamental truths that were in the first five books of the Hebrew scriptures, by the way they were and are God-inspired books, which means they are very important. An example is found in the Gospel of Mark 12:18-26, because there it mentions that some Sadducees tried to trap Jesus with the subject of the resurrection. However, the answer in the form of a question that Jesus asked them shows that they had overlooked a Biblical teaching, and we are not talking about any Biblical teaching, but about a very important teaching, which implies the lives of many servants of God, both past and present.

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

When we read the Bible, sometimes we might come to think that some Biblical text has no value, because it is not a prophecy or it does not have an important fulfillment that directly benefits us. But as the paragraph mentions, we must be very aware of "Everything" that a verse or a story can teach us. We should not stay on the surface, if we should not be interested in discovering the deep truths and principles that are not in plain sight, that is why we must investigate or deeply undermine the hidden thoughts of God in the pages of the Bible.

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

The text of 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that we have just read gives us the answer. First, it mentions that the Bible is useful for teaching, to achieve this, we must analyze what we read to see precisely what it teaches us about Jehovah, his purpose or his principles.

Secondly, the text says that it is useful to censor, which means that we must look for anything that helps to identify, which leads to rejecting our bad tendencies and attitudes, and that will help us to continue being faithful to Jehovah.

The third way in which we can search for spiritual treasures in the Bible is what the same text mentions, related to the expression that it is useful to rectify, or so to speak, to correct a wrong point of view. For example, it may be something that we have been told in preaching.

Finally, the text mentions that the Bible is useful for education, but what should we do for a story to educate us? As the paragraph mentions, we must look for everything that helps us think like Jehovah. By keeping these four helpful insights in the paragraph in mind, we will come to discover more spiritual treasures. And that way we 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?

Jesus knew that the Pharisees read the word of God with a bad attitude. And that made it clear when he asked them: If they had not read what the scriptures said, Jesus was clear that these men read the word of God, but since they did so with a bad attitude, it did not influence them. And the reason was that they were proud, and the purpose for which they read the scriptures was to criticize others, that is why that bad attitude prevented them from understanding the true meaning of God's message.

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

Having analyzed the words of Jesus in the previous paragraph, they teach us that we must read the Bible, but with a correct attitude. Being humble will allow us to let ourselves be taught by Jehovah. Because only in this way will we allow what it teaches us about mercy, compassion and love to reach deep into each one of us.

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

We can know if we look at how we see and treat others. For example, we could ask ourselves: Do we have the habit of talking about the good qualities of others? Or do we focus on their defects? Are we always ready to forgive? Or are we critical and resentful? The answers to these questions will reflect whether we are letting the Bible influence our thoughts, feelings and what we do.

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?

Psalm 40:8, Through this prophecy, helps us understand how much Jesus would value doing the will of God, since the Psalmist wrote Under divine and prophetic inspiration that for Jesus, it would be a pleasure to do the will of God, since his law would be in the depths of his being, then we can see that appreciating the sacred scriptures helped him to be happy and to continue serving Jehovah. Jesus' example encourages us to strive to read God's word and love it. The more we love his word, the more desire we will have to do his will.

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.”)

Personally, to get the most out of the scriptures, I plan to deepen my reading looking for spiritual treasures in its pages and even in little-known stories and as mentioned, we must do it with the right attitude, that is, with humility.

 RESPONSE BASED ON THE BOX: Jesus' words help us understand what we read.

And the box encourages us to strive to understand what we read and cultivate discernment to know where to put the information into practice. It also encourages us to carefully analyze the Bible accounts and let God's word influence us and how we treat others. 

HE REMEMBERS?

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

What will help us to understand the Bible better is to pray before starting to read, since we have to keep in mind that without Jehovah's help we will not be able to understand the Bible, and one way to receive his help is by asking for his Holy Spirit so that Help us focus. Later, when we start reading, let's not do it on the run, but as mentioned in the paragraph that we read earlier, we must do it at a pace that allows us to assimilate the information.

And another suggestion that we can mention is that 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?

To discover spiritual treasures we must be very aware of everything that a single verse or a story can teach us, since we must not stay on the surface, we must do it, if we want to discover the deep truths and principles that are hidden in the Bible. For example, if we want to find a treasure, we have to dig deep to get it. Similarly, if we want to find spiritual pearls, we have to read deeply to obtain Jehovah's wisdom.

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

For the word of God to influence us, we must be humble and pay attention to how we see and treat others. An example that can help us understand what it means to do the aforementioned is to ask ourselves some questions: Do we have the habit of talk about the good qualities of others? o Do we focus on their flaws? Are we always willing to forgive or are we critical and resentful? The answers to these questions will help us see if we are letting the word of God influence us.