READING THROUGH THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
Photo by Ethan Sykes on Unsplash
Why Engage It?
Reading through a biblical book while focusing on the spiritual truths such as how God is revealed, how humanity is portrayed, or how we fit within God’s kingdom proves beneficial for gaining greater awareness of God’s work in this world. Many will read through a letter of Paul in a single sitting in order to better understand what Paul is teaching. These letters take from 20 minutes to an hour to read. Reading the Gospel of John in a single sitting requires a commitment of 2 – 3 hours.
The benefit of such a reading lies in recognizing connections between episodes since elements of the story are sitting in recent memory. If you read one or two chapters per day those episodes can be one or two weeks apart in the memory. After you begin to see connections within the Gospel of John through the repetition of words and ideas you are better able to identify for yourself and explain to others the emphases within the Gospel.
How to Practice It
Schedule a three-hour time frame in a place where you can have no non-emergency interruptions. Many find the weekend to be best for this type of free time. If possible, find a copy of the Gospel that does not include the chapter or verse references. This will allow the ebb and flow of the story to guide your reading more naturally and easily. Keep a pad of paper or a journal beside you, along with a pen or pencil, so you can jot down any thoughts that will come to mind.
These may include distracting “to-do’s,” as well as ideas for study at a later time, or things you want to look up. By continuing to write these down when they come to mind, you can maintain your focus on your reading. Feel free to underline any words or phrases as you read that you want to look at later.