Grace / Life with God
Getting to Know Jesus
The Gospels give you something definite to learn about Jesus: what He said, what He did, and how He treated people.
If you're trusting Jesus with your life, it makes sense to want to know Him better. What did He teach? What mattered to Him? What was He like with somebody who needed help?
The Gospels give us actual things to read about Him. Jesus speaks to people, answers questions, heals the sick, and teaches His disciples. He gets angry about some things and delights in others. He goes to the cross and rises from the dead. We can learn who He is from what He says and does.
Near the end of his Gospel, John tells us why he selected the things he wrote down. He wanted his readers to believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and to have life in His name. Learning about Jesus serves our trust in Him. ()
Read a whole conversation
Pick one Gospel and read it a little at a time. John or Mark would give you plenty to work with, and you don't have to finish it in a weekend.
Read enough to follow an event or conversation. Find out who's there, what's happening, and what somebody is asking Jesus to do. Then read what He says and does in response.
In John 11, for example, Jesus comes to Martha after her brother Lazarus has died. She tells Him that if He'd been there, her brother wouldn't have died. She knows he'll rise again at the last day, but that doesn't feel too good right now. Her grief is part of the conversation. His promise that the person who believes in Him will live even though he dies comes in an actual encounter with somebody who has lost somebody she loves.
If you read the whole story, you see Jesus's concern for those people along with His power over death. Both tell you something about the person you're trusting. His promise has a place in the story, and the story helps you understand it.
Ask those simple questions as you read: Who's speaking? What's happening? Why does the next thing happen? What does this show me about Jesus?
Give the writer time to explain himself
It's easy to grab a sentence and try to make it answer every question we've ever had. But a writer may be explaining one particular thing at that point. The paragraphs around the sentence help us understand what he's saying.
Here's one I see all the time. Paul says, "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus." () People pull that out as a motto for all of life, and that's not wrong. But right there, Paul's talking about the church together: teaching each other, singing, and giving thanks. If we had Paul here, we'd want to ask him whether to use one cup or a bunch of little cups at communion, and whether the music should be traditional or contemporary. His answer is, whatever you do, do it in the name of the Lord Jesus. He didn't give us a Leviticus for the church.
The same patience helps with difficult passages. Sometimes the next paragraph answers the question. Sometimes something earlier in the book explains why the writer brought it up. Sometimes you'll need help from somebody who's studied it.
Write down a question and keep reading. There's no need to force an answer before you've understood the problem, and it's fine to change your mind when you learn something you hadn't seen before.
Learn with other people
Paul tells the Colossians to let the word of Christ live richly among them, teaching and admonishing one another with wisdom. He expects learning to happen among people who belong to Jesus together. ()
There's a place for reading on your own, and there's a place for somebody helping you understand what you're reading. A good teacher can explain a custom, a word, or the situation behind a letter. Another reader can ask a question you hadn't thought to ask.
Look for somebody who takes both the Bible and your questions seriously. You should be able to ask why he thinks a passage means what he says it means, and follow the explanation.
You don't need to pretend you understand something to keep up with everybody else. Learning goes a lot better when we're able to admit what we don't know.
You won't run out of things to learn. Folks in my adult Bible class find out real fast that the Bible is ten miles wide and a hundred miles deep. But the average Christian in history lived and died without ever laying a hand on a copy of it, and they still knew to trust Jesus and love each other.
Use a routine that helps you
A regular time to read can be a good thing. So can listening while you drive or reading a passage with a friend. The useful question is whether it's helping you pay attention and understand.
If you miss a day, pick it up again. God hasn't made your place in His family depend on keeping a reading streak. You get to enjoy learning about Him because you already belong to Him.
Over time, you become more familiar with what Jesus said and did. You begin to recognize His goodness in the stories. You understand more of the life He's given you and the things He's teaching His people to do.
There's plenty to learn, and you've got good reason to want to learn it. Jesus loved you and gave Himself for you. He's worth getting to know.
— tobe