If you haven’t noticed by now studying the Bible requires time, sacrifice, and hard work. No treasure hunter would leave his home without expecting to sacrifice sufficient time in order to find his prize. When you come to the Word of God, it will require sacrifice and time to faithfully search and mine the gems that lie beneath the surface.
Don’t misunderstand! God is not hiding anything from you. He wants you to discover the truth for your life, but He wants you to take Him and His Word seriously. He wants your number one goal above everything else to search Him out. It will reveal your love and dedication to Him.
That is why you need these 6 questions in your mind when you come to read the Bible: Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?
Let’s look at the fifth question: WHY?
Why is this passage or story included in the book? Why is it placed in its particular location? Why was so much/little space devoted to this particular event or teaching? Why does the person say that? Why does the person not say anything? Isn’t it interesting that often Jesus will answer people’s questions with more questions?
In Mark 11:27-33, the chief priests and scribes approach Jesus ad ask Him to explain the source of His authority. Instead of Jesus telling them the answer, He responds with a question of His own. Why does Jesus do this? What is Mark trying to tell us about Jesus and these chief priests?
Luke is the only gospel that records the powerful message of the prodigal son. Why does Luke only record it? Recently we finished the book of Acts on Sunday mornings, why does Luke leave us with Paul still in prison? Why did Luke not tell us what happens to him?
The why questions are endless, but they cause you to dig deeper into the text to discover its meaning and provide fresh insights into the Word of God.
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