Read the following passage and try to ask 30 questions about it. It may be difficult at first, but this skill is one of the most important Bible study skills one can learn. I remember when a Bible college professor asked me to perform this task. I thought I ran out of questions after 5. To finish the assignment, I started asking things like,” What time was it? What kind of shoes did he have on?” When I came to class, the professor performed the same task but came up with 50 questions easily. Oh, did I tell you the text I was assigned was only two verses? This task was quite simple by the end of my Bible college semester.
I recognize this may be a bit of a time-consuming task for a short devotional, but try to engage in it even if it is only 10 questions to start.
The next step in studying a passage is to attempt to answer the questions you have using the context of the chapter before and after your text. Eventually, you can use Bible study tools like concordances or Bible search software to attempt to answer more of your questions. Finally, ask God to guide you into answers to your questions as well.
Here is a practice text to work with:
John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”
John 1:44 Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of Bethsaida. 45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
John 1:46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
“Come and see,” said Philip.
John 1:47 When Jesus saw Nathanael approaching, he said of him, “Here truly is an Israelite in whom there is no deceit.”
John 1:48 “How do you know me?” Nathanael asked.
Jesus answered, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.”
John 1:49 Then Nathanael declared, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the king of Israel.”
John 1:50 Jesus said, “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You will see greater things than that.” 51 He then added, “Very truly I tell you, you will see ‘heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on’ the Son of Man.”
by Aaron Bjorklund
