Lesson 3 of 4
Reading a passage well
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Study objective: Learn a few simple questions that help you understand any passage in its setting.
Reading: Luke 10:25–37Acts 8:26–35
Luke 10:25–37 WEB
25Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” 27He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” 28He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.” 29But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” 30Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ 36Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?” 37He said, “He who showed mercy on him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
Acts 8:26–35 WEB
26Then an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise, and go toward the south to the way that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza. This is a desert.” 27He arose and went; and behold, there was a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was over all her treasure, who had come to Jerusalem to worship. 28He was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah. 29The Spirit said to Philip, “Go near, and join yourself to this chariot.” 30Philip ran to him, and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” 31He said, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” He begged Philip to come up and sit with him. 32Now the passage of the Scripture which he was reading was this, “He was led as a sheep to the slaughter. As a lamb before his shearer is silent, so he doesn’t open his mouth. 33In his humiliation, his judgment was taken away. Who will declare His generation? For his life is taken from the earth.” 34The eunuch answered Philip, “Who is the prophet talking about? About himself, or about someone else?” 35Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from this Scripture, preached to him about Jesus.
Background and context
Chapter and verse numbers are a help for finding places, but they were added long after the books were written: chapters in the thirteenth century and verses in the sixteenth. Read whole paragraphs and stories, not single verses on their own. The Ethiopian official in Acts 8 is reading Isaiah and needs help understanding it; asking questions is part of reading.
Observe
- In Luke 10, a question (“Who is my neighbour?”) prompts a story, and the story ends with Jesus’ own question.
- Notice who is speaking, to whom, and why: the lawyer wants to justify himself (Luke 10:29).
- Philip asks the official, “Do you understand what you are reading?” (Acts 8:30).
- The official answers, “How can I, unless someone explains it to me?” (Acts 8:31).
Words, people and events to notice
- Context
- What surrounds a passage: the verses before and after, who wrote it, to whom, and in what situation. Context guards against making a verse say what it does not.
Understand
- Use four questions on Luke 10:25-37: Who is involved? What happens? Where does it happen? Why is the story told?
- How does the setting (the lawyer’s question) shape the meaning of the parable?
- What helped the official understand Isaiah?
Connect
- Nehemiah 8:8
The law is read and its meaning explained so the people can understand.
- Acts 17:11
The Bereans examined the Scriptures daily to see whether what they heard was true.
Reflect
- Which of the four questions do you usually skip?
- Who could you read with and ask questions?
Key takeaways
Editorial summary, not Scripture.
- Read whole passages, not isolated verses.
- Ask who, what, where and why; then ask what it means for you.
- Asking for help is part of reading well.
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