“Read the Bible like a child.”
I recently heard someone say this, and it really resonated with me. I was immediately reminded of Yeshua’s words:
“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.” — Luke 18:16
And…
“Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” — Matthew 18:3
Which begs the question: how do we become like children? And what does it mean to “read the Bible like a child?”
Before I get into that, I should probably go ahead and tell you that this post is not going to teach you how to dive into your Strong’s Concordance or Hebrew & Greek Lexicon. First, I majored in English; I don’t speak either of those other two languages I mentioned. Second, I’ve only really been reading the Bible for a few years now. And I haven’t even read the whole thing. Therefore, I’m far from qualified to teach someone else how to do it in the way that we adults are prone to do.
So if you came here expecting to hear practical advice from an academic scholar on how to read your Bible like a Seminary professor or Jewish Rabbi, you’re not going to get much out of this and might as well click away and find something else to read.
On the other hand, if you’re looking for some genuine insight from someone who, perhaps like you, has struggled with the question of “how to read the Bible and actually get something out of it,” then you’ve probably come to the right place…
Let me also say that I love scholarship. I graduated from UNC Charlotte with a Master’s Degree in English Literature, so I’m not here to bash academia. I absolutely love to learn, and am one to question just about everything. In fact, when I became a Christian in high school, I spent a lot of time dissecting Paul’s letters, trying to make sense of the convoluted language. (Reading Paul often feels like running through an endless maze of run-on sentences — a challenge I’ve always welcomed. I remember asking my youth pastor why it often seemed like Paul was contradicting himself — and oddly enough, never really getting a straight answer.) ;-)
This post is not an argument against formal study.
However, I think many of us, having grown up in the Christian church, often tend to get caught up in all the “grown-up” details that we forget to read the Bible for what it actually is: a story about the relationship between humanity and God.
The greatest story ever, in fact. Written by flawed men who were inspired by the perfect Spirit of the One who made them.
A story so simple — and relatable — a child could understand it.
We fail to approach this fascinating piece of literature the way a child approaches a new book (or movie, or TV show) for the first time — excitedly anticipating what happens next and eager to put themselves in the shoes of the characters they admire or identify with most.
When I hear the phrase, “read the Bible like a child,” I can’t help but look to my own children as an example of how to do that.
At home, our kids like to pretend to be the characters they see on TV or read about in their books. I often find them playing “Tumble Leaf” (a show on Amazon Prime) or “PJ Masks” (a show on Netflix), pretending to be Fig and Maple, Catboy and Owelette. Sometimes, they even pretend to be us. They’ll play “Jereme and Selwa” (mommy and daddy), or “doggy and person” — or the classic games we used to play as children: “house” or “school.” Whatever the case, they’re using their imaginations to put themselves into the stories they love.
What greater story has ever existed than the one that depicts the relationship between humanity and our Creator?
What better way to read that story than through the unbiased, unadulterated eyes of an innocent child?
How much more would we see and learn from that story if we dared to take off our “grown-up” lenses and admit that we have a lot in common with its flawed characters?
How much more would we comprehend the amazing grace of our Heavenly Father?
“Read the Bible like a child.”
Like His child.
That’s who we are, after all.
