Recently, for several Wednesday evenings, our church family watched a dramatization of the gospel of Matthew. What a tremendous difference it made to hear the words of Scripture spoken with dramatic emphasis. For some reason, when we read the Bible, we get this weird, church-y robot voice. Mostly I think it's because we don't want to mess up. (And then there are those names…)
Let me encourage you – Read with inflection and dramatic pacing.
Don't overdo it, but the next time you study, especially if you're studying a passage with dialogue, relax and read it as if you were reading a bedtime story.
Slow down and consider the inflection of the speaker. What facial expressions or body language might he or she have used? Were there pauses? Did the speaker fumble for words?
Let me give you an example I'm studying this week. In Mark 3, Jesus enters the synagogue and is met by a man with a withered hand. The scribes and Pharisees were watching His every move, looking for a reason to bring Mosaic law charges against Him as a Sabbath-breaker. Verses 4-6 read:
Then He said to them, “Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they kept silent.
And when He had looked around at them with anger, being grieved by the hardness of their hearts, He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and his hand was restored as whole as the other.
Then the Pharisees went out and immediately plotted with the Herodians against Him, how they might destroy Him.
How did Jesus say these words? Where were the pauses for emphasis? Can you picture Jesus looking at them individually as He speaks, or sweeping a hand toward the man in need of healing? I can picture Jesus' lips pressed together tightly with a subtle shake of His head before He turned and said, "Stretch out your hand." If He hadn't been the holy, righteous, sinless Son of God, He might have been thinking, 'bunch of self-righteous jerks'. Or maybe that was just me 🙂
Take your time as your read and study. Soak in the drama and the passion.