The “Reading The Mail” Method
Approach the New Testament epistles
as if they had just arrived in your mailbox.
By Damon Hall
When a letter arrives at your home, what do you do with it? Do you open it, read a couple of sentences, and then discuss the possible meanings with the family? Do you pull your dictionary off the shelf and study the individual words, noting the verbs and pronouns? Do you pull other letters from your drawer and compare the greetings? Of course not!
When a letter arrives, you read it. You open it; you read the first word, then the second, then the third. You don’t stop until every paragraph, every sentence, and every word has been devoured. You take it all in, enjoying it in its entirety. And if friends or family members happen to be somewhere nearby, you’ll even let them in on it by reading the letter out loud.
Now consider this: The New Testament is primarily a collection of letters: personal words written by one person to another (or others). In fact, 21 of the 27 New Testament books are officially designated as letters, or epistles. The word epistle comes from the Greek word epistolé meaning a “written message or letter.”
So what might happen if we read these New Testament letters like we read any letter? Last year, our Bible study group decided to find out.
Each week for several weeks, we took a different letter and read it in its entirety—every paragraph, every sentence, every word. There were no breaks or pauses for discussion. We simply read from beginning to end. By doing this, we experienced several things.
Seeing the Big Picture
Sometimes in our in-depth Bible studies, we can get bogged down in the details. Certainly word studies, outlines, and careful analysis have their place. However, we must be careful not to dig so deeply that we lose sight of the landscape. Can you imagine visiting the Grand Canyon and only examining individual rocks, never looking up to view the vista? Yet don’t we often do that with New Testament letters?
For example, in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we may be so focused on terms such as predestined, mystery, and saints that we forget to look up. To read Ephesians in its entirety is to be captivated by Paul’s overarching vision of our incomparable Savior in all things: heaven, the church, my relationships, my conduct, my prayer life, etc. To see the magnificent panorama of Christ’s supremacy is to come away from God’s Word empowered by wonderment rather than engrossed in wondering. Reading a New Testament epistle in one sitting helps us catch a glimpse of the big picture.
Connecting with the Writer’s Emotions
Several years ago as a part of a retreat assignment, we were asked to read through the entire book of Deuteronomy, out loud, without any breaks. Halfway through the reading, tears started forming in my eyes. There was something about hearing the words out loud that brought me into contact with the passion of Moses. Reading the New Testament letters this way can have the same effect.
For example, when we read Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians one evening, we were all struck by his deep love for the people to whom he wrote. We all walked away with a little more love for the body of Christ that evening.
On the other hand, his letter to the Galatians displayed a grievous disappointment over a church that had strayed from the true gospel. Paul did not tolerate messing with the message. When some Galatians preached a different gospel, it jarred him to the bones. As we read that letter, I can honestly say that I felt Paul’s pain.
Hearing the Words of Scripture in a Fresh Way
When we began to read these books out loud, it was almost as if we were hearing them for the first time. Part of this had to do with the particular translations we read. But it was also because hearing Scripture out loud is a different experience from reading silently to ourselves.
Through our daily quiet times, we have become accustomed to hearing the words of Scripture in our heads. It has become an internal process with an internal voice. But when God’s Word is verbalized, we hear it a different voice, a voice that is no longer inside and quiet, but audible and resonant. It has tone, rhythm, accent, and pitch. Just a different inflection can break us out of the way we routinely “hear” Scripture when we’re reading on our own.
Our group used different translations than we normally read, which helped bring the letters to life in a new way. The majority of our Bible study members regularly read the NIV. But for our group readings, we tried others, such as God’s Word, the Contemporary English Version, the New Living Translation, and The Message. Reading translations we were less familiar with forced us to hear the same truths in different words and blew a fresh breeze into our studies.
Getting Started
Pass out pens and paper to all participants, or encourage them to bring their own journals or notebooks. This is so they can make a brief note when something stands out to them during the reading. Encourage your group members not to take extensive notes because they may miss important points while writing. Instruct them to jot down just enough to jog their memories during the discussion time.
Have someone give a brief introduction to the book you’re about to read. (You’ll want to ask the person a few days ahead of time to allow time to prepare.) It doesn’t need to be very extensive, but enough to give an overview of the context in which the letter was written. A good introduction should include basic information about the author, the recipients, and the historical setting. Most study Bibles provide this information in their introductions to each book.
Have a designated reader. Select one person to read the entire book. This creates continuity and eliminates the distractions caused by shifting between multiple readers. He or she should have a good, strong voice and be able to read with feeling. Your group probably has two or three people who fit this criteria. Let the reader know at least a week ahead of time what book she will be reading. This will give her opportunity to read it through a couple of times.
Read the entire book without a break. Breaks defeat the purpose of this kind of study. Reading the whole letter without stopping is critical to develop an overview of the tone and main points of each letter. For longer books, your reader may want to have a drink close by to keep his mouth from getting too dry as he reads. Those listening should not follow along in their own Bibles, because this may cause them to tune out or be distracted by comparing their translation with the one being read. The whole point is to hear the letter, not to read along with the reader.
Discuss what you have just heard. We have found there is only one question we have needed to ask: “As you listened, what stood out to you?” As different people in the group answer that question, you’ll find that the discussion moves along naturally, taking the group into some wonderful areas.
