I read the Bible in depth for the first time when I was about 13. I’d dabbled in it in earlier years but my child’s brain couldn’t get around half of it and it was an old Douay Rheims “thee, thus, thou” translation - which doesn’t exactly make for light reading!
The first book I read in depth was the Gospel of Matthew, simply because it was the first in order of the Bible. I then proceeded onto John, as I was intrigued by the prologue. On reflection, I would advise first-time readers to begin with the Gospel of John. Its the most spiritual of the Gospels and despite the length of its dialogues, surprisingly easy to read and very nourishing for the mind and soul. I was in awe of the picture of Jesus that emerged from my prayerful reading of that Gospel. The Jesus of Matthew was a teacher of sublime morals, a mighty storyteller, a fulfiller of prophecy, a peacemaker, and yet a creater of division when it came to putting one’s priorities and needs in the right place (God and his Kingdom before all other earthly/material attachments). The Sermon on the Mount is perhaps the greatest single compedium of how to live life to the full ever written. If you lived by the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount alone, I think you would die happy and fulfilled - its like a crystallization in short of how to live a holy life. However the Jesus in John just blew me away, as a first time reader. Its definetly better to read first, even than Matthew. The message of God’s love for the world, of light and darkness, of the peace and joy which faith in Christ would bring…I could go on. I then read Luke, and was blown away by the social message - the focus on the poor, women, the outcasts of society, the weak. The Jesus of Luke was so compassionate and empathetic that it would often move me too tears. The passage in which the sinful woman barged in when Jesus was talking to a Pharisee, and the Pharisee’s cold indifference towards her matched with Jesus sympathy, still grips me. The Parables unique to Luke are particularly engaging for this strong social message - the Good Samaritan, demonstrating how our love must extend to all irrespective of racial, ethnic or religious divides. The Prodigal Son, showing how no sinners are beyond the love and forgiveness of God. I would read Mark last, which is the shortest Gospel but also the hardest to read, and yet in many ways the most rewarding for its fast-paced, continual “action”. Mark’s Jesus is active, always doing something, always helping people, always saving mankind, never resting. And Mark treats Jesus’ dealings with people in a more earthy and detailed fashion than the other Gospels, despite its short length.
For the Old Testament, I would probably begin with Isaiah. Its equally stunning as John in many respects, and its message of hope triumphing over despair justs blows me away. I can never forget the first time I read Isaiah’s prophecy on the coming of the Messiah, “for a child has been born for us, a son given to us” - of the abolition of hatred and war and evil among men with the birth of a child who would be “Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Might God” and the passage of the Suffering Servant, easily the most moving poetic piece ever written in human history.
After this I would read the Song of Songs. Its a book of longing, of passionate holy love, of desire both earthly (for the opposite sex in the sacrament of marriage) and heavenly (for the true Beloved, God himself). St John of the Cross died with the words of the Song of Songs on his lips, so I have heard. Its a joyous, uplifting read.
Ecclesiastes is the same. I find it so applicable to the modern world, and the constant striving of people to change their empty lives and find permanence and security in an impermanent, ever-changing, unfair world through attachment to material things, which ultimately ends in misery because the only thing that doesn’t change is God, everything else - money, beauty, power, youth, possessions - will eventually fade. Its a book about living in the present moment, of not getting stuck in the grief of past experiences or hungering after an unattainable, unknowable future - of leavng the past behind us and leaving the future to the mercy of God. Its been immensely helpful to me in my (as yet) relatively short life.
I also adore the Letters of John, for the same reasons as I love the Gospel - the message of peace, joy and love. And the letters of St Paul - where to begin? They are incredible. I particularly love 1 Corinthians - the 13th chapter on love “If I have not love” - is just so powerful and exhilirating to read. And Ephesians is spectacular from start to finish. Galatians, I would read first after Corinthians. Its famous verse, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (NIV) - has been called "the Magna Carta of humanity. Its the greatest statement of spiritual equality and unity in the eyes of God ever written. Its shows us how to see all as equals and brothers and sisters made in the Image of God regardless of their gender, race, nationality or social class.
I could go on, I love all of scripture but I have no time left so that will do! Hope I didn’t ramble too much!
