Jackson was a newly married young man who had been converted as a teenager and had eagerly participated in his local church ever since. One Saturday evening, as he and his wife were finishing a documentary, he got a call from one of his pastors. “Hi Jackson, this is Matt. How are you, brother?”
“I’m great, Pastor Matt. What’s going on?”
“Well, Lucas was going to read Scripture tomorrow in our meeting, but he has a fever and won’t make it. So I was wondering if you’d be able to take his place. We’re up to Mark 8, which is kind of lengthy, but it seems as if everyone is starting to enjoy hearing a chapter each week, and I think you’d do a good job reading. What do you say?”
As butterflies suddenly appear in Jackson’s stomach, he squeaks out, “Uh, yeah, um, sure.”
“Great! Be sure you get there early and read a little into the microphone to know what it will feel and sound like. And read through Mark 8 a few times before tomorrow, even out loud. If there is a word you don’t know how to pronounce, there are videos online to help with that. Thanks so much, brother. I’ll see you in the morning! Have a great rest of your night.”
“Ok. Uh, see you tomorrow, Matt. Thanks again for the, um, opportunity.”
As Jackson hung up the phone, his wife, Alyssa, noticed he looked pale. “What was that about?”
Jackson explained the call and then said, “Honey, can we pray about this? I’ve been asked to read in Bible studies, but never at the main meeting.”
Jackson and Alyssa prayed together, asking God to calm his nerves and to make his reading clear and compelling. Alyssa even prayed something that Jackson thought was a little audacious: “Lord, make this the most gripping Scripture reading this church has ever experienced. Stun people and change people with your truth!”
After praying, Jackson got his Bible, went down to the basement, read through Mark 8 quietly, and then out loud. He stumbled over the word “Dalmanutha,” unsure how to say it. A quick online search gave him a little more confidence. He read the chapter out loud again, prayed once more, and went to bed.
The next morning, Alyssa asked Jackson if he wanted to practice reading Mark 8 to her. He took her up on the offer. About halfway through, she interrupted, “You’re reading really fast. I think you might want to slow it down a bit.” At first, Jackson was frustrated, but he knew she was right and took her advice.
Quicker than seemed possible, Jackson was standing before the church. He forgot to mark his place in Mark 8 (rookie mistake), so he fumbled around a few seconds (which felt like five minutes) before announcing the chapter, took a deep breath that sounded funny through the sound system (a few children giggled), and rapidly began, “In-those-days-when-a-great-crowd-gathered . . . ” He could hear his wife’s voice internally, “Slow down, Sweetie!” He calmed his pace and kept reading. He was doing so well but then pronounced “Dalmanutha” incorrectly — so much for listening to it online! He pressed on.
As he neared the end of Mark 8, Jackson came to Jesus’ words, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (v. 34). It was at this moment that he sensed something in the room — complete stillness. He felt tears coming to his eyes as he continued, “For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it” (v. 35). He thought he heard some sniffles. Perhaps he was only imagining it, but maybe, just maybe, Alyssa’s unusually bold prayer from last night was being answered.
Once he finished and sat down, Jackson heard little of what came next because he kept reviewing his reading and rebuking himself: “How could you mess up Dalman . . . Dalmu . . . Dalmanutha? Why didn’t I have the passage ready to read? Why am I such an idiot!” But then he prayed quietly, “Lord, thank you for letting me read your word this morning. Please use it.” The tension in his body started to leave.
At this point in the story, you might think I would now create a scene in which several people came up to Jackson after the meeting and talked about how “powerful” and “helpful” his Scripture reading was. But, in my fictional story, that’s not what happened. Of course, Pastor Matt thanked him and told him he did a terrific job. Also, a sweet older lady named Margie gushed over him, but she does that for anyone who does anything in the church.
So what happened? As soon as Jackson and Alyssa were home, Alyssa hugged Jackson tightly and said, “Thank you, Honey, for serving us so faithfully this morning and honoring Christ so well. You made me want to read my Bible more. I love you so much.” That’s all that transpired, as far as Jackson knew.
But across town, the Reinhold family was hosting the Springers for lunch. While eating, Mr. Reinhold commented, “When Jackson was reading Mark 8 this morning, I heard Jesus say to ‘beware of the leaven of the Pharisees,’ and I thought, ‘What exactly is he talking about there?’ What do you all think?” The following 30 minutes were full of lively, fruitful interaction about Mark 8.
On the college campus close to the meeting place of the church, Crystal was back in her dorm room. She could not stop thinking about Christ’s words at the end of Mark 8, “For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels” (v. 38). As Jackson read those words that morning, it was as if Jesus was there, speaking right to her. She had professed faith in Christ since she was nine but never sincerely stood for him. Christ’s words convicted her deeply. A year later, when she was standing in a local lake to be baptized, she told the church that the day of the reading of Mark 8 was when she truly repented and began following Christ.
And what about the children who giggled at “breathy” Jackson that morning? Nothing noticeable happened in their lives that Sunday, or the next, or the next. But they all would conclude later in life, “We grew up in a church that took the Bible seriously.” Some eventually became believers, but if you were to ask them, none remember Jackson’s reading of Mark 8. However, if you could talk to the Lord about it, he would say, “I was there that day. Jackson was reading, but it was my word that those boys and girls heard. I made sure of that.”
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Here is the truth: Jackson’s story could be your story, whether you read the Bible in the church’s main meeting or a Bible study with just a few other people. It does not matter if you are a well-studied fifty-five-year-old pastor or a new believer in college. We have the most powerful words in the history of the world at our disposal. And when we read Scripture to others, our omnipotent God speaks through us, animating the sentences coming out of our mouths so that those listening are helped immensely, if not changed for eternity. This is extraordinary.
There are certainly better or worse ways to read the Bible publicly. But even if we read Scripture poorly, God might do something significant in the lives of those listening. His word is powerful, not the reader. That is no excuse to read badly, but remembering God’s sovereignty is a great relief when we do. The Holy Spirit is always far ahead of us, often doing surprising and life-changing work through even the weakest believer, including those who mispronounce words like “Dalmanutha.”
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*For a short book on the public reading of Scripture — its biblical precedent, benefits, and some highly practical tips to improve — click here: The Most Powerful Words.