Where to start reading the Bible: a beginner’s guide

01

Start with an encounter

You do not have to begin on the first page and read straight through. If you want to get to know Jesus, start with one of the Gospels. Mark offers a relatively short account, moving through encounters, questions, journeys, and conversations.

Try Mark 1. Give the chapter your attention without expecting every detail to make sense immediately. Notice who appears, what they do, and how the scene changes. One honest question is a useful result.

02

Read a passage, then look around it

A single verse can be memorable, but its neighbours matter. When a sentence draws your attention, read what comes before and after. Who is speaking? To whom? What prompted these words? A promise, a poem, a story, and a letter ask to be read with attention to their different forms.

Keep a small note of what you understand and what you want to return to. You do not need to resolve every question before moving on. Let the passage remain larger than your first impression of it.

03

Choose a next step you can repeat

Finish with a small decision: the next chapter tomorrow, or one of the seven readings in Meeting Jesus. A manageable next step makes returning easier. If you miss a day, begin again from your saved place.

There is no need to measure a meaningful reading by how much you finish. You might remember one scene, carry one question, or find a reason to pray. Give that response a little space before reaching for the next thing.

04

Try one scene, not the whole story

For a first reading, take Mark 1:16–20. List the people and the actions before writing an interpretation. Where does Jesus meet them? What are they doing? What changes after his invitation? These small observations give you a reliable place to begin.

Read the scene a second time and separate two kinds of question. A question about the text might concern the meaning of following Jesus in this scene. A personal question might concern something you find difficult to leave behind. Both deserve attention, but they are not interchangeable. You can bring the second question to prayer while continuing to investigate the first.

When you are ready, the guide to Mark gives you an outline of the whole book. Use it to see where this opening encounter sits in the larger narrative.

05

Choose a starting point by the question you bring

If you want to follow Jesus’ life and encounters, begin with a Gospel and keep reading in its order. If you are looking for language for prayer, choose a short psalm and read the whole poem. If you want to understand how the library fits together, begin with a book guide before opening its first chapter.

These choices serve different purposes. You do not have to find a single starting point that solves all three. Choose the question that matters today, and keep another approach available for later.

06

Make the first session concrete

Open Mark 1 and read one complete scene. Describe who is there, what happens, and what changes. Then write one sentence beginning “I want to understand…” with a detail from the passage.

Before leaving, decide where your next reading begins. A clear reference is more useful than a vague intention to read more. If you later change direction, keep the question you wrote; it can help you recognise a connection when you meet it elsewhere.

Questions along the way