Step 2 in my Bible study method involves finding the Big Idea.
The Big Idea is a one-sentence summary of what the paragraph we’re studying is about. This is a big reason why finding the paragraph and knowing your reasons for dividing the paragraph where you did is important. If you don’t have a complete paragraph or have two paragraphs incorrectly identified as one, then finding the Big Idea will be more difficult.
[As an aside, the Big Idea concept comes from Dr. Haddon Robinson and his book Biblical Preaching. Haddon was my teacher and mentor in my Doctor of Ministry studies at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
Haddon's book tells you to find the Big Idea by asking two questions: (1) What is this passage talking about? and (2) What is it saying about what it is talking about? After teaching the method that way for years, I found that a lot of people were struggling and I myself struggled with these two questions for years. So, recently I changed the two questions. To find the Big Idea of any paragraph of scripture, ask these two questions: (1) What is the implied question answered in this paragraph? and (2) How does the paragraph answer that question?
I will explain these questions in detail when we get to that section of our study. For now, do the best that you can and know that practicing this, even if you don't exactly "get it," will help you understand better when I explain it. To quote Tony Horton, "Just do your best and forget the rest."]
So, here it goes: The paragraph we’re studying this week is the one we established yesterday: Mark 1:1-11
. What’s the Big Idea?
What is the implied question in this paragraph?
How did the gospel of Jesus Christ begin (Mark 1:1)?
How does Mark 1:1-11 answer that implied question?
It began with John, a messenger of God whose ministry both prepared the people of Israel for Jesus (Mark 1:2-8) and identified Jesus publicly as the Messiah (Mark 1:9-11).
To put this into a one sentence Big Idea, then, we simply put the question and answer above together. Thus, the Big Idea of Mark 1:1-11 is, “The gospel of Jesus began with John, a messenger of God whose ministry both prepared the people of Israel for Jesus and identified Jesus publicly as the Messiah.”
[This post is one of a series of Monday-Friday posts detailing the results of my own personal Bible study following the method and steps I'm teaching in a class here at Calvary Bible Church. For more information about the class, see this post right here.]
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