How could you expect to understand a story or a scientific text-book if you read one chapter here and another there?
Dr. A. T. Pierson says: Let the introduction cover five P’s; place where written; person by whom written; people to whom written; purpose for which written; period at which written.
Here it is well to grasp the leading points in the chapters. The method is illustrated by the following plan by which I tried to interest the students at Mt. Hermon school and the Northfield Seminary. It provides a way of committing Scripture to memory, so that one can call up a passage to meet the demand whenever it arises. I said to the students one morning at worship: “To-morrow morning when I come I will not read a portion of Scripture, but we will take the first chapter of the Gospel of John and you shall tell me from memory what you find in that chapter and each learn the verse in it that is most precious to you.” We went through the Whole book that way and committed a verse or two to memory-out of each one.
I will give the main headings we found in the chapters.
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, BY CHAPTERS.
Chapter 1. The call of the first five disciples.
It was about four o’clock in the afternoon that John stood and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God.” Two of John’s disciples then followed Jesus, and one of them, Andrew, went out and brought his brother Simon. Then Jesus found Philip, as he was starting for Galilee, and Philip found Nathaniel, the skeptical man. When he got sight of Christ his skeptical ideas were all gone. Commit to memory verses 11 and 12: “He came unto his own and his own received him not, but as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name.” Key word, Receiving.
Chapter 2. “Whatsoever He saith unto you, do it.” We had a good time in this chapter on Obedience, which is the key word.
Chapter 3. This is a chapter on Regeneration. It took us more than one day to get through this one. This gives you a respectable sinner, and how Jesus dealt with him. Commit verse 16: “God so loved the world, that He gave His Only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Key word, Believing.
Chapter 4. A disreputable sinner, and how Jesus dealt with her. If we had been dealing with her, we would have told her what Jesus told Nicodemus, but He took her on her own ground. She came for a water-pot of water, and, thank God, she got a whole well full. Key word, Worshipping. Memorize verse 24: “God is a Spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”