Three weeks ago, I told you about actor Max McLean, and provided a link to a video of his off-Broadway performance of The Gospel of Mark. The production is ninety minutes of McLean doing a dramatic reading of the entire Gospel of Mark, word for word, as it appears in the New International Version of the Bible. A dramatic reciting of any reading will involve some interpretation in how the story is told and how conversations are spoken. McClean does a fantastic job of this. The way he interprets Mark is true to the meaning and respectful of its divine message.
I took my own advice and over the next couple weeks did watch a chapter of two of The Gospel of Mark each day as part of my devotional time. I have been reading and rereading Mark all my adult life; but hearing it read and watching it being performed by such a talented actor, enriched the meaning for me in ways I had not expected. If you haven’t already done so, I again encourage you to try it at:
Max McLean has also done a dramatic reading/performance of the book of Genesis. This time, he does not include every verse, but recites an edited account. I am now in the middle of watching that performance in bits of five to ten minutes a day. Again, it is enriching my understanding and enjoyment of that book of the Bible. You may find that performance here:
For many centuries, most people received the message of God’s Word by hearing it, because most people were illiterate. Even now, unless they take the time to read the Bible on their own, their primary exposure to the Bible is by hearing it read in worship. The Holy Spirit, of course, can work in our hearts by either method. I am primarily a reader, but hearing it read with such expression, has been a great addition to my devotions.
My internet searching has also discovered a couple other dramatic readings that you may be interested in. The great British actor Charles Laughton (1899-1962) did a couple Bible readings on the prime-time, long running, very popular Ed Sullivan Show. I think you would have a hard time finding anything like that today. On February 14, 1960 he read Daniel chapter three, the story of the three men in the fiery furnace:
Several years previous to that reading, on January 1, 1950, Laughton read the story of Noah’s Ark:
On May 1, 1960, Charlton Heston (1923-2008), one of America’s best known actors at that time, did a dramatic retelling of the story of Moses confronting Pharaoh with the message that God is commanding him to “Let my people go.”
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Jeremiah 22:29 (and thirty more times in the Old Testament) — Hear the word of the Lord!
Acts 13:44 — On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord.
Romans 10:17a — Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message…
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O God, help me control my thoughts. They stray from me, setting off in the wildest directions. When I am in church, they run off like naughty children, not sitting still and not paying attention. When I read the Bible, they fly to distant, and sometimes forbidden, places. My thoughts can cross the ocean with a single leap; they can fly from earth to heaven and back again, in a single second. My thoughts can be upon you for a fleeting moment, and then away they go. Chains and locks cannot hold them back; no threats of punishment can restrain them. They swoop hither and thither like swallows in flight.
Dear Jesus, who can see into every heart and read every mind, take hold of my thoughts, bring me back to you and hold me there. Amen.
–Sixth century Celtic prayer
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