Patricia Heaton broke down in tears during her Bible study after spotting what she described as an “Everybody Loves Raymond” moment.
At Wednesday’s kickoff ceremony for America Reads the Bible, a national scripture-reading event and movement, the actress reflected on an experience from her first time reading the Bible all the way through.
In the final chapters of the Book of John, Heaton was struck by its humanity and humor, laughing and then weeping as she read. In that emotional moment, she realized her tears came from her belief that the Bible is true.
Heaton, known for her role in “Everybody Loves Raymond” and “The Middle,” references the final chapter of John, where the risen Jesus Christ meets Peter on the beach and asks him three times, “Do you love me?” giving him the chance to restore his previous denial.
Jesus then tells Peter that he will one day be martyred for his faith. Peter turns to John and asks, “What about him?” Heaton said.
Heaton found the moment humorous, and likened it to a scene from “Everybody Loves Raymond,” which follows the rivalry between brothers Raymond and Robert.
“I couldn’t believe it was in there,” she said while the crowed laughed. “It was like Ray and Robert arguing.”
“If you were writing a fictitious story, you would have Jesus coming in on a flaming unicorn, and you would have had Peter and John just flying off with him,” she said. “But instead, Jesus is walking down the beach, and Peter’s being impulsive, and John’s being vindictive.”
“John could have said, ‘You know what? I’m going to do Peter a favor. I’m not going to write down that he said that,’” she continued as the audience continued to laugh. “But what did John do? It was like this. Uh-huh. The whole world for the rest of eternity is going to know that you said, ‘What about him?’”
Heaton said she believes the exchange shows the disciples as relatable people who make human mistakes. She then jokingly called Peter “an idiot,” even though he was the man Jesus called his rock.
“I thought, I’m an idiot too. But he can use me. He can use all us idiots,” she said. “Because it’s not us that does it, it’s him.”
“I am so thankful for God’s word, because it’s crazy times right now, but we know how it ends. So we stand on that,” Heaton concluded. “God bless you all, and let’s keep reading our Bible and share it.”