Jesus Would Study the Bible
By Jeff Himmel
Do you own a Bible? If so, what do you do with it – not just the book itself, but its message? What would Jesus do?
The Bible of Jesus’ day was what we call the Old Testament. These Hebrew Scriptures include the Law of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), the history of ancient Israel (Joshua through Esther), inspired books of wisdom and poetry (Job through Song of Solomon), and the writings of God’s prophets (Isaiah through Malachi). How did Jesus treat the message of Scripture? If we approach the Bible the same way He did, we can be confident that we’re on sure footing.
When tempted by Satan, challenged by His enemies, or questioned by truth-seekers, Jesus’ response came from the word of God (see Matthew 4:1-10; 22:23-46). He truly believed the passage that He quoted in response to the Devil: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
Many people insist that we can’t understand the Bible, much less understand it alike. What would Jesus say? He often responded to spiritual questions by asking, “Have you not read…?” or “What is written…?” (For examples, see Matthew 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31; Luke 10:26.) He believed that people could understand the Scriptures, and that they must. Jesus never dismissed religious differences as the harmless result of “differing interpretations.” He did say that some people were “mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures” (Matthew 22:29) and that others were “slow of heart to believe” what was written (Luke 24:25). And He tried to correct people’s misunderstandings about God’s word. In Matthew 5, for example, Jesus dealt with several subjects by contrasting what the people had been taught by their leaders (“You have heard that it was said…”) with what God actually required of them (“But I say to you…”). Jesus expected people to base their beliefs and actions on a correct understanding of what God had revealed in His word.
Jesus emphasized that all of God’s revealed message was important. He acknowledged that some commandments were “weightier” (Matthew 23:23), i.e., more basic and fundamental. But in the same breath He said that even the details should not be neglected (“these you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone”). He warned against breaking even the “least” of God’s commands (Matthew 5:19).
Speaking of details, Jesus did not hesitate to discuss the specifics of God’s law. Some of His arguments with the Jewish leadership hinged on a particular word or phrase in a passage of Scripture (consider John 10:34-36; Mark 12:26-27; Matthew 22:41-46). To Jesus, every word of God was important.
Jesus drew important lessons from Bible history, too. He treated the historical accounts of Scripture as real events, not myths or fables. (A lot of modern believers give those historical accounts far less credit than Jesus did.) And Jesus cited historical events to prove spiritual principles (see Matthew 11:23-24; 12:41). He believed that inspired history has much to teach about God’s dealings with man.
Jesus also taught that there were certain inescapable conclusions that must be drawn from what the Scriptures said. For instance, He showed that God’s statements about marriage at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:27 and 2:24) necessarily implied that it is a permanent relationship; thus divorce is sinful (Mark 10:2-12). He taught that the command to honor one’s parents (Exodus 20:12) necessarily implied caring for them in old age (Mark 7:10-13). Jesus expected people to examine Scripture, understand it, and draw the right conclusions.
The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind – a priceless gift. Yet it is often neglected even by those who claim to believe it. Many people have sincere religious convictions, but couldn’t begin to show from the Scriptures why they hold those convictions. Many claim to know Jesus, but know next to nothing of the Scriptures that testify of Him. Let’s follow Jesus’ example of respect for God’s written revelation.
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
By Jeff Himmel
Do you own a Bible? If so, what do you do with it – not just the book itself, but its message? What would Jesus do?
The Bible of Jesus’ day was what we call the Old Testament. These Hebrew Scriptures include the Law of Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy), the history of ancient Israel (Joshua through Esther), inspired books of wisdom and poetry (Job through Song of Solomon), and the writings of God’s prophets (Isaiah through Malachi). How did Jesus treat the message of Scripture? If we approach the Bible the same way He did, we can be confident that we’re on sure footing.
When tempted by Satan, challenged by His enemies, or questioned by truth-seekers, Jesus’ response came from the word of God (see Matthew 4:1-10; 22:23-46). He truly believed the passage that He quoted in response to the Devil: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4; cf. Deuteronomy 8:3).
Many people insist that we can’t understand the Bible, much less understand it alike. What would Jesus say? He often responded to spiritual questions by asking, “Have you not read…?” or “What is written…?” (For examples, see Matthew 12:3,5; 19:4; 22:31; Luke 10:26.) He believed that people could understand the Scriptures, and that they must. Jesus never dismissed religious differences as the harmless result of “differing interpretations.” He did say that some people were “mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures” (Matthew 22:29) and that others were “slow of heart to believe” what was written (Luke 24:25). And He tried to correct people’s misunderstandings about God’s word. In Matthew 5, for example, Jesus dealt with several subjects by contrasting what the people had been taught by their leaders (“You have heard that it was said…”) with what God actually required of them (“But I say to you…”). Jesus expected people to base their beliefs and actions on a correct understanding of what God had revealed in His word.
Jesus emphasized that all of God’s revealed message was important. He acknowledged that some commandments were “weightier” (Matthew 23:23), i.e., more basic and fundamental. But in the same breath He said that even the details should not be neglected (“these you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone”). He warned against breaking even the “least” of God’s commands (Matthew 5:19).
Speaking of details, Jesus did not hesitate to discuss the specifics of God’s law. Some of His arguments with the Jewish leadership hinged on a particular word or phrase in a passage of Scripture (consider John 10:34-36; Mark 12:26-27; Matthew 22:41-46). To Jesus, every word of God was important.
Jesus drew important lessons from Bible history, too. He treated the historical accounts of Scripture as real events, not myths or fables. (A lot of modern believers give those historical accounts far less credit than Jesus did.) And Jesus cited historical events to prove spiritual principles (see Matthew 11:23-24; 12:41). He believed that inspired history has much to teach about God’s dealings with man.
Jesus also taught that there were certain inescapable conclusions that must be drawn from what the Scriptures said. For instance, He showed that God’s statements about marriage at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:27 and 2:24) necessarily implied that it is a permanent relationship; thus divorce is sinful (Mark 10:2-12). He taught that the command to honor one’s parents (Exodus 20:12) necessarily implied caring for them in old age (Mark 7:10-13). Jesus expected people to examine Scripture, understand it, and draw the right conclusions.
The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind – a priceless gift. Yet it is often neglected even by those who claim to believe it. Many people have sincere religious convictions, but couldn’t begin to show from the Scriptures why they hold those convictions. Many claim to know Jesus, but know next to nothing of the Scriptures that testify of Him. Let’s follow Jesus’ example of respect for God’s written revelation.
“Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment