“You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

Jesus is making another important claim that the Scriptures point to Him being the Messiah, yet people who were diligent Bible scholars miss Him.  That was true when the wisemen came to Herod to ask about the one born King of the Jews.  Herod went immediately to the scribes; those versed in knowing the prophesies. They knew and identified Bethlehem as the place the Messiah was to be born, but the scribes and rabbis did not go looking for their newborn King.  The Bible scholars were more interested in studying their theology and exegesis and parsing of verbs and dissecting prophesies than finding the Christ.  

When Jesus rose from the grave, the account reads, that He was on the road to Emmaus and He was walking with two others who were talking about the events of the day. Jesus opened the Scriptures concerning Himself.  The Old Testament points to the coming Jesus the first time as well as His coming again.  Prophecy upon prophecy points to the Messiah, the chances of coincidence are impossible.  The only rational explanation is, Jesus is the Messiah sent from God and the Bible reveals the truth of who He is.  

The Bible witnesses to the realities of Jesus, if people want to know, but the Bible does not give life.  The Scriptures lead to the Life-giver.  They reveal the true Christ and this fact is the key to all difficulties about the Bible and inspiration. As one pastor put it, “Does the knowledge of the Bible give us a big head or a burning heart?”  It is a tool to Jesus, and it is truth.  It is the witness of who Jesus is.   As one pastor put it, “Does the knowledge of the Bible give us a big head or a burning heart?”  It is a tool to Jesus, and it is truth.  It is the witness of who Jesus is.  

It is hard to understand, that since God has given to us this written revelation in the Bible and people’s lives have been changed by Christ and they witness to the fact of who He is, why people are so easily misled? It is because they do not know the Scriptures.   

When I was at Michigan State University, I frankly thought agnostics and social activists would give compelling truths as to why they rejected the authority of the Bible. To my surprise, those who chose to discuss it showed a remarkable ignorance of the Bible. They would take phrases and ideas and weave them into an argument that just didn’t hold up.    

The reason so many people are led into false religions is the way people misuse the Bible. When they are taught the Scriptures, they take verses out of context, change meanings of words, or take obscure passages that “prophets of today” claim to have “the insight”  interpretation from God.           

The Lord gave us the revelation of the Scriptures to study and apply to our lives and show us more fully the revelation of Jesus. Notice some of the things that Jesus says about His hearers.  “You were willing to enjoy John for a little while, but you have not seen God nor heard him.  You do not have his word abiding in your heart.  You do not believe.  You will not come to me.  You have not God’s love in you.”           

Application:   If you want truth, go to the Bible. Within it you will see Jesus. Ask Him for the faith to believe and obey. Submit to Him your will and follow. 

Prayer:  Father God, I thank you for Your Word, for the Prophecy that declares Your truth and the salvation that You have provided in Your Son, Jesus Christ from cover to cover.   Thank You that we have this, your Holy Word, at our fingertips.   

 

  

Dale