Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Matthew 4:4
As he taught them, Jesus said, ‘Is it not written in your law...?’ John 10:34
Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said...’ Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43
Do you ever fail to see the obvious? It’s right there in front of your nose, yet somehow you miss it. I think this can happen to all of us, for a variety of reasons. Very likely it’s because we’ve known something so well and for so long that its impact has gone.
Here’s a statement of the obvious for Christians: the Bible, the written word of God, is supremely important.
Why do we need that statement? Well, surveys suggest that most church-going Christians hardly read the Bible at all, apart from when they’re in worship on a Sunday. Otherwise it’s very much hit or miss, when the mood happens to take them, or when there is some special need. Regular, systematic Bible-reading is a rarity.
This is nothing short of scandalous - it suggests that a vital and precious God-given gift is simply not valued at all by many Christians. So I think it’s worth reminding us...
First, Jesus was steeped in the Bible.
Of course, he didn’t have a “Bible” as we have it today. He would have had “the Hebrew scriptures”, part at least of what today we call “the Old Testament”.
But what he had, he knew! - you only have to read the Gospels to see that. Right at the start of his earthly ministry he was tempted by Satan three times; and three times he rebutted Satan’s temptations with the words “It is written...” followed by an appropriate Old Testament text. He knew the scriptures; and he used them.
Are we better than him? Are we in effect saying to God, “Lord, I know that your Son Jesus Christ depended heavily on the scriptures, but personally I don’t think they’re that important for me.” How dare we neglect what mattered so much to him?
Second, Jesus assumed that his fellow-Jews would know their scriptures.
This applied both to his friends and his opponents.
In the Sermon on the Mount, teaching his disciples, he introduced revolutionary new teaching with the words “You have heard that it was said...” followed by an Old Testament quote. He does this no less than five times.
Elsewhere, when debating with his opponents, the scribes and Pharisees, he makes the same assumption. “Is it not written...?” he asks - the clear implication being “You know perfectly well it is!” Mark 11:17, about the desecration of the temple, is a good example.
The point of this is simple: the God Jesus came to make known is a God who has spoken through his word; whatever else he is, he is a speaking God. He hasn’t given us the Bible for fun, as an optional extra for the Christian life. You might even go so far as to say that it is an insult to him to treat it with indifference.
Let’s not shy away from the fact that the Bible isn’t always an easy book. No, there are parts which are difficult to understand (Peter actually says as much about the writings of his friend Paul: 2 Peter 3:15-16). And it isn’t always a comfortable book - there are parts which, if we are to be honest, we might wish weren’t there at all. (I’m thinking here of the genocidal wars God commanded Israel to wage in the Old Testament.) And there are parts which seem irrelevant or just plain boring - family-trees, lists of names, the dimensions of Noah’s ark or the Jerusalem temple.
No, it’s not always easy. But, far more, it also contains treasures which can and do change people’s lives for ever. I was going to suggest a few, but then I realised that they were so many that I wouldn’t know where to start - or to finish. Why not draw up your own list?
So, again, the message is simple...
Read the Bible! It matters!
The ideal is: little and often - a period spent every day focussing seriously on God’s word. Use the helps that come through Bible-reading notes and commentaries.
But from time to time, why not a longer period? How about an hour in an armchair reading right through Acts, or one of the Old Testament prophets, or one of the New Testament letters? Don’t worry about the hard bits; just absorb the feel, the atmosphere, just take in the general sense. Get the Bible into your very blood-stream.
Only when we do this will we be equipped to feed our own souls, teach our fellow-Christians, and confront the unbelieving world.
Time to get our sleeves rolled up?
Lord Jesus, thank you for setting an example of valuing and trusting in your Father’s written word. Help me to follow that example. Amen.
As he taught them, Jesus said, ‘Is it not written in your law...?’ John 10:34
Jesus said, ‘You have heard that it was said...’ Matthew 5:21, 27, 33, 38, 43
Do you ever fail to see the obvious? It’s right there in front of your nose, yet somehow you miss it. I think this can happen to all of us, for a variety of reasons. Very likely it’s because we’ve known something so well and for so long that its impact has gone.
Here’s a statement of the obvious for Christians: the Bible, the written word of God, is supremely important.
Why do we need that statement? Well, surveys suggest that most church-going Christians hardly read the Bible at all, apart from when they’re in worship on a Sunday. Otherwise it’s very much hit or miss, when the mood happens to take them, or when there is some special need. Regular, systematic Bible-reading is a rarity.
This is nothing short of scandalous - it suggests that a vital and precious God-given gift is simply not valued at all by many Christians. So I think it’s worth reminding us...
First, Jesus was steeped in the Bible.
Of course, he didn’t have a “Bible” as we have it today. He would have had “the Hebrew scriptures”, part at least of what today we call “the Old Testament”.
But what he had, he knew! - you only have to read the Gospels to see that. Right at the start of his earthly ministry he was tempted by Satan three times; and three times he rebutted Satan’s temptations with the words “It is written...” followed by an appropriate Old Testament text. He knew the scriptures; and he used them.
Are we better than him? Are we in effect saying to God, “Lord, I know that your Son Jesus Christ depended heavily on the scriptures, but personally I don’t think they’re that important for me.” How dare we neglect what mattered so much to him?
Second, Jesus assumed that his fellow-Jews would know their scriptures.
This applied both to his friends and his opponents.
In the Sermon on the Mount, teaching his disciples, he introduced revolutionary new teaching with the words “You have heard that it was said...” followed by an Old Testament quote. He does this no less than five times.
Elsewhere, when debating with his opponents, the scribes and Pharisees, he makes the same assumption. “Is it not written...?” he asks - the clear implication being “You know perfectly well it is!” Mark 11:17, about the desecration of the temple, is a good example.
The point of this is simple: the God Jesus came to make known is a God who has spoken through his word; whatever else he is, he is a speaking God. He hasn’t given us the Bible for fun, as an optional extra for the Christian life. You might even go so far as to say that it is an insult to him to treat it with indifference.
Let’s not shy away from the fact that the Bible isn’t always an easy book. No, there are parts which are difficult to understand (Peter actually says as much about the writings of his friend Paul: 2 Peter 3:15-16). And it isn’t always a comfortable book - there are parts which, if we are to be honest, we might wish weren’t there at all. (I’m thinking here of the genocidal wars God commanded Israel to wage in the Old Testament.) And there are parts which seem irrelevant or just plain boring - family-trees, lists of names, the dimensions of Noah’s ark or the Jerusalem temple.
No, it’s not always easy. But, far more, it also contains treasures which can and do change people’s lives for ever. I was going to suggest a few, but then I realised that they were so many that I wouldn’t know where to start - or to finish. Why not draw up your own list?
So, again, the message is simple...
Read the Bible! It matters!
The ideal is: little and often - a period spent every day focussing seriously on God’s word. Use the helps that come through Bible-reading notes and commentaries.
But from time to time, why not a longer period? How about an hour in an armchair reading right through Acts, or one of the Old Testament prophets, or one of the New Testament letters? Don’t worry about the hard bits; just absorb the feel, the atmosphere, just take in the general sense. Get the Bible into your very blood-stream.
Only when we do this will we be equipped to feed our own souls, teach our fellow-Christians, and confront the unbelieving world.
Time to get our sleeves rolled up?
Lord Jesus, thank you for setting an example of valuing and trusting in your Father’s written word. Help me to follow that example. Amen.
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