Bulletin Articles
Jesus and Scripture
How did Jesus read and apply Scripture? We want to follow Jesus’ example, and knowing how He read Scripture is important to the way we read Scripture. Let’s overview a few areas.
Jesus Read Scripture as the Word of God.
Jesus saw Scripture as the written record of God’s revelation and expression of authority as inspired by the Holy Spirit. For example, He attributed what David said as being “in the Spirit” (Matt 22:43). When He was tempted, He responded, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” (Matt. 4:4). “It is written” is used authoritatively. If Scripture teaches it, God teaches it.
Additionally, Jesus put His own words on par with what Scripture said. This is significant in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7: “I say to you…”). He speaks of hearing “My words” and doing them. He taught with authority, not as the scribes (Matt 7:24-29). This shouldn’t surprise us, for Jesus is the Word become flesh (John 1:1). Scripture ought to be accepted as the word of G0d (1 Thess 2:13; Heb 4:12-13). God’s word is eternal, and His word will be there at judgment (John 12:48; Rev 20:11-15). His word does not pass away (Matt 24:35). What Jesus teaches is “spirit and life” with the “words of eternal life” (John 6:63-69). He is the One through whom God speaks (Heb 1:1-3).
Jesus Read Scripture for God’s Intentions
“Have you not read?” is one way that Jesus took hearers back to God’s original intent. For example, when asked about marriage and divorce, Jesus said, “Have you not read…?” He went back to God’s original intentions to make His point (Matt 19:3-6). When a lawyer put Jesus to the test, Jesus asked him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?” (Luke 10:25-26). When questioned by Sadducees about the resurrection, He took them back to Scripture: “have you not read what was spoken to you by God…?” (Matt 22:29-32; see also Matt 21:42-43). What the Lord said and wanted is vital.
In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7), part of His point in referencing what had been written was to go back to what God originally wanted. Murder and adultery, for example, weren’t just prohibited as acts in themselves, but even what led to these acts was prohibited (Matt 5:21-30). This was God’s will.
Jesus Read Scripture Historically
Jesus often appealed to the events of Old Testament Scripture as records of real people, places, and events. For instance, Jesus spoke of Adam and Eve (Matt 19:4-6), Noah (Matt 24:37-39), Abraham (Matt 22:32; John 8:56), Moses (Matt 19:8; John 3:14), David (Matt 12:3-4), Jonah (Matt 12:38-42); Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:25-27), and Lot and his wife (Luke 17:28-29, 32). He referenced what they did or said and drew application from them.
Jesus Read Scripture as Fulfilled in Himself
Jesus saw the Scriptures as being fulfilled in Himself. The promises and prophecies were reliable. “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35). For example, Jesus asked, “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets” (Matt. 26:54, 56; cf. Mark 14:49). “And He said to them, ‘O foolish men and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer these things and to enter into His glory?’” (Luke 24:25-26).
Jesus taught that He did not come to abolish the law and the prophets, but to fulfill them (Matt 5:17). He showed that the Scriptures were meant to point to Him. He would explain “things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:25-27). He said that “all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (vv. 44-47). As He began His public ministry, He claimed that the Scriptures were fulfilled in their hearing (Luke 4:16-21).
Jesus fulfills various promises and events, like the serpent lifted up in the wilderness (John 3:14), the manna (John 6), and the passover (1 Cor 5:7). These, and many more, testify about Jesus (John 5:39). We are certainly to be careful not to make unwarranted connections, but Scripture is filled with proper connections. Jesus read Scripture and connected the dots, and we can do the same.
Jesus Read Scripture for Application
Scripture is meant to be applied. For example, when questioned by the lawyer, Jesus applied Scripture directly, essentially saying, “Go do it” (Luke 10:28, 37). Scripture is to be taught and practiced. It is not merely academic or informative, but is practical. Jesus’ intent was to get people to do what Scripture says. Reading the Scriptures like Jesus means that we are making the connections and drawing out the applications.
If we read Scripture as Jesus did, we, too, will see the authority of God invested within.
