Jesus loved the scriptures. When he was being tempted by the devil he turned to the
Scriptures repeatedly to answer the temptation. In the very midst of that temptation Jesus quoted from
Deuteronomy 8.3: “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that
proceeds out of the mouth of God.”
Jesus saw the Scriptures as the word which proceeds from the mouth of
God. When Jesus began his ministry
he again turned to the Scriptures to define his calling and describe his
ministry. He quoted from Isaiah
61.1-2 and declared that its fulfillment was to be found in him (Luke
4.14-21). In his on-going
arguments with religious leaders Jesus repeatedly pointed to the Scriptures as
his authority. He declared that
“the Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10.35) and when his opponents refused to
see the truth he could simply declare, “Is this not the reason you are
mistaken, that you do not understand the Scriptures or the power of God?” (Mark
12.24). When asked about which
commandment is the greatest Jesus, again, pointed to the Scriptures (Mark
12.29-31 quoting Deuteronomy 6.4-5 and Leviticus 19.18).
Jesus understood the ancient Scriptures to be not merely the
words of men but also the word of God.
Notice how he refers to Psalm 110.1:
David
himself said in the Holy Spirit, “The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right
hand, until I put your enemies beneath your feet.”
Jesus recognizes that the words of David are spoken “in the
Holy Spirit”—there is both a human element and a divine element. And the human and divine do not cancel
each other out. At other times
Jesus could simply quote the Scriptures and say “God said…” (Matthew 15.5) thus
showing his view of the Scriptures—they are the very words of God.
In his pain on the cross Jesus would again turn to the
Scriptures to give vent to his suffering—“My God, My God, why have you forsaken
me?” (Psalm 22.1). After his
resurrection he did not stop looking to the Scriptures. Rather he taught his disciples how to
read the Scriptures rightly so as to see him in the fullness of God’s
revelation (Luke 24.44-47).
If we would be faithful followers of Jesus Christ then we
should also adopt his view of the Scriptures. May we see them and honor them as the very word of God by
which we live.
