December 4
“Then He told them, ‘These are My words that I spoke to you while I was still with you---that everything written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures. He also said to them, ‘This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead the third day, and repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses to these things.” Luke 24:44-48
There is a misconception about the Bible that the Old Testament is about the history of the Jews and the New Testament is the story of Jesus. That is not at all accurate. The entire Bible is the story of Jesus. Right before He ascended into heaven, Jesus said the words above. Deathbed confessions are generally considered to be truthful because when you know it is the last thing you get to say to someone you want it to be the most important, reliable thing you can tell them. Jesus chose that opportunity to remind them of who He was. He was the Messiah. He was the One spoken about in all Scripture. He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. He was telling them that they had been reading the Scriptures their whole lives, they knew it very well, they followed its principles and commands and they needed to understand that He was the One it was all about. They were witnesses to the fulfillment of everything they had read and learned about up to that point. He was the One. He did not want them to miss it. There could be no confusion or second guessing. He needed them to be certain because they had the responsibility of spreading the good news about Him to the entire world. They could have no doubts.
Most of the disciples were faithful Jewish boys who grew up in the synagogue. Jesus is not suggesting that they distort the Scriptures to make Him fit into the passages. We have all seen this happen too often taking scripture out of context to prove any point you want. I think the most misused verse by people who don’t know the Bible very well is, “He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone.” But then they conveniently leave out Jesus’ next words to the woman caught in sin which were, “Now go and sin no more.” Jesus never condoned sin or made light of it. But that does not fit their narrative, so they leave it out. Instead, Jesus is humbly and truthfully telling them that when they open their eyes and their hearts and read the texts, they will clearly see Him. A Christ-centered view of Scripture changes our perspective. Instead of just a history book, or a collection of stories that give us good advice on how to live a good life, the Bible becomes a love letter written personally to us. The Bible is the way Jesus communicates to each of us personally and individually. In each story we find His words to us that illumine our path and provide comfort, hope and purpose. When we see Him in the pages, we can get to know Him intimately. We see His heart and we can begin to grasp His unfathomable love for us. From beginning to end it is the story of Jesus, our Creator, Lord, Savior, Redeemer and Friend.
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