September 19th
Come
John 5:39-40
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
Over the years Rob and I have noted that when we ask people who are new to Fellowship why they are here, the most common answer is something along these lines…
- “I love that the Bible is taught verse by verse…”
- “We are glad to be where we study the Bible.”
- “Because the Bible is being taught!”
We understand what people mean when they say these things, and we’re grateful. And we often feel a slight “check” in our spirits. Glad as we are that people see our commitment to the Scripture – we don’t want them to miss why. And that gets to our text today.
With “Bible” in our name, it is assumed that we will teach the Bible and that the Scripture informs, directs, and shapes all we do. But we always want to avoid “bibliolatry” – making the Bible an idol.
This is where the religious leaders of Jesus’ day stumbled. And we can stumble right alongside them when our reading of the Bible, our study of the Bible, and our teaching of the Bible results only in knowing more of the Bible rather than knowing more of Jesus.
Please note not knowing more about Jesus. But knowing more OF Jesus. That is experiencing greater intimacy with Him.
It reminds us of Luke’s commentary on Jesus’ conversation with the confused disciples on the road to Emmaus: “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken!…and beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” (Luke 24:25, 27 NIV)
When we “come to the Scriptures,” let us be mindful: “We are coming to see Jesus.” Let us not make the mistake of the religious leaders – whose pursuit of biblical knowledge led them to refuse to come to The One that the whole Bible is pointing to. In doing so, they were not just missing knowledge – they were missing LIFE.
One of the most important things we can do when we read or study the Bible is to pray, “Lord, show me Jesus.” Whenever you open your Bible today, let’s all make this our prayer.
