the Bible Jesus read

The Word for today:
John 5:30-47

mark this: John 5:39 --
You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!

Sometimes, an idea can be so obvious that it escapes our notice. We're going to look at something like that today. Here goes:

Jesus never read the New Testament.
Paul never read the New Testament.
Peter never read the New Testament.
John never read the New Testament.
Luke never read the New Testament.

Earth-shattering information, right? Actually, it is.

Today, in John 5:39, Jesus tells the Pharisees--
You study the Scriptures, because you think that in them you will find eternal life. And these very Scriptures speak about me!

Then Jesus goes on to say--
If you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?

In the gospel of Luke, after Jesus' resurrection, he told his followers that--
Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled (1).
(At that time, the phrase "Moses, the prophets, and the Psalms" meant all of scripture.)

The clearest, most concise expression of the gospel in the Bible was written by Paul in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4:
Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
He was buried;
He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

It is important to understand that, for Paul, "according to the Scriptures" meant 'in accordance with the Old Testament'-- because there was no New Testament when Paul wrote those words.

Paul also tells us that all the prophets testify about Jesus. (2)

John, in his gospel, wrote that when Philip found Nathanael, he told him, "We have found the very person Moses and the prophets wrote about! His name is Jesus, the son of Joseph from Nazareth." (3)

Peter wrote that the Spirit of Christ was in the prophets, telling in advance about the sufferings of Christ and about the glory that would follow (4).

***

Here's how the Bible is set up:
The Old Testament is made up of "pictures" of Jesus--so people would recognize Him when, one day, he'd be coming down the road.
In the New Testament the "pictures" come to life, the Word is made flesh--Jesus!

So look for Jesus in Genesis; then look for Jesus in Joshua, Judges, Job, Jeremiah, Joel, and Jonah.

That's the best approach to Bible study--according to Jesus, Paul, Peter, Luke, and John.

Something tells me they'd be the ones who would know.

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(1) Luke 24:44; (2) Acts 10:43; (3) John 1:45; (4) 1 Peter 1:11