Studies

Jesus' Approach to Scripture

Many people who consider themselves Christians do not fully acknowledge the authority of the Scriptures over their beliefs and practices.  They doubt that the original authors wrote down the words of God.  They doubt that the community of believers could have compiled the correct list of inspired writings. They doubt that the contents of the original manuscripts could have been transmitted through the centuries without being changed or corrupted.  Or they doubt that the translations we read from could possibly be accurate enough.

1. Jesus considered the entire Old Testament as one. He refers to the Scriptures as a whole, an established, accepted body of inspired teaching. He does not differentiate between the authority and value of one verse over another or one book over another. The smallest letter, the least stroke, the least important matter, was just as enduring, truthful, authoritative, and binding as all of the others.

Do I treat every verse in the Bible as valuable, true, and authoritative?   Have I read the entire Bible?  What do I do with verses that are hard to understand?  Do I keep trying to understand them in light of insights gained from other Scriptures, or do I give up or ignore them?  What do I do with Scriptures which say things I do not like?  Do I change my beliefs and my actions, or do I ignore them or try to interpret them to mean something different?  Jesus believed every verse was important.

Mat 5:17-19 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. {18} I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. {19} Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 16:17 It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law.

Mat 23:23 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices--mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law--justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

John 10:34-36 Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? {35} If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken-- {36} what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

2. Jesus acknowledged the existing, accepted body (canon) of Scripture and never commented on any problems in its accurate compilation or transmission.  On the contrary, he refers to the Law (Genesis to Deuteronomy), the Prophets (Isaiah to Malachi), and many of the Writings (Joshua to Song of Songs) (the three main sections of Hebrew Scriptures) as known to be part of the Scriptures.  He explicitly quotes from or refers to many of the canonical Old Testament books and none of the apocryphal or disputed, non-canonical ancient books.

Do I use the whole Bible freely, having satisfied myself that the Bible I read is accurate in its initial writing, its compilation into a single volume, its transmission over the centuries, and its translation into my own language?  Jesus did.

Luke 24:44-45 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." {45} Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Mat 5:17 "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

Luke 16:16 "The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.

Mark 12:26-27 Now about the dead rising--have you not read in the book of Moses, in the account of the bush, how God said to him, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? {27} He is not the God of the dead, but of the living. You are badly mistaken!"

Luke 3:4 As is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: "A voice of one calling in the desert, 'Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.

Luke 20:42-44 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand {43} until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet."' {44} David calls him 'Lord.' How then can he be his son?"

What follows is a table showing all of the times that Jesus quoted from the Old Testament.  Additional references to the Old Testament are made by the gospel writers themselves or by the authors of the rest of the New Testament.  These are listed below to show that nearly every book in the Old Testament is quoted or referred to (references shown in parentheses below) in the New Testament.  Only selected references from the books outside the gospels are shown.

Section	Book	References by Jesus	Other References
The Law The Book of Moses	Genesis	Mt 19:4-5 Haven't you read...that at the beginning, the Creator 'made them male and female,' and said ... Mk 10:6-8	Ro 4:3 the Scripture Ro 4:17 as it is written 1 Co 1:45 it is written
	Exodus	Mt 5:21,27,38 you have heard that it was said to the people long ago Mt 15:4 God said Mt 19:19, Mk 10:19 (the commandments) Mt 22:32 have you not read what God said to you...? Mk 7:10 Moses said Mk 12:26 in the book of Moses ... God said to him Lk 18:20 You know the commandments ... Lk 20:37 Moses showed ... for he calls ... Jn 6:31 as it is written	Lk 2:23 as it is written in the Law of the Lord Ro 9:17 the Scripture says
	Leviticus	Mt 5:43 you have heard that it was said Mt 19:19 (the commandments) Mt 22:39 second greatest commandment in the Law (Mk 12:31) Lk 10:27 What is written in the Law? ...	Lk 2:24 as it is written in the Law of the Lord
	Numbers		2 Tim 2:19 God's solid foundation
	Deuteronomy	Mt 4:4-10 it is written (Lk 4:4-8) Mt 5:31 you have heard that it was said to the people long ago Mt 18:16 Mt 22:37 greatest commandment in the Law (Mk 12:30) Lk 10:27 What is written in the Law? ...	1 Co 9:9 it is written in the Law of Moses
The Writings The Books of the Kings	Joshua		(Ac 7:45, Heb 4:8, Heb 11:30-31)
	Judges		(Ac 13:20, Heb 11:32)
	Ruth		(Mt 1:5)
	1 Samuel		(Ac 3:24, Ac 13:20-21)
	2 Samuel		Ro 15:9, Heb 1:5
	1 Kings		Ro 11:3-4 the Scripture says (Mt 12:42-43, Lk 11:31, Ac 7:47)
	2 Kings
	1 Chronicles		Heb 1:5
	2 Chronicles
	Ezra
	Nehemiah
	Esther
	Job		Ro 11:35 1 Co 3:19 as it is written
	Psalms	Mt 4:6 it is written Mt 21:42 Have you never read in the Scriptures...? Mt 22:44 that David, speaking by the Spirit, ... Mt 23:39, Mt 27:46 Mk 12:10 Haven't you read this Scripture ... ? Mk 12:36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit ... Mk 15:34, Lk 13:35 Lk 20:17 that which is written Lk 20:43 David himself declares in the Book of Psalms Jn 10:34 Is it not written in your Law ... and the Scripture cannot be broken Jn 13:18 to fulfill the scripture Jn 15:25 to fulfill what is written in their Law	Mt 13:35 what was spoken through the prophet Mt 21:9, Mk 11:9-10, Lk 19:38 Jn 2:17 it is written Jn 12:13 Jn 19:24 that the scripture might be fulfilled Jn 19:36 that the scripture would be fulfilled Ac 1:20 it is written in the Book of Psalms
	Proverbs		Ro 2:6 Ro 12:20 Heb 12:5-6 Heb 12:13 Jas 4:6 Scripture says 1 Pe 4:18 1 Pe 5:5 2 Pe 2:22 the proverbs are true
	Ecclesiastes
	Song of Songs
The Prophets The Books of the Prophets	Isaiah	Mt 13:15  the prophecy of Isaiah Mt 15:9 Isaiah ... prophesied about you Mt 21:13 it is written Mt 24:29 Mk 7:6-8 Isaiah... prophesied about you...you have let go of the commands of God and are holding onto the traditions of men Mk 9:48 Mk 11:17 Is it not written ... ? Mk 13:24-25, Lk 4:18-19, Lk 8:10, Lk 19:46 Lk 22:37 it is written Jn 6:45 it is written in the prophets Jn 12:38 the word of Isaiah the prophet Jn 12:39 as Isaiah says	Mt 1:23 what the Lord had said through the prophet Mt 3:3 spoken of through the prophet Isaiah Mt 4:16, 8:17, 12:18-21 what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah Mk 1:3 it is written in Isaiah the prophet Lk 3:6 as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet Jn 1:23 in the words of Isaiah the prophet Ac 28:25 The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet Ro 10:11 As the Scripture says
	Jeremiah	Mt 21:13 it is written Mt 27:9-10 what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah Mk 11:17, Lk 19:46	Mt 2:18 what was said through the prophet Jeremiah 1 Co 1:31 as it is written Heb 10:15-17 The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this.  First he says ...
	Lamentations
	Ezekiel		Ro 2:24 As it is written
	Daniel	Mt 24:15 spoken of through the prophet Daniel Mk 13:14	Rev 1:13 Rev 14:14
	Hosea	Mt 9:13, 12:7 Lk 23:30	Mt 2:15 what the Lord had said through the prophet Ro 9:25 as he [God] says in Hosea 1 Co 15:55
	Joel		Ac 2:16-18 this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel Ro 10:13
	Amos		Ac 7:43 what is written in the book of the prophets Ac 15:15 the words of the prophets ... as it is written
	Obadiah
	Jonah		(Mt 12:39-41 the prophet Jonah) (Mt 16:4, Lk11:29-32)
	Micah	Mt 10:36	Mt 2:6 what the prophet has written
	Nahum
	Habakkuk		Ac 18:40-41 what the prophets have said Ro 1:17 as it is written Gal 3:11
	Zephaniah
	Haggai		Heb 12:26
	Zechariah	Mt 25:31 it is written Mk 14:27 it is written	Mt 21:4 what was spoken through the prophet Jn12:15 as it is written Jn 19:37 as another scripture says
	Malachi	Mt 11:10 it is written Lk 7:27 it is written	Mk 1:2 Ro 9:13 as it is written

3. Jesus explicitly believed in the inspiration of the Scriptures, that even though they were written by men, they were spoken by God through the prophet and therefore bore his authority.

Do I treat the Bible as though God is speaking to me through it?  Jesus did.

Mark 12:36 David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: "'The Lord said to my Lord: "Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet."'

Mat 22:43 He said to them, "How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him 'Lord'? For he says,

Mat 24:15-16 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel--let the reader understand-- {16} then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

4. Jesus described the Scriptures as the words of God, and contrasted this with the mere "teachings of men" taught by the religious experts of the day.

Do I distinguish between teachings which are clearly from God in the Scriptures and those other religious teachings which are not in the Scriptures but are man-made?  Do I hold tightly to the Biblical teachings while being flexible about the man-made teachings?  Do I know why I believe what I do?   Do I know why my church teaches what it teaches?  Am I committed to holding to the words of God rather than the teachings of men?  Jesus was.

Mat 15:1-9 Then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked, {2} "Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? They don't wash their hands before they eat!" {3} Jesus replied, "And why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? {4} For God said, 'Honor your father and mother' and 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.' {5} But you say that if a man says to his father or mother, 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is a gift devoted to God,' {6} he is not to 'honor his father ' with it. Thus you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition. {7} You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: {8} "'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. {9} They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men.'" (c.f. Mk 7:5-13)

5. The simple fact that a command "was written" in the Scriptures was enough for Jesus to obey it.

Are my actions and my beliefs guided on a daily basis by a knowledge of what is written?  Or do I rely on my opinions, what I have always believed, or what I was taught by others?  Do I work every day on improving my practical knowledge of the Scriptures?  For every situation, Jesus knew the Scriptures which should guide him.

Mat 4:3-10 The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread." {4} Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" {5} Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. {6} "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written: "'He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'" {7} Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'" {8} Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. {9} "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me." {10} Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'" (c.f. Lk 4:3-12)

6. Jesus knew that the Scriptures foretold many things about his life and ministry which had to happen.

Do I believe this surely in the promises of the Bible?  Jesus did.

Mat 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written: "'I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'

Mat 11:13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.

Mat 26:24 The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born." (c.f. Mk 14:21)

Mat 26:31 Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: "'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' (c.f. Mk 14:27)

Mat 26:54 But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

Mat 26:56 But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Mark 9:12-13 Jesus replied, "To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? {13} But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him."

Mark 14:49 Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."

Luke 18:31 Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled.

Luke 24:25-27 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! {26} Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?" {27} And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Luke 24:44-45 He said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms." {45} Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

John 13:18 "I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'

7. Jesus used the Scriptures repeatedly as his response to religious error. He quoted the Scriptures, reasoned from the Scriptures, and taught from the Scriptures.

Am I able to reason from the Scriptures and separate spiritual truth from religious error?

Mat 12:1-8 At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry and began to pick some heads of grain and eat them. {2} When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look! Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath." {3} He answered, "Haven't you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry? {4} He entered the house of God, and he and his companions ate the consecrated bread--which was not lawful for them to do, but only for the priests. {5} Or haven't you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple desecrate the day and yet are innocent? {6} I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. {7} If you had known what these words mean, 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the innocent. {8} For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." (c.f. Mk 2:24-28)

Mat 19:3-8 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" {4} "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' {5} and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? {6} So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." {7} "Why then," they asked, "did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?" {8} Jesus replied, "Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.

Mat 21:12-13 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. {13} "It is written," he said to them, "'My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'" (c.f. Mk 11:15-17)

Mat 21:16 "Do you hear what these children are saying?" they asked him. "Yes," replied Jesus, "have you never read, "'From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise'?"

Mat 21:42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone ; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? (c.f. Mk 12:10)

Mat 22:28-32 Now then, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?" {29} Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God. {30} At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. {31} But about the resurrection of the dead--have you not read what God said to you, {32} 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob' ? He is not the God of the dead but of the living." (c.f. Mark 12:23-27)

Mat 22:36-40 "Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" {37} Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' {38} This is the first and greatest commandment. {39} And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' {40} All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."

Luke 16:27-31 "He answered, 'Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my father's house, {28} for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.' {29} "Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.' {30} "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' {31} "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"

John 5:39-40 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, {40} yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 17:12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Mat 7:12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

8. Jesus expected his message to be carried on by his Apostles. Their message would bear his authority. If anyone was to follow Jesus in the future, they would do so by his teachings which he would ensure that the Apostles could remember. Rejection of the Apostles would be the same as rejecting Jesus himself.

Do I receive the whole Bible, including both New and Old Testaments, in the same way that Jesus accepted and used the Scriptures of his day (the Old Testament)?

Mat 10:40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.

Luke 10:16 "He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."

John 14:22-26 Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" {23} Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. {24} He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me. {25} "All this I have spoken while still with you. {26} But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.

Mat 10:14-20 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. {15} I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. {16} I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. {17} "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. {18} On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. {19} But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, {20} for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

John 20:21-23 Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." {22} And with that he breathed on them and said, "Receive the Holy Spirit. {23} If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven."

Mat 16:17-19 Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven. {18} And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. {19} I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Mat 18:18 "I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.