What's the Bible really about?

DAILY BIBLE READING:

1 Samuel 2:22–4:22 
John 5:24-47 
Psalm 106:1-12 
Proverbs 14:30-31 

BIBLE VERSE(S) FOR TODAY:

John 5:39-40 "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life."

REFLECTIONS ON TODAY'S BIBLE VERSE(S):

Our Verses for Today provide a very powerful perspective on Scripture. They tell us what the Bible is ultimately about.

Jesus said that the Jews "pored over the Scriptures" in their attempt to gain eternal life. They treated the Scriptures as an end in themselves. They saw them as a list of "dos" and "don'ts". They thought that if they could comply closely enough to the Biblical standard that they would inherit eternal life.

But, Jesus said that they got it all wrong. The Scriptures were not an end in themselves. They were the means to an end.

What was the end? What do the Scriptures point to?

Jesus!

John 5:39 "You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me." (emphasis mine)

Did you get that? The Bible isn't the end of the road. It is a road sign pointing to Jesus.

But, the next verse gets even more specific. The Scriptures don't simply point to Jesus. They tell us how "to come to (Him)." They tell us how to gain eternal life through Jesus and enjoy relationship with Him. Unfortunately, the Jews didn't (wouldn't) connect the dots.

John 5:40 "But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life."

So, this morning as you pick up your Bible, don't simply read the words. Don't simply look for the dos and don'ts. Look for Jesus! Look for what it says about how you can enjoy fellowship with Him.

Because, when you see Jesus, you've come to understand the true meaning of the passage of Scripture.