APR 20

John 5:19-47
Memorise Hebrews 4:12
"…the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. But there are some… that believe not"

WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE OF READING THE BIBLE?

After Jesus healed the infirmed man on the Sabbath and called Himself the Son of God, we read in John 5:18 that the Jews were ready to kill Him.  It was in this context that Jesus spoke these words in our passage for today. Christ was rebuking the Jews for not heeding the numerous witnesses that God sent to them throughout history. These witnesses came in the form of the prophets of old (v. 38) and John the Baptist (v. 33) the "burning and a shining light" (v35). Christ Himself was also a witness. In verse 39, Christ asked the Jews to search the Scriptures because the Scriptures themselves testify of Christ. The Jews had possession of the Word of God in the Old Testaments and took pride in the fact that they believed they had eternal life because of that. But Christ told them in verse 40 that they still rejected Him despite that fact. The Jews were very familiar with the contents of the Old Testaments, but that did not save them. The gospel message contained in it did not benefit them at all. Their hearts were so hardened that they refused to see Christ revealed as the Messiah in the Scriptures. Instead, they sought to kill Him. The complete Bible is available to us today. Most of us can read it without fear or persecution. It is easy to obtain copies of it. Many of you are frequently encouraged to study the Scriptures by your church teachers and leaders and many of you dutifully do so. But what do you see in the Scriptures? What do you understand in God’s Word? Are they simply interesting stories like any other literature novel? Do you read it for intellectual stimulation? Or do you read it because you are forced to do so and simply fulfilling an obligation? The Bible is the Word of God. That means that every word, jot and tittle is the very Word that comes from God through the Holy Spirit to us. It is the God of the whole Universe speaking to each of us when we read the Bible. Phil 2:16 tells us that this is the Word of Life. It is the Word that can give us everlasting life. It is the Word that can lead us to God, teach us more about His character and teach us how to be like Him and to abide in Him and enjoy Him forever. If you believe this, then God’s Word will come alive for you. Your purpose for reading God’s Word would be nothing short of discovering more about your beloved Saviour and how you should live life here as pilgrims. God’s Word must be precious to you!

Thought: Why were the Jews unable to see Christ in the Scriptures?
Prayer: Father, help me find joy in reading Your Word.