All About Jesus

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. (Luke 24:27)

Have you ever wished you could study something with one of the truly great teachers? Think of how much you could learn from someone who was a master in his field. This is very often how people learn trades and skills. Universities like to boast about how many professors they have on their staff. The best person to learn something from is often the expert. When we read about Jesus walking with the two men on the road to Emmaus, we can very easily wish that we had been there with them. Their hearts burned as He expounded the scriptures to them. What an enlightening experience for those two men! But, in spite of what Jesus taught them, they still did not recognize Him until it pleased Him to reveal Himself to them at the meal table. No matter what we learn from the Bible, we still need the Lord to enlighten our eyes by His Spirit in order to know Him.

Nevertheless, the Lord thought it important that He teach those men about Himself. He gave them a great lesson from the scriptures so they might understand Him and His work. They would not know Him without the scriptures. He started at the very beginning and went through the Old Testament to teach them about Himself. Even though He was God and could have given them new revelation on the spot, He chose to use what He had already inspired through Moses and the prophets to teach them about Himself. Those great old books were the textbook for His lesson. Why? The scriptures, Jesus said in another place, “testify of me.” (John 5:39) The whole Bible is about the Lord Jesus. He is in every book.

The Old Testament seems to be a book of long stories and instructions to priests. However, since God was working to bring salvation even from the moment Adam sinned, the book is really about what God does to save sinners. It is about salvation. In the beginning we see the need for salvation as Adam sinned and all men became sinners in him (see also Rom.5.12-21). Then the rest of the Old Testament is the preparation of salvation as God reveals Himself to the nation of Israel and teaches them about the coming Savior. The New Testament begins with the accomplishing of salvation in the person and work of Jesus Christ. Then, the book of Acts tells about the proclamation of salvation and the epistles give us the explanation of salvation. Finally we read about the consummation of salvation in the book of the Revelation.

Since Jesus Christ is the Savior, He is the subject of each part of the scriptures.  “They testify of Me,” He said. As we read the Bible we will definitely get information about history and how God helped the nation of Israel. However, the story behind it all is what God did to prepare and accomplish our salvation through Jesus Christ. When you read the Bible, look for Jesus. Something about Him and His salvation is on every page.

“That I may know Him” (Phil.3.10)