How to Read the Bible as Jesus Did

Last updated on: December 11, 2013 at 12:01 am by Scot McKnight

How to Read the Bible as Jesus Did 2013-12-08T10:29:14-06:00 Scot McKnight

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Our passage [Matthew 5:17-20] is the most significant passage in the entire Bible on how to read the Bible, with a nod to Luke 24:13-49, Galatians 3:19-25, Romans 9—11 and Hebrews, because Jesus tells us how to read the Bible. The entire Old Testament or, in Jesus’ Jewish shorthand summary, the Law and the Prophets, aim at and are completed in/fulfilled in Jesus as Messiah. Yet, these words “completed” and “fulfilled” do not mean “abolished.” Rabbi Pinchas Lapide makes this potent observation: “In all rabbinic literature I know of no more unequivocal, fiery acknowledgement of Israel’s holy scripture than this opening to the Instruction on the Mount.” This Jewish scholar think these words “acknowledge” – he means “affirm” – the Bible of Israel. This passage is also the Thematic Statement for what follows in Matthew 5:21-48, that is, we will be treated to five cases of how to read the Bible: about murder, adultery, oaths, retaliation, and love for enemies. Bible reading is at the heart of Jesus’ mission, and this passage reveals what makes that heart beat.

So we need to be listening more carefully in our churches to this question: How do church folks read the Bible? Some people read the Bible formationally, and they read with the heart open to receive from God at a spiritual, intuitive, devotional, and relational level. Others read the Bible informationally, and they read the Bible to know what it said – and many such people have acquired the original languages so they can examine tenses and cases and sentence structure. Others read the Bible canonically so they can read the Bible with their ears open to the rest of the Bible. Others read the Bible historically and only want to know what Jesus’ intent was in his world or what Matthew’s intent was in his context. Others read the Bible socio-pragmatically, and they read the Bible to foster and further their own political, theological, ideological or social agenda. Others read the Bible according to what their guru says, and they read the Bible – usually in a group, or a church, a sect, or a school of thought – according to how their favorite teacher or prophet or charismatic leaders teaches the Bible. Thus, a “Catholic” or a “Calvinist” or an “Arminian” or a “Barthian” or a “Hauerwasian” or a “N.T. Wrightian” or a “John Piperian” reading of the Bible, so they say, would look like this … and again you can fill in the blank.

Is there a right way? Or are there only ways of reading the Bible? Are some ways better than others or do we simply read the Bible for ourselves? We can learn to transcend our own readings of the Bible by focusing on how Jesus read the Bible. What does he say?…

We must consider the mind-numbing claim here by Jesus: he is claiming that he fulfills – in a salvation-historical, theological and moral manner – what the Torah and the Prophets anticipated and predicted and preliminarily taught. What kind of person makes claims like this? It is one thing to say, as Jesus could have, I can do miracles as mighty as Elijah, or I can predict the future as clearly as did Isaiah, or I can do miracles as astounding as Moses. It’s altogether different to claim that he himself fulfills the Torah and the Prophets. But that’s precisely the claim Jesus makes here. Nothing in history was ever the same. The Torah had come to its goal. The Torah hereby takes on the face of Jesus. His claim is thoroughly Jewish (Isaiah 2:1-5; Jeremiah 31:31-34), but of a particular sort: Messianic. The first lesson we get in reading the Bible is this one:

Look to Jesus as its central Story.

… We do not read the Bible aright until we learn to read it as the Story of Israel that comes to completion – fulfillment – in the Story of Jesus Christ. This is the very essence of what Paul means by “gospel” in 1 Corinthians 15:1-28, and it is the way the early apostles evangelized when they were telling the gospel: one simply needs to read the sermons in Acts 2, 3, 10—11, 13, 14, and 17 to see this.Which leads me to say that Matthew 5:17-20 is one of the most pristine expressions of the gospel in the New Testament. Why? Because this passage says overtly and boldly that the Story of Israel is fulfilled in Jesus himself. His life, his teachings, his actions – everything about him completes what was anticipated in the Old Testament. That’s the gospel!

From my Sermon on the Mount.

Sermon on the Mount

Previous Post

December 10, 2013

FBI and Your Computer Camera

Next Post

December 11, 2013 Reading the NT in its Galaxy

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Acts of the Apostles Adam Advent Anabaptism Angels Anglican Apologetics Atonement Baptism BCP Prayers Bible Biblical Studies Birds Blogging Bloglossary Bonhoeffer Books Calvinism Christianity Church Church History Coffee Colossians Commentary Recs Conversion Creation Creeds Culture Death Ecclesiastes Economics Education Embracing Grace Emergent Emerging Movement Eschatology Essays Ethics Eucharist Evangelicalism Family Fasting Fathers Fellowship of Differents Footsteps Tour Fun and Whimsical Gospel Grace Happiness Heaven Hell Holy Spirit Irenaeus James Jesus Jesus Creed Job Justification Kingdom of God Law Lectures Lent Liberalism Love and Marriage Mabanteneni Manhood Mary Miracles Missio Alliance MissioLife Missional Missional Jesus Movies and Film New Perspective Northern Seminary OneLife Origins Project Orthodox Parables Pastor's Spouse Pastoring and Leading Pastoring and Preaching Patristics Paul Paul-John Tour Pharisees Pietism Political Theology Prayer and Formation Preaching Problems for Faith Psalm 119 Psalms Public Issues Purgatory Religions Resurrection Revelation Romans Rule of JCreed Science and Faith Sermon on the Mount Sports Ten Commandments Theology Third Way Top Ten Lists Translations Uncategorized Universalism University Ministry Way Out Weekly Meanderings Wisdom Women and Ministry Work Worship Writing & Blogging Youth Ministry

Select a Month July 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006 July 2006 June 2006 May 2006 April 2006 March 2006 February 2006 January 2006 December 2005 November 2005 October 2005 September 2005 August 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 0000

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What is the name of the first book in the New Testament?

Select your answer to see how you score.

John Matthew Mark Luke