Focal Passage: Matthew 4:1-11
It cannot escape anyone who does much reading of the New Testament that Jesus found Himself in opposition to the religious leaders of His day consistently. They were the enforcers of law, the bearers of the covenant, and He was the personification of grace, the “new covenant.” A distinction must be made however, to clarify where Jesus came down on the law itself, as opposed to those who (unfairly) tried to enforce it. As opposed to the self righteous as could be, Jesus sought out righteousness. As opposed to legalism as possible, Jesus understood and honored the law.
In this focal passage, on three occasions Jesus answers temptations from the devil by referring to the law. He uses three words to summarily dismiss His tempter. Each time Jesus says “It is written . . .”
Of course much has been made in pop culture about asking the question which has come to be symbolized by four letters, WWJD, or What Would Jesus Do? And we have begun, in church life, to turn that question on just about every subject. I saw an article not long ago asking WWJD but the “D” was for drive, not do. What Would Jesus say about the Bible? Well we are privileged to know some things Jesus actually DID say about the Bible. Of course, He would have been talking about what we know as the Old Testament, He was living out the New Testament or at least portions of it. But nonetheless, Jesus made no excuse and offered no loop hole for the law. Jesus said the law was necessary, but He also said the law was not enough.
The Bible, the one we read, has gone through centuries of scrutiny, decades of debate, and years without yielding. But when we ask the question what Jesus would say about our Bible, we need look no further than His words in our Bible for our answer. Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” Jesus was and is the Living Word of God. We have a responsibility to read our Bibles, we know that. We should possess a longing to better understand the word of God as it applies to each of our lives, we are clear on that. And we should want to know what Jesus would say about everything. But we need not make this complicated.
As usual, the best way to hear what He’d say, about the Bible or anything else, is to listen to Him.