Reading Is Fundamental

“Some Sadducees, the party that denies any possibility of resurrection, came up and asked, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man dies and leaves a wife but no child, his brother is obligated to marry the widow and have children. Well, there once were seven brothers. The first took a wife. He died childless. The second married her. He died, and still no child. The same with the third. All seven took their turn, but no child. Finally the wife died. When they are raised at the resurrection, whose wife is she? All seven were her husband.” Jesus said, “You’re way off base, and here’s why: One, you don’t know your Bibles; two, you don’t know how God works. After the dead are raised up, we’re past the marriage business. As it is with angels now, all our ecstasies and intimacies then will be with God. And regarding the dead, whether or not they are raised, don’t you ever read the Bible? How God at the bush said to Moses, ‘I am—not was—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? The living God is God of the living, not the dead. You’re way, way off base.””

Have you ever met a person who seems to have a good grasp of the Bible? They can quote scripture and seem to have a very good understanding. While they may be able to quote scripture and think they understand it, that might not be completely accurate. 

In this passage, we see this very idea taking place. The religious leaders think that because they read the scriptures they have, they believe to have a good understanding of them. That is of course until they cross paths with Jesus. 

The apostle John described Jesus as scripture in the flesh (John 1:1-14). With this in mind it’s easy to see why Jesus was never confused when it came to the word of God. We, however, can become confused very easily. When we read scripture, we read it and interpret it as it relates to things we’ve learned and experienced. This is the reason why two people can read the same thing and yet have two different interpretations. Even the disciples were confused many times. Jesus would often have to teach the disciples the true meaning behind many of the things He said and did. 

The Bible teaches us that only with God’s help will we be able to understand His words, His will, and His plan for our life (1 Corinthians 1:18). Jesus tells us that it’s by the Holy Spirit that we are led into the truth (John 16:13). As we see in this passage, Jesus confronts the religious leader's lack of understanding. The beautiful thing about Jesus is that He never leaves us lost, instead, He shows us the truth. Whether or not we accept it is another matter altogether. 

Jesus pointed out that the men were confused because they didn’t understand what they read. The act of simply reading the scripture was not enough for them to gain a deeper understanding of its meaning.

Reading the Bible is awesome and should be encouraged, but when we read, it’s important to ask God to lead you into the truth through the Holy Spirit. There is much to be gained from reading your Bible but just simply reading the Bible is not enough. Reading is only the beginning. It’s the job of the Holy Spirit to teach you the deeper truths found within its pages.

Prayer:
Lord God, help us to have a deeper understanding of Your word. Help us to find Jesus, who is the truth, within Your word. Open our eyes to see, our ears to hear, and our heart to receive Your truth. Amen.