Reading the Bible like the Apostles
In a recent post on Numbers 12, I developed personal application built on the mediatorial work of Christ. I took an Old Testament text written thousands of years before Christ walked the earth and applied it in light of His person and work on the earth.
Can you do this? Is this really a valid way to interpret Scripture? Can we apply texts in light of Christ? Or does interpreting and applying in light of Christ impose meaning and application that God did not intend?
Not only can you apply every text in light of Christ, you must, or both your interpretation and application will be faulty.
Luke 24: The most important chapter for learning how to correctly read the Bible
Following Jesus’ resurrection, but preceding His ascension, He had two encounters that Luke records in chapter 24 of his gospel.
First, Jesus comes upon two men on the road to Emmaus. They were talking about Jesus, and did not recognize Him as He joined their conversation. They recounted to Jesus His death and how they had hoped He would redeem Israel. They noted that some had claimed Jesus rose from the dead, but they did not know what to make of this claim (vs. 19-24).
Jesus’ response? He chastised the men for their slowness of understanding and lack of belief. He expected them to know that the Christ had to suffer and die to redeem His people. Then, beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself (v. 27).
Dividing the Old Testament into Law (books of Moses) and Prophets was one way to divide, and speak of, the entire Old Testament. Thus, Jesus expected these two common men — men who were not among the 12 apostles — to understand from the Old Testament that the Savior of God’s people would have to die.
Second, Jesus appears to His apostles. After Jesus appeared to His apostles and they got over their initial shock, Jesus had this to say: “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled” (v. 44).
Speaking of the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms was another way of speaking of the entire Old Testament. After Jesus told His apostles that He fulfilled things written about Him in the different sections of the Old Testament, Luke says He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures (v. 45). After opening their minds, Jesus said to them, “Thus it is written…”
- That the Christ should suffer (and die)
- And on the third day rise from the dead
- And repentance and the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name
- To all nations, beginning from Jerusalem
- You are my witnesses of these things
The phrase “Thus it is written” preceding the points of teaching above means Jesus taught His apostles about these things from the Old Testament. Jesus thus taught, and expected the apostles to know, many things about Himself and His redemptive work from the Old Testament.
Receiving a new hermeneutic
Before Christ came, the apostles knew that the Old Testament taught about a coming Messiah and the kingdom He would rule. But they did not fully understand the nature of this Messiah’s kingdom.
In Luke 24, Jesus opened the eyes of the apostles to truly understand what the Old Testament taught about the Messiah, about Him. He opened their eyes to see with clarity what God had sent to do and how He had accomplished all of these things (John 17:4).
In Luke 24, the apostles received a new hermeneutic, a new way of interpreting Scripture. When God sent the Holy Spirit to indwell them (Acts 2) and illumine Scripture, the apostles grasped and proclaimed a message that was, and is, life-transforming, life-shaping and life-defining.
In my next post on this topic, I’ll provide some detail and practical steps on how we can read the Old Testament, and the whole Bible, in the same way the apostles did. To rightly Wield the Sword of Scripture, we must read it in this way.