The Key to Understanding the Bible

The Third Sunday of Easter, April 19. 2015


GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 24:36–49
36As they were talking about these things, Jesus himself stood among them, and said to them, “Peace to you!” 37But they were startled and frightened and thought they saw a spirit. 38And he said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” 40And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41And while they still disbelieved for joy and were marveling, he said to them, “Have you anything here to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43and he took it and ate before them.
44Then he said to them, “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.” 45Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, 47and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. 48You are witnesses of these things. 49And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

We divide the Bible into two parts. The part written before Jesus was born is called the Old Testament and the part written after he was born is called the New Testament. The word testament, like in the expression “last will and testament,” means promise or contract or covenant. God’s Old Covenant and God’s New Covenant. The Old Promise and the New Promise. The Jewish religion follows the Old Testament, and Christianity follows the New Testament. So, why does the church need the Old Testament anymore? Except in the Easter season, we usually read the First Lesson from the Old Testament on Sunday mornings in church. Often the Old Testament Bible reading is long and hard to understand. Why do we have to read from the Old Testament? Do we need it? We do not have to keep all the rules and regulations of the old law. We do not have to keep the rules about what to eat and what to wear and how to do sacrifices. But there are some wonderful stories about God’s miraculous salvation for his people with Moses, David, and others. That alone would make it good for reading. But there is more. We Christians read the Old Testament because in it we find Jesus Christ whom we love.

To find Christ in the Old Testament we must read it with the Christian faith. We have to have special reading glasses that can see Christ in the stories, in the Psalms and in the prophets. Jews read the Bible, but they do not believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, so they do not see Christ in the Old Testament. Christians read the Bible, but if they do not know the details of the story of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection, then they will miss many things in the Old Testament that speak of Christ. Someone once explained it like this. For example, there is the Old Testament Book of the Prophet Isaiah. To understand Isaiah, we need to know about Jesus. Then when we understand the book of Isaiah, we will fully understand Jesus and the Gospel. In other words, Christians read the Old Testament in order to understand the New Testament, in order to understand the love of God in Christ Jesus. From the Old Testament we learn about sacrifice, deliverance, suffering, forgiveness, and resurrection.

It takes a key to understand the Bible. The key is Jesus Christ. The key is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. After Jesus rose from the grave, he gave that key to his disciples. Today’s Gospel reading says: Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:45-48).

In Acts Chapter 8, there is the story of Philip and the Ethiopian. The Ethiopian was riding in his open chariot. He was reading the Prophet Isaiah, but he did not understand what it meant. Philip explained that the passage foretold the suffering and death of Jesus. Then Philip told him the Good News about Jesus, and the Ethiopian man believed and was baptized. Then the man took the Christian faith to Africa.

As St. Paul went on his missionary journeys, when he entered a new town, first he spoke to Jewish people and spoke how Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise. He showed them from the Bible that Jesus was the Savior. Those who believed were baptized and the Christian faith spread into Europe.

For modern people who are not Jews, the key to understanding the Bible is still the same: the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is not enough to believe in just the existence of God. Even the devil believes in that. The key is to know and believe that God loves us so much that he sent Jesus Christ to die for us. When we see that love, it unlocks the revelation of God’s love. It unlocks our hearts, too. The Holy Spirit shows us the love of God. That love is revealed in the Bible. It is revealed in the life and the live-style of Christians. It is not just a romantic love, it is not just a fondness, and it is not that God thinks we are cute. The depth of this love is the depth of death and hell. Jesus suffered death. Jesus destroyed the power of hell. This is why we can have eternal life in heaven.

Jesus told the disciples that the key to understanding the Old Testament was his suffering, death and resurrection. That is also the key for our understanding the New Testament. It is the key to understanding the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount, and the teachings of Paul and the other writers of the Epistles. For example: “turn the other cheek, love your neighbor as yourself, love your enemy, and keep the Ten Commandments.” All this is impossible to really understand unless we have the Gospel key. Real love is death and resurrection. Real obedience is death and resurrection. Real spiritual power and fulfillment is death and resurrection. The same is true for forgiveness, for deliverance, for salvation, for living a new life, for peace, kindness, and all the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The New Testament is not a sappy, wish-washy, frilly religion. It is not just a good-feeling, have a good time in the Lord religion. It is a religion based on death and resurrection. It is serious about that. And the result of that faith is repentance and forgiveness. Repentance and forgiveness itself is like death and resurrection. Repentance and forgiveness means a new life, a new way of living. It is for each of us personally, and then for each of us to practice as we deal with other people too. Jesus said, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” This is the work of the church. This is the life style of the church. It is the life style of each church member, of each believer in Christ. The key to our life is Jesus, namely, the death and resurrection of Jesus. This gives our life meaning, value, and power. It can make us feel compassionate with those who suffer. It gives us love to care about to care for other people. The resurrection of Jesus gives us hope and assurance in both bad and good times. This is the meaning of the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. It is the love and promise of God. It is fulfilled in Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is fulfilled in us through the faith given by the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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