Wednesday, July 17, 2024

If We Aren’t Talking About Jesus, We’re Just Wasting Time

Meditations for Seeking the Life in Christ

The Gospel of John

July 17, 2024

If We Aren’t Talking About Jesus, We’re Just Wasting Time

“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.

John  5:39-40 (again)

Jesus was critical of the religious leaders: “You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life” (John 5:39). Is that bad? Yes, for two reasons. First, contrast their attitude with that of Simeon: “He was righteous and devout and was eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” (Luke 2:25). The religious leaders, unlike Simeon, were looking for their own, personal eternal life, without regard for their neighbor.

Secondly, unlike Simeon, they were not “eagerly waiting for the Messiah to come and rescue Israel” The religious leaders were searching the Scriptures for information that would give them eternal life. Jesus said, “the Scriptures point to me!” (John 5:39b). Christ Jesus is revealed throughout the Bible, and our primary reason for reading the Bible is to encounter the revelations of Christ. Whenever you attend church meetings, whether it is a Bible Study or administrative meeting, if you haven’t heard the name of Jesus in the first thirty minutes, interrupt the meeting and ask, “If we aren’t here to talk about Jesus, why are we here?” The Christian faith is about a personal relationship with Christ Jesus, and if we aren’t talking to and about Jesus, we’re just wasting time.

God’s Word points to Jesus, and God has a very specific purpose for his Word: “I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11).

My Takeaway: The religious people Jesus talked to only valued the scriptures as information and missed the ‘fruit’ part of Isaiah’s proclamation. If we open our hearts to be inspired by God’s Word, the Word will then be transformed through our words, actions and good deeds to produce fruit in God’s Kingdom.

Sē’lah

 

(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2024 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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