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
I stumbled across these verses one day during my quiet time and they have forever stuck with me. I come back to them often.
In context, Christ is speaking to the Pharisees who are constantly searching for knowledge. They were ardently seeking everlasting life by filling there heads with more and more Scripture.
When I first read this, the words were so counterintuitive to the way what I’ve heard growing up in church. Much of the teaching has always been “get into the word” and “make sure you’re always having your quiet time.” Yet, here was Christ, telling the Pharisees to get out of Scripture and open their eyes to the man standing right before them.
These verses carry so much power, and I think they still hit home for a lot of us. Sure, Christ isn’t walking around this earth in the flesh, but that doesn’t mean the words are any less poignant. We are meant to have a relationship with Him. Our hopes and dreams are not fulfilled by mere words on a page.
The Gospel means nothing without Christ. It may sound simple, but without Christ, the Bible really is meaningless. They provide no hope of life. It’s only Christ.
That’s exactly why we do read Scripture, though. It contains the words and the story of Christ, but reading those words is still nothing without a personal relationship.
I took these verses as a challenge. I decided to actively engage God more through prayer. Now, I never spend time in the Word without looking for Christ. I don’t read any part of the Bible without considering that it points to Christ or that it provides me with knowledge of how to grow closer with Him.
It really does sound weird to say, but the foundation of my relationship with Christ is not actually the Bible. It is Christ himself.
Cross Section 