“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself…Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. They asked each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?'” – Luke 24:27, 31-32
Have you read a good story lately? There are a lot of good books out there and some of the best are stories of redemption. The lead character does something very wrong, undergoes some tragedy that changes them, and then does a heroic act of self-sacrifice redeeming them and showing they’ve truly become good.
What about the Bible? People read the Bible for a lot of reasons. Some people read it for comfort. Some people read it to learn about God. Some people read it to get wisdom. Lots of people read it for moral lessons and divine commands. While you can certainly gain all these things and more from the Bible, if you only read the Bible for these things, you’re missing the primary point.
The Ultimate Story of Redemption
The Bible is made up of 66 books written by multiple authors over hundreds of years, yet it is one story. At it’s core, the Bible is a narrative. It’s a story of redemption, the most powerful and moving redemption ever written.
However, the Bible doesn’t follow the same pattern as most redemption stories. It starts off similar. A major character, humanity, does something horribly wrong. However, humanity is not the primary person in this story. Humanity is the object of Jesus’ love. The primary person is Jesus.
Where most stories of redemption have the person how did something wrong at the beginning having to suffer and redeem themselves, The Bible has someone who did something wrong who couldn’t redeem themselves. Everything looked hopeless, but then Jesus stepped in. He suffered where humanity should have suffered and He redeemed us when we couldn’t.
The Whole Book
This is the story of the Bible. This is not just the story of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), but the whole Bible. God creates mankind. Mankind sins. God punishes mankind for their sin by removing them from the Garden, but then immediate gives a prophesy of a Messiah who would bring salvation to mankind. God raises up a nation through which this Messiah would come.
Jesus comes, dies on the cross, and then raises from the dead. He ascends to heaven, but sends His Spirit to flood the world with power. The age of the church emerges where God continues to bring salvation through His Word and the power of the Holy Spirit until the day when He returns, judges all mankind, and brings forth a new heaven and new earth.
Genesis through Revelation point to Jesus, our savior, and His amazing and gracious work of redemption. Why did God give us this story? As John put it at the end of His Gospel,
“these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” – John 20:31
So, as you read through the Scriptures, don’t just look for helpful tidbits or wisdom or moral lessons. Look for Jesus. You’ll find Him. Over and over again, you’ll find Him. You’ll find a Bible that is no longer just a bunch of rules, but a love story…a love story that brings about your redemption.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you for giving us Your Word. Open our minds, as you did the disciples on the road to Emmaus, and reveal to us Your Scriptures. As we read or hear Your Word, create faith in hearts and minds that we may believe in Jesus and have life in His name.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
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