Articles

As we've been preaching through the final chapters of Mark's gospel, I've been struck afresh by a niggling question: how could the religious leaders get it so wrong? Especially the teachers of the law: their job was to study and teach the Scriptures — the very Scriptures that testified about Jesus — yet the very best of them only manages to get himself 'not far from the kingdom of God' (Mark 12:34). How could the most religious, those most familiar with the scriptures and therefore the most equipped to receive Jesus as their king … how could they get it so wrong that instead of worshipping Jesus, they were plotting to have him arrested?

It's an alarming thought: that you can invest so much time and energy into studying God's word, but entirely miss the point. I think of old friends from church, Bible study groups, and even Bible college who now deny the things they once taught, who no longer believe in Jesus, and I wonder how that happened. Closer to home, it means it's possible to be a  Bible-studying,  Bible-teaching church, yet be entirely off-track with Jesus. It's no wonder the New Testament warns us that 'we who teach will be judged more strictly' (James 3:1).

In John 5, Jesus diagnosed their problem: "You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life." What a tragic mis-step: to think that our effort at studying is what brings us eternal life. One commentator quotes Rabbi Hillel (an influential teacher who was active in Jerusalem up to about 20 years before Jesus' ministry) as saying, "He who has gotten to himself words of Torah, has gotten himself life of the world to come." It sounds right, but it's nothing more than superstition and Bible-worship because it misses the purpose of the Bible: to testify to Jesus.

Jesus said that those religious leaders "accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God" (v44). Their motivation for diligent study was seeking to fit in with a self-congratulatory echo-chamber of like-minded teachers who sought to impress each other with their superior knowledge. They studied the Scriptures as a tool of self-glorification; like thinking that winning the Bible knowledge round at the church trivia night will give you a ticket to heaven. You can sense some of this in Mark 12, the teacher of the law who asked Jesus about the most important commandment: "Well said, teacher,” the man replied. "You are right…"

Diligent study of the Scriptures is not the problem. Peter used that same 'diligent study' word when he wrote of the Old Testament prophets, who 'searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of the Messiah and the glories that would follow' (1 Peter 1:10-11). The ministry of those prophets arose out of their diligent study of the Old Testament law, which was motivated by their Spirit-led desire to know God's great plan to save all who believe in him. They studied the Scriptures, seeking God and his gracious work of salvation. Though they were a few hundred years shy of getting to meet Jesus, they would have been like Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 when they met him. 'Simeon took Jesus in his arms and praised God, saying, "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation!"' What a contrast to the teachers of the law in Jesus' day! Jesus said to them, "These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life" (John 5:39-40).

So in the end, it's all about what we seek when we study the Bible. If we seek the glory of having more knowledge, thinking that Bible trivia will lead us to eternal life, then we miss Jesus, and we miss eternal life. But if we seek to know the glory of God and his salvation, then we will meet the Lord Jesus, and find eternal life in him!

The missteps of the teachers of the law are important for us to reflect on today: A right study of the Scriptures recognises that the Old Testament set the agenda for Jesus' life and ministry. He is their fulfilment, both now and in the age to come. Read John 19 and notice how many times John says, 'this happened that the scripture might be fulfilled…'. As we study the Bible in Connect Groups, our main aim is to meet Jesus, and know him more.

The Scriptures ought to set the agenda for our lives and ministries. The right posture for reading, studying, and teaching the Scriptures is humility. And that means being a Christian begins, carries on, and ends with repentance and faith. 'Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. "The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!"' (Mark 1:14-15). It's why all of our services include prayers of confession: the word of God ought to keep convicting us of sin and leading us to repentance and trust in Jesus, who forgives our sins, and in whom is eternal life.

If we seek to know the glory of God and his salvation, then we will meet the Lord Jesus, and find eternal life in him!

Rev Matt Jacobs

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