Thursday, October 15, 2015
John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me."
WITNESS: THE SCRIPTURES
The third witness that Christ revealed to the Jews was the Scriptures. In this context Jesus was referring to the Old Testament books, since this is what the Jews would have had access to at the time. The Old Testament is littered with prophecies that contain details about the Messiah who was to come. Each prophecy is really a witness on its own and provided a little piece of the puzzle picture of the Coming One.
Jesus was telling the Jews that He was the picture after all the puzzle pieces were put together. The Jews were correct in thinking that the Scriptures held the key to eternal life. But they were mistaken about what the Scriptures were actually saying, or more specifically, to whom they pointed. Jesus said this in the very next verse: "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."
The Jews were close to life by using the Scriptures, but they would not achieve life without Jesus. This is because the Scriptures are a witness that Jesus is the Savior of the world. John would declare the same thought near the end of his Gospel record, " ... these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name" (John 20:31).
We have the same witness in the Holy Scriptures. May we use them in truth to unlock the promise of eternal life in Jesus!
