Instead of following human traditions or popular opinion, Jesus pointed people to the Scriptures, God’s word, for what ought to be done in religious matters and life in general (Mk. 7:5-13). Jesus came to earth to fulfill the Scriptures (Mt. 5:17), from His birth (Mt. 1:21-23) to His death (Jn. 19:24, 28, 36) to His resurrection (Psa. 16:8-11; Acts 2:25-28). When resurrected, He said to two of His disciples, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Lk. 24:25, 26). The following verse explains: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Lk. 24:27). To the eleven, He said: “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me” (Lk. 24:44).
When He was young, His parents found Him after three days of searching; He was in the temple talking with the teachers of the law, discussing the Scriptures (Lk. 2:46). He was determined to do His Father’s will (Lk. 2:49). When He was asked to read the Scriptures at His hometown synagogue in Nazareth, He concluded His reading of Isaiah with this statement: “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:21).
When Jesus was tempted by the devil. His response was to quote Scripture, saying, “It is written…” (Mt. 4:4, 7, 10; Lk. 4:4, 8). If we will resist temptation to sin, we must follow in the footsteps of our sinless savior (1 Pet. 2:21-23; 2 Cor. 5:21). He was determined to follow the Scriptures instead of giving in to the tricks of the devil. Those who trust their own thought and feelings without much regard for the written word of God are susceptible to being led astray into sin (Jer. 10:23). We must hide God’s word in our hearts so that we do not sin against God (Psa. 119:11).
When Jesus healed a leper, He told him to go to the priest and make the offering Moses commanded (Lk. 5:12-14). Jesus pointed the healed man to following Leviticus 14. Many people today have an attitude in regard to the Bible that says, “Well that was written a long time ago, and we live in a different world today.” Before Jesus died on the cross the law of Moses was still in place. While Jesus walked on the earth, He told people to follow the law of Moses even though it had been written around 1,500 years in the past. We should have the same attitude toward God’s word today, particularly in following the last will and testament of Jesus Christ (Heb. 9:15).
When an expert in the law of Moses put Jesus to the test, asking Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”, Jesus responded by asking him, “What is written in the law?” (Lk. 10:25). The crucial question of what to do to be saved eternally must not be left to human tradition or public opinion. Only the word of God can provide a sure-fire answer. Consider what the word of God says you must do (Acts 2:37, 38; 16:29-34). Follow Jesus to Whom the Scriptures pointed and Who pointed to the Scriptures in the path to salvation (Jn. 8:24; 14:6; Lk. 13:3; Mt. 10:32; Mk. 16:16).
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