Jesus in the Bible

January 13th, 2022
by Pedro Trinidad

Jesus in the Bible

Introduction

In this week's study guide that leads to our sermon topic on Sabbath, we will go over John 5. This chapter has many sections that could easily take several weeks to study. The main focus will be John 5:39, where Jesus tells the Jewish leaders that HE is the person that the Scriptures speak of. When Jesus said these words, the only Scriptures available were the writings of Moses, the Prophets and Psalms, and Wisdom Literature. Jesus is saying that he is embedded in the storyline. As students of the Word, the religious leaders were so caught up in "searching the Scriptures" that they could not see to whom the Scriptures pointed.

KNOW

Read John 5

How could the setting of the passage be described?
- During the Sabbath.
- A feast is taking place (John 5:1).
- People are going to a pool by the “Sheep Gate” for healing (John 5:2-4).
- Jewish leaders were there (5:10, 18).
- Other.
What can we notice Jesus involved in with the passage?
- He healed a lame man on the Sabbath.
- Jesus speaks to His disciples on Him being equal with the Father.
- He brings up the resurrection and the testimony He preaches.
- The Jews were against Jesus healing the sick and looked to kill Him.
- Other.
What can we notice how Jesus speaks to others in the passage?
- He gives a command to the lame man (John 5:8, 11)
- He praises the Father (John 5:16-28, 36, 37, 43-45)
- He rebukes (John 5:37-47)
- Other.
What could we notice about this testimony that Jesus is mentioning to the disciples?
- Jesus is not testifying on His behalf (John 5:31)
- The testimony is truth (John 5:33)
- Jesus has a greater testimony than John the Baptist (John 5:36)
- It is about the works given from the Father (John 5:36)
- Other.

GROW

In the passage that we can see here, we find that Jesus is a healer. Jesus does not hesitate to meet a sick man's needs, even during Sabbath hours. On the other hand, Jewish leaders focus on practicing ceremonies and Sabbath-keeping. These practices point to Jesus, yet they have lost sight of the Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8). This legalistic approach blinds these leaders to the point of condemning anyone who dares to disagree with them. They would even go so far as to look to kill Jesus.

It is hard to change your mind when you have entrenched beliefs that you have learned from early on. Part of our spiritual growth is allowing God's word to speak to us. What you may have believed before still has room for more clarity. Allowing God to deepen our understanding doesn't necessarily mean that our past knowledge was worthless if we thought differently later. For me, it just means that God uses what we have understood in this season of life. Later on, God will reveal more things about himself and his plans for us in a more precise way. We don't always need to stack knowledge in different topics. Just like the kids' song Deep and Wide. Which one do we lean towards more? Are we going deep or wide? The closer we draw to Jesus, the deeper our understanding and realization that we have so much more to go.

GO

How would you emphasize Jesus as the center of the Scriptures to someone? People usually want answers to life's questions. The Bible has many responses to those questions. The best practice is to always respond from the Bible and not try to guess or give an opinion. You may not be able actually to open the Bible in front of them, but you are sharing what God's word says.

So, if Jesus is not part of the Bible conversation, we have dispensed information. We may have moved someone closer to truth, but we want to lead them to the Source of Truth - Jesus. People sometimes want a quick answer about a particular topic. You could give the best response you know from the Bible. But make sure you don't leave Jesus out.

Practice Daily Reading of the Bible even if it a few verses a day