Believing The Word

Believing the Word

Luke 24:25-27, NLT

Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures. 26Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?” 27Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Setting the Scene

Jesus called these two disciples “foolish” because they hadn’t been able to believe what had been predicted in the Scriptures: that “the Messiah would have to suffer . . . before entering his glory.” Evidently these men, like most of Jesus’ followers, had been caught off guard by the Crucifixion and then probably had expected God to rescue Jesus from the cross. They hadn’t expected the Messiah to suffer the way Jesus had.

So Jesus reintroduced these disciples to the teachings of Scripture about him, no doubt beginning with the promised offspring in Genesis (3:15) and going through the suffering Servant in Isaiah (chapter 53), the pierced one in Zechariah (12:10), the messenger of the covenant in Malachi (3:1), and other passages in between.

The Jewish religious leaders had spent their lives studying Scripture but had ignored or disregarded the idea of a suffering Servant. Jesus showed the men how the recent events in Jerusalem had fulfilled every prophecy regarding the Messiah. Jesus may have taken the two followers through Old Testament history, pointing out the problem of sin and how it would have to be solved through the sacrificial death of God’s own Son.

Getting Personal

What biblical principle gleaned from a sermon, small group, class, or personal Bible study have you been recently trying to apply in your life?

What Bible promises or teachings do you have difficulty believing?

Jesus told the two men they were “foolish” for not believing what the Bible clearly teaches. Today we have an amazing array of Bible translations, study tools, commentaries, and devotionals. We certainly have no excuse for not reading, studying, and understanding Scripture. Our greater struggle is truly believing and applying what we read.

The two men leaving Jerusalem behind were so focused on their plight and what they perceived as catastrophic events that they failed to believe what they had read in Scripture—no wonder they couldn’t believe the women’s report of an empty tomb. What Scripture had predicted they had seen fulfilled, and they should have been eagerly expecting God’s next move.

Talking to God

Actions speak louder than words, so ask your heavenly Father to help you live according to the truths you are learning from the example and teachings of Jesus. Ask him to help your belief in the value of his Word lead to a transformed life.