And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
(Luke 24:27 ESV)
The point of this short devotional is to encourage you to read parts of the Bible that are less popular. This encouragement doesn’t come from our own sense of passion for those neglected portions of Scripture, but from a statement Jesus made when talking to a few friends.
Jesus on the Road to Emmaus
Jesus had just risen from the dead. Don’t read past that last sentence too quickly. The risen Jesus was on a walk from Jerusalem to Emmaus—on his way to give his disciples the greatest surprise of their lives. On the way, he meets two of his followers, but they don’t recognize him (Luke 24:16).
He asks them what they were talking about (Luke 24:17). They express how disheartened they are, having witnessed Jesus’ death, and they express doubt over the rumors of his resurrection (Luke 24:21). The way Jesus responds to them and the whole interaction is beautiful. Luke 24 is a story you want to pick up and read if you’re unfamiliar with it. But we want to draw your attention to one sentence in this narrative where Jesus tells us something important about the Bible.
What Did Jesus Tell Us About the Bible in Luke 24:27?
Luke 24:27 says that Jesus interpreted for these friends the things in Scripture concerning himself. In other words, he walked through the Scriptures that existed up until that point and explained to his friends how those Scriptures pointed to him.
Did you notice where Jesus started his Bible lesson? Luke 24 says that he began with Moses and all the Prophets. Jesus referred to Moses’ writings (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) and all the prophets, which in the Hebrew Scriptures includes both the prophets and the historical books like Kings and Judges, to explain to these men the necessity of his suffering, death, and resurrection (Luke 24:25-26).
From this we can conclude that the oft-neglected books in the Bible like Amos, Joel, or Chronicles, reveal to us the person and work of Jesus! The less familiar books of the Bible, the obscure histories and laws and minor prophets, serve to point us to Jesus Christ and to the salvation he would bring (1 Peter 1:10-13)!
Read Moses and the Prophets
Yes, the book of Romans might outline the gospel more clearly than any other book of the Bible. Yes, Philippians might host the most quoted Bible verses of all the letters in the New Testament. Yes, the stories of Jesus’ life recorded for us in the four Gospels so clearly reveal to us the glory of Jesus.
But the entire Old Testament also reveals to us the glory of Jesus. Jesus himself points to the Scriptures written before his coming and says, these all speak of me.
But Aren’t Moses and the Prophets Hard to Understand?
We may avoid books like the minor prophets or Judges because they seem hard to understand—written to a different people in a different cultural, social, and geographic context. And in a way, Jesus affirms that we need help interpreting how he is revealed to us in these books (Luke 24:27).
At the same time, he calls his friends “slow of heart to believe all the prophets have spoken” (Luke 24:25 ESV), indicating that the events that have transpired (his life, death, and resurrection) should make sense of those Old Testament writings.
What about us? Will we see Jesus if we open the Old Testament?
Yes. First, because anyone who has put their faith in Jesus has received his Spirit, who leads us into the truth and is our ultimate teacher (John 14:26). He is the great interpreter for us as we come to God’s Word (1 Corinthians 2:12). The Holy Spirit helps us interpret the Scriptures. The disciples on the road to Emmaus had Jesus beside them to help them understand Scripture; we have his Spirit inside us to help us understand Scripture.
Second, Jesus’ rebuke of his friends about their slow hearts indicates that considering his life, death, and resurrection, the Old Testament prophecies should have been clearer to them. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus is the climax of the Bible story to which all its prophecies pointed. Thus, knowing the story of redemption equips us to better see glimpses of that redemption in the Old Testament.
See the Bible the Way Jesus Sees the Bible
I hope this one line from Jesus encourages you to adopt his perspective on the Bible. All of Scripture points to him! Both the New Testament—which explicitly tells us about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection, and what it means to live by faith in him—and the Old Testament—which hopes for, foreshadows, and prophesies about him—glorify Jesus and help us know him better.
May you eagerly embrace every book of Scripture as a gift from God that can reveal Jesus’ glory to you. And when you’re tempted to neglect a book like Leviticus or Hosea, remember that Jesus said they too have something to say about him.