I’ve been attending various Bible studies ever since the Lord rescued me from sin and death over 36 years ago in high school. Many of these Bible studies have been excellent. But Dr. Luke records a story in his gospel account of the world’s greatest Bible study ever (Luke 24:13-35). It was a really small Bible study (just two guys and their teacher), but if we can learn a key lessen from this one-day study, it will transform every Bible study we ever participate in again.
The attendees of the Bible study were two Jewish guys who were walking down a road. They had just witnessed a crucifixion in Jerusalem; a traumatic experience, made worse by the fact that the one crucified was Jesus. As they were walked, discussing the events of the last few days, their Bible study teacher arrived. Oddly, they didn’t recognize Him as their Teacher, and He was content to feign ignorance about all that had happened in Jerusalem over the past week. After bringing Him up to speed on the tragic events that had occurred, their Teacher opened up the Hebrew Scriptures and taught the world’s greatest Bible study. We’re told that “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27).
Imagine that for a moment. This Bible study started with the book of Genesis, moved on to the Exodus, dove into the record of priestly customs and practices in Leviticus, recounted the narrative of wilderness wanderings in Numbers, and sat under the teaching of the sermons in Deuteronomy. This Bible study progressed through the Hebrew Scriptures to the prophets; “ALL” of them. And we’re told that this was just “the beginning” of the Bible study! That must have been quite a ride through the Scriptures! But the most amazing part of this Bible study is that the Teacher “interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself”.
This means that He showed them that every page of the Old Testament pointed to Jesus Christ. Today, we have the New Testament, within which it is easy to see Jesus. But this Bible study only had the Hebrew Scriptures; our Old Testament. But this Teacher was able to use all of it to teach about Himself. He showed them Christ at the beginning in the garden, and in the curse leveled against the serpent. He showed them Christ in the exodus and in the Passover lamb whose blood saved the Hebrews from death. He showed them Christ in the sacrifices and temple rites given to the Jews. He showed them the glory of Christ in Israel’s miraculous battle victories, and He showed them the suffering of Christ in her laments. Every turn of the pages of Scripture whispered of Him. As the pages continued to turn, the whisper began to grow louder and louder, and then….the Teacher closed the Scriptures and left these two Jews hanging on the edge of their seat. Their study had grown in intensity with the expectation that something big was about to be revealed; the culmination of all that had been told about the Christ in the Hebrew Scriptures. But now it was time to eat.
They had arrived at the village and it was getting dark, and so they went inside and broke out the food (these guys must have been Baptists). As they sat down to share a meal together, strangely, it was the Teacher who took the bread, blessed it, and then broke it and gave it to His students. It was at this moment that “their eyes were opened and the recognized him”. Upon the realization that their teacher was Jesus, He immediately vanished from sight, leaving them to ponder what had just happened. They said to one another, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” They immediately got back on the road and went straight back the same way to Jerusalem, whereupon they boldly testified to the risen Christ.
What a Bible study! What a day!
But as we gather in our Bible studies today, we too can have our hearts burn within us as we open the pages of Scripture to see Jesus on every page. We may not have the same teacher as these two had (no offense whatsoever to the great Bible study teachers in our church), but we have something they didn’t: the New Testament. We have the rest of the story; the climax of the narrative and the resolution that all things are being made new. So, whether you are in a women’s Bible study looking at Psalm 119, a men’s Bible study reading through 2 Samuel, or whether you’re doing a personal Bible study on a minor prophet, or listening to a sermon from Genesis – remember that Jesus “interpreted in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself”.
But also, don’t forget the food.
Written by Ken Rucker