It’s the o what’s the Bible about? It’s about a lot of things, like murder, intrigue, slavery, war, fire from heaven, angels, and plagues. It’s about how we please God. Ask the question, and you’ll get lots of answers, but are they worth hearing?
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When I hear these answers, they fall flat. They’re bland and empty like a pizza without cheese. They miss the point. I first learned what the Bible is about when I learned the word Bible in sign language. Bible is signed as “Jesus” plus “book.” Sign gets it right. The Bible gives us Jesus, the baby born to Mary and Joseph, the Savior who died for you and me. Luther once remarked that Jesus didn’t give Mary and Joseph great signs and wonders so they’d know who He was. He gave the signs to shepherds. To His parents He gave what He gives you. Jesus may be found in “the writings of the prophets and the law; in these He is wrapped, they contain Him, they speak only of Him and bear witness of Him; they are His sure sign, as He says Himself.”1 Luther’s just repeating what Jesus said (John 5:39). The scribes and Pharisees knew the Scriptures very well and tried to obey them. But they couldn’t do it. It was too hard, and so Jesus pointed them away from their failed deeds. He said, “The Scriptures are about me. It is in Me that you receive eternal life.” Where is Jesus? He is the Savior. He is the one acting to redeem His people. That’s what He does. Winning you back from Satan’s claws is the Lord’s joy. See? You’re there too. The sinner, the one being won back, the one who is dead without Jesus—that’s you. And so that’s the way you read the Scriptures. In them you will find Jesus, your Savior, seeking you
out. You are the lost lamb, and He is the shepherd who finds you. He dies on a cross, and you are the centurion who killed him, forgiven anyway through the water of Baptism that splashes on you from His pierced side. Christ is the beginning, the end, and everything in between. It is in the Scriptures that He relentlessly comes after you. When you listen to them honestly, you find that the Scriptures are filled with adulterers, murderers, children lying to parents, and families scheming against each other. They are all sinners like you. But Jesus is right there with them. He’s trudging through the muck. He’s feeling the pain you deserve. He’s receiving the wrath and evil you’ve earned. He promises to crush the head of the serpent. He shuts you up in the ark. He delivers you from Egypt. He is born. He grows up. He is tortured. He dies. He puts an end to Satan’s attacks because He takes the nails the demons want to pound into your arms. He rises from the dead, and death is destroyed forever. If someone tells you about the Scriptures, it’s important that they give you what the Scriptures give. It‘s the same when you read them. The Word of God is a two-edged sword severing bone from marrow. It will kill you. It will bring you down low. It will make you despair of earning God’s favor. You will hurt and hurt bad. But that’s not the end, and if it is, you’ve not yet heard Jesus. Satan wants the Scriptures to end in the Law. The
