It's the Jesus Book

By Seminarian Charles Lehmann

So 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?

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 Law makes you dead, and Satan likes you that way. If you stay there, it’ll be in despair or security. If it’s despair, you’ll be sure you can’t possibly be saved, that Jesus isn’t big enough, or that He couldn’t love you. If you believe this, Satan will sing in what passes for joy in hell. But it can go another way too. You think you’re doing all right. You’re not that bad. You don’t need this Savior business. Again, demonic glee rises from the place where they suffer.

But Jesus won’t let you stay there. When you read the Scriptures aright, ready to receive from your Savior all He wishes to give, Jesus will speak life into your ears, just like He did to David. “The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die.”They were Nathan’s lips but Jesus’ words. The Savior did the talking (2 Samuel 12:13 ESV).

And He says the same to you. All through the Scriptures, the message is the same. Jesus has forgiven you, the sinner who killed Him. There is nothing that can separate you from the Savior’s grasp. You are His, washed in the waters of baptism and fed with His own body and blood. Rejoice as you see Jesus in His Word. He is singing over you (Zephaniah 3:17).

Charles Lehmann is a student at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Before studying for the ministry, Charles was a Lutheran high school theology teacher. You can e-mail him at lehmanncr@ctsfw.edu. 1 Luther. Church Postils of 1522, Sermon for the Epiphany, Baker Book House, Public domain. When Luther started lecturing on Genesis in 1535, he found something there that would surprise some Christians in America today. He found Jesus. He found Him all

Not History, Not Rules... Jesus

When Luther started lecturing on Genesis in 1535, he found something there that would surprise some Christians in America today. He found Jesus. He found Him all over the place. He found Him in God’s speaking the world into existence. He saw Him in the promise to Eve. As Luther kept reading, he kept seeing Jesus. He saw Him in the pillar of cloud. He saw Him enthroned between the cherubim on the ark. by Seminarian Charles Lehmann

This is important. The Bible does a lot of things. It tells us about the history of the world up through the first century. But it’s not just a history book. It tells us about what pleases God and what angers Him. But it’s not just a rule book. It speaks in language that is stirring and beautiful. But the Bible is not just great literature.

The Bible is the very Word of God. When it speaks, God speaks, and when God speaks, He reveals and gives Himself. The Holy Spirit delivers all His gifts through God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit cannot speak a Word that is not Jesus.

When you read this Word of God, Jesus comes to you and speaks the Law. He hits you where it hurts. You see in the lives of these sinful people your own sin. You aren’t on the outside looking in. Jesus pulls you in and makes the story hit you . But He doesn’t leave you in your sins. He forgives them. That’s what Jesus delights in—taking your sin into Himself and paying the price on your behalf. That’s the Gospel. All of Scripture is Law or Gospel.

Sometimes seeing Jesus in the text can be hard. This is when you look at other passages in Scripture to help you understand. We call this letting Scripture interpret Scripture. The clear reveals the unclear. It’s important to let the Scriptures speak what they wish to speak. Sometimes it might not make sense. But our ideas need to remain silent when the Scriptures say something else.

Here’s an example. If you look at Genesis 3:24, it’s hard to understand. Why cherubim? Why do they guard the way to the tree of life? The answer comes in Exodus 25-40. Here you see a tabernacle that is guarded by cherubim. But here they let you in. Here you can go to where the lamp stand—which looks like a tree—is. Here is where the Lord gives a sacrifice on your behalf (Leviticus 17:11).

And where does the Lord give the final sacrifice? On the cross, the wood of a tree. A tree that gives you life. It all comes back to Jesus because it all starts there. The Holy Spirit is speaking the Word, but the Word He speaks is Jesus. So enjoy the ride. Jesus is the boat, the captain, and the food in the galley.