He Knew the Scriptures

Steven’s Scribbles
“He Knew The Scriptures”
Luke 4:14-21


    Early in Jesus’ ministry, He taught in synagogues, and His teachings were widely praised. People were often struck not just by what He said, but by how He said it. After the Sermon on the Mount, it is recorded that the crowds were amazed at His teaching because “He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28-29). This means that Jesus didn’t quote from other authorities or rabbis—He was the authority.


    Even though Jesus was the Word (John 1:1-3), He also knew His way around the Scriptures. Today, with portable Bibles readily available in print or on our phones, we may overlook an interesting fact. In first-century synagogue tradition, it was common for someone to read Scripture aloud. An attendant would bring the desired scroll and sometimes assist in finding the passage. However, when Jesus was handed the scroll of the prophet Isaiah, He opened it and found the passage Himself. Imagine an unwieldy scroll being handed to our Savior, and He doesn’t hesitate—He knows exactly where to look (Luke 4:14-17).


    When I consider how familiar the scroll of Isaiah was to the Son of God, a hauntingly beautiful passage comes to mind: “All of us like sheep have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him” (Is. 53:6). Jesus knew what would happen that fateful night because He knew the Scriptures. He even warned His disciples that it would happen (Matt. 26:31). From the beginning, Jesus knew the end. That’s the haunting part. The beautiful part is that He did it anyway.


I love you all!


In His Service,
Steven Hugley