Have You Read Your Bible?
“Have you not read…?” — Matthew 12:3
There is something wonderfully direct about Jesus’ response to the Pharisees.
They come to Him with their rules, their accusations, and their religious expertise. Jesus responds by taking them back to Scripture.
“Have you not read?”
And He does it again. And again. And again.
It is almost as though Jesus is saying, “Before you tell Me what God requires, let’s see what God has actually said.”
That is a question we desperately need in our own generation. Have you read your Bible?
Not merely what someone on social media says the Bible teaches. Not merely what your favourite preacher says. Not merely what your denomination has traditionally believed. Not what you feel or think. But, what does the Bible say?
Have you read it?
Jesus points the Pharisees to David, to the priests, and to the prophet Hosea. King, priest, prophet — the major streams of Israel’s Scriptures that all point toward the same truth: God’s heart is bigger than religious rule-keeping.
Jesus reminds them, “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.”
The Pharisees knew Scripture, but they had missed the God revealed in Scripture.
That should sober us. It is possible to know Bible verses and still miss the heart of God. It is possible to defend biblical truth while becoming increasingly unlike the One the Bible reveals.
So, open the Word. Read it carefully. Read it humbly. Read it prayerfully. And when Scripture challenges your assumptions, don’t bend Scripture to fit your traditions.
Let Scripture bend you.
Because one of the greatest safeguards against legalism is simply knowing what God has actually said in His glorious Word.