April 23, 2023

Today's Reading: Luke 24:13-35

Daily Lectionary: Exodus 32:15-35, Luke 6:39-49

“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27 ESV)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There are any number of Christians that will tell you that the Bible is the Word of God. They take what it says seriously and want to apply it to their lives. The problem is that despite having the best of intentions, these people don’t know how to read the Bible. They treat it like a Magic 8 Ball. They ask a question and then open the Bible to a random passage, place their finger on the page, and what they read becomes the answer to their question. That is not how it works, that is not how any of this works.

This is the same issue that Cleopas and his friend in our reading had. Well, maybe not the Magic 8 Ball thing, but they still did not know how to read the scriptures. Look at what Jesus says to them, he calls them foolish and slow of heart because they did not believe all that the prophets have spoken. In other words, he castigates them for not understanding how to properly read the Scriptures.  Jesus then gives them the key to understanding the Bible. He interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself. Jesus showed them that He is the key to reading the Bible. He showed them that the Bible is primarily about Him. 

This is not something that they could have known prior to this. This way of reading the Bible only comes in the light of the Resurrection. Prior to Easter many of the things that Jesus said and did remained a mystery even to his closest followers. After His Resurrection, His actions and words became more clear and the Scriptures became a new book. The Bible did not change, but their ability to read and understand  the Word of God was changed. The ‘do this’ of the law was changed into the ‘for you’ of the Gospel. 

This is the way that Lutherans still read the Bible today. We read the Scriptures with what is known as a Christologica Hermeneutic, which is just a fancy way of saying that we believe that Jesus is the key to understanding the Bible. We believe that the writings of the prophets and apostles are about Him and from start to finish point to His life, Death, and Resurrection as the key to understanding God’s Word. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O God, through the humiliation of Your Son You raised up the fallen world Grant to Your faithful people, rescued from the peril of everlasting death, perpetual gladness and eternal joys; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. 

-Pastor Grant A Knepper is Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Modesto, CA.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Jonathan Lackey is an LCMS seminarian.

Study Christ's words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.