A Closer Look at Scripture

Mark 12:24 – Do you not therefore err, because you know not the Scriptures neither the power of God?

    The Sadducees were very well-versed in the Old Testament writings and yet Jesus said that they did not know the Scriptures. Apparently, it is possible to read, memorize and recite verses and yet still not know them. This thought should alarm us and cause us to take a little closer look at our own Bible knowledge, and by so doing, this thought will also arm us.

    The condition of mankind is such that we think we know something when we may actually know so very little and even the small part that we do know, we may not know very well. There are two kinds of knowledge. There is one that says, ‘I know that because I have read it, or heard it’, and the other that says, ‘I know that because I practice it’. In our modern Western culture, we are immersed in so-called knowledge, we are saturated in it, and yet, we do not seem to be any better off. These Sadducees were saturated in the Scriptures, they had memorized it and could quote large sections, but Jesus informs them that they did not know the Scriptures. The ancient Eastern view of knowledge is described by the words, ‘Adam knew his wife and she conceived’. This kind of knowledge is relational knowledge; it is knowledge within the context of a relationship. We do not know someone because we simply know a lot of facts about them, we only truly know someone by regular communication, interaction and conversation. This is a living and active knowledge; not head-knowledge, but heart knowledge; not book-knowledge but biological knowledge; not organized but organic. If we do not come into this vital knowledge, we will err.

    To err is to be deceived; it means to wander or roam from a place of safety, truth or virtue. This is the human problem; we stray, we wander, we are easily seduced. Deception is the enemy’s greatest weapon and sadly, we have unleashed it upon ourselves. As a society, we have been infected with deception and the poison of it is spreading rapidly. There is now almost nothing that is not believable or acceptable to us. We have, indeed, roamed far from home.

    Unfortunately, the same is true for many churches and Christians. We have neglected the Scripture and pursued our own ideas of truth and how our lives should be lived. Jesus said that the cause of our deception and roaming was our lack of truly knowing the Scriptures, and because of that, we have not accessed the power of God. If we do not come back to Scriptural education and Biblical preaching, the kind that accesses power and produces a living relationship with God, we will continue to gain speed in our slide down the slope of error.

    I once read a powerful little story by Jack London called, ‘To Build a Fire’. It was about a man that had gone out into the wilderness in extremely cold weather and ended up being overcome by it and dying. In this short story London makes a statement about the man; ‘He was quick and alert in the things of life, but only in the things, not in their significance.’ The man understood the facts about the extreme cold, but he didn’t catch its’ real significance and meaning. It didn’t lead him to consider what that meant for him as a frail human. That phrase seems to fit here, and we could be like that man. We could be quick and alert regarding the facts of Scripture; understand the context and quote verses verbatim but miss the true meaning and how it applies to our life. The power of Scripture is released only when we understand the meaning of it, its real significance.

    I want to encourage you, friends, to take time to slow down and smell the roses of Scripture. Ask the Lord to lead you into an intimate knowledge of His Word. Meditate slowly on the words and think deeply about what is written. Stay with it daily, and over time you will quiet the noises inside and outside and begin to hear the Voice of God afresh. And when that Voice comes, so comes the power. Your eyes will be opened, and your understanding quickened, and chains will fall away. New hope and fresh possibilities await us as we come into this intimacy with Him. All are invited, all are welcome!