According to the famous evangelist, Stanley Jones, the scriptures are not ‘the Word of God’. He says, it is Jesus who is ‘the Word of God’. He says ‘we honour the Bible, for it leads us to his feet. But the Bible is not the revelation of God. It is the inspired record of the revelation. The revelation we have seen in the face of Jesus Christ. “You search the scriptures, imagining you possess eternal life in their pages – and they do testify to me – but you refuse to come to me for life.” (John 5v39). Eternal life is not in the pages; it is in Christ who is uncovered through the pages.’[i]

If we focus on Christ – as Stanley Jones suggests we do – and we look at Christ’s attitude to the scriptures, it is clear that Jesus got a lot of his significant ideas from the Hebrew Bible. After all he said: ‘Do unto others as you’d have them do to you – for this is the law and prophets’ (Matt 7.12)

However Jesus did not treat all the ideas in the Hebrew Bible as equally significant. Jesus treated the Hebrew Bible as his authority (Matt 5.17-20) but interpreted the law according to the prophets – especially the prophet Isaiah – whom he quoted when at the start of his ministry. (Luke 4.18-19)

In the book of Isaiah there is a very distinctive revelation of the character of God that describes the God of Israel, in a way Jesus wanted the people of Israel to take as their framework of faith.

According to the bible scholar, Water Breuggemann, God reactions to the plight of his people is portrayed very differently throughout the scriptures. In the book of Genesis, God’s reaction to Abraham’s plea for help is portrayed as ‘unresponsive’. Leaving Abraham to question God’s character: ‘Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?’(Gen.18:25)[ii] In the book of Jeremiah God’s reaction to Jeremiah‘s plea for help is portrayed as ‘uncompromising’. There is a mercy, but it is ‘a severe mercy’[iii] Leaving Jeremiah to accuse God of ripping him off. ‘O Lord, you deceived me, and I was deceived.’ (Jer.20.7) In the book of Job, God’s reaction to Job’s plea for help is portrayed as ‘incomprehensible’. Job is affirmed for having spoken ‘what is right’ (Job 42:7-8). But his questions are left unanswered – or, what is worse, answered unsatisfactorily. ‘This is a God, who when asked about justice, responds with a description of a crocodile’.[iv] Leaving Job feeling thoroughly puzzled and totally displaced by God’s assertions.[v] However, in the book of Isaiah, there is a consensus among scholars that God’s reactions to Israel’s pleas for help are portrayed as ‘compassionate’. God’s responses portrayed in Isaiah’s ‘salvation oracles’ start with terms of endearment – like ‘my chosen ones’ (Isa.41:8-9); then move on to statements of assurance – ‘do not fear’, ‘fear not’ (Isa.41.10); and then move on to promises of real help – ‘Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.’ (Isa.41.10)[vi]

It is Isaiah’s portrayal of God that is Jesus’ portrayal of God. Most of Jesus’ famous sermon – the Sermon on the Mount – was based on the book of Isaiah. When interpreting the scriptures in his Sermon, Jesus’ Isaiah-inspired prophetic portrayal of a compassionate God led Jesus to advocate the spirit of the law, rather than the letter of the law:

• Jesus explained the law as guidelines for love – love of God and love of neighbour (Matt 22.34-40)

• Jesus emphasized ethics over ceremony and ritual – compare (Amos 5.21-24 and Matt 21.12-17)

• Jesus stressed that righteousness meant justice – radically inclusive and egalitarian (Luke 4.18-19)

• Jesus always focused on the heart of the issue – the causes – not symptoms – of injustice (Matt 7.18-23) p9

As far as Jesus was concerned, the ‘greatest’ commandment in the bible was to “`Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ‘This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: `Love your neighbour as yourself. ‘All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments.“(Matt.22.37-40)

So, as far as Jesus was concerned, everything in the Bible needed to be interpreted in the light of these two commandments. Jesus seemed to have no qualms about quoting only the bits of scripture that he thought were consonant with these commandments (Luke 4:18-19 from Isa.61:1-2) and/or contradicting those bits of scripture he thought were not consistent with these commandments (Matt.5:38-39).

Dave Andrews

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[i] Jones, S. The Way, London: Hodder & Stoughton, 1947., 52

[ii] Breuggemannn, W. Finally Comes The Poet Minneapolis: Fortress Press 1989 p57-8

[iii] Ibid p59-60

[iv] Ibid p61

[v] Ibid p62

[vi] Ibid p63-64