Missing the Point of the Bible

Jesus acknowledged that the religious leaders of his day were not mere causal Bible readers. He testified that they diligently “search[ed] the Scriptures” (John 5:39) believing that “in them [they had] eternal life.” One translation renders it as them “por[ing] over the Scriptures” (HCSB). These religious leaders were “diligent” (NIV) students of their Bibles yet in the end it proved worthless. Why? It proved worthless because despite all their reading they did not follow where scripture led them, namely to Jesus. Speaking of the nature and purpose of the Bible, Jesus said, “it is they [the scriptures] that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life” (v. 39-40).

Does your Bible reading lead you to Jesus? If we're reading our Bibles, but our reading of it leads us not to Jesus or to a desire to be like him, then we're missing the entire point.