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Search The Scriptures

by Micky Galloway

“Ye search the scriptures, because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me; and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life … For if ye believed Moses, ye would believe me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:39-47).

The Jews searched the Scriptures, but they did not know the truth about the Christ, because of their own prejudice. “And unto them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall in no wise understand; And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise perceive: For this people’s heart is waxed gross, And their ears are dull of hearing, And their eyes they have closed; Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And should turn again, And I should heal them” (Matthew 13:14-15). Isn’t it astounding how blinding our own preconceived ideas can be? John references this same prophecy from Isaiah 6:9-10 and noted, “For this cause they could not believe, for that Isaiah said …” (John 12:39). Jesus asked them, “How can ye believe, who receive glory one of another, and the glory that (cometh) from the only God ye seek not?” (John 5:44).

We must search the Scriptures. The Hebrew Scriptures contain well over 300 prophecies concerning the Messiah. Many of these were declared more than 1,000 years before Jesus’ birth and all of them were made by at least 400 BC. They had all been translated from Hebrew into Greek nearly 300 years before their fulfillment (Septuagint begun about 280 BC). Many of them were fulfilled by the enemies of Christ who would not knowingly fulfill a single verse of Scripture. No one else in all the world could have fulfilled ALL these prophecies.

The Gospel of Matthew is like no other gospel. “Matthew, the tax collector” (Matthew 10:3 NASU) was one of the twelve apostles called directly by the Lord during His earthly ministry (Matthew 9:9). It is generally agreed that Matthew is aimed at a Hebrew audience in order to persuade them to accept that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah. Matthew quoted or referenced over 30 Old Testament prophecies and then presented Jesus of Nazareth as the one who fulfilled them all. Please consider some of these citations:

The apostles reasoned from the Scriptures to affirm that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. “But the things which God foreshowed by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ should suffer, he thus fulfilled” (Acts 3:18). Paul as his custom was went into the synagogue in Thessalonica and “for three sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and alleging that it behooved the Christ to suffer, and to rise again from the dead; and that this Jesus, whom, (said he,) I proclaim unto you, is the Christ” (Acts 17:2-3). Apollos, after being taught “more accurately” the way of God, preached in Achaia where he, “vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:28 NKJV). Paul, making his defense before Agrippa, explains why the Jews had arrested him and sought to kill him. “Having therefore obtained the help that is from God, I stand unto this day testifying both to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses did say should come; how that the Christ must suffer, (and) how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the Gentiles” (Acts 26:22-23). Even in Rome, Paul expounded to the chief of the Jews, “the kingdom of God, and persuading them concerning Jesus, both from the law of Moses and from the prophets, from morning till evening” (Acts 28:23). Even then, “some believed the things which were spoken, and some disbelieved” (Acts 28:24). Once again Isaiah 6:9-10 is quoted to show the inadequacy is not in the evidence, but in the heart of the hearers (Acts 28:26-27).

Why believe Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah of the Hebrew scriptures? Jesus fulfilled the scriptures! After He was crucified for our sins, yet, before His ascension to the right hand of the Father, Jesus said to the apostles, “These are my words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their mind, that they might understand the scriptures; and he said unto them, Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer, and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. Ye are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:44-48).

The evidence from the gospel of Matthew alone is overwhelming! Moreover, it is only through Him that we have forgiveness, the hope of eternal life. “For this is the will of my Father, that every one that beholdeth the Son, and believeth on him, should have eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:40).

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