We have already seen that Christ is the central subject of the written Scriptures. But let’s go a stage further. How did Christ understand the Scriptures? How did He interpret them? Did He believe that they were perfect, reliable, authoritive and inspired? Did He take them literally?
At the age of twelve we see Him in the temple with the most learned of men discussing the written Word. From a child Christ was taught the Word and grew in His knowledge and understanding of the Scriptures. His young Mother was a woman filled with the Word of God who understood it, believed it, hid it in her heart and who certainly sang it (Lk.1:46-55; 2:40). No doubt this was one of the reasons she was chosen of God for such a task.
The fact that Christ during His ministry quoted from 24 different Old Testament books reveals His regard and respect for the written Word. Throughout His teaching ministry we see an acceptance of the literal history and reliability of the text of the Scriptures. Never once does He point out a mistake. Not once.
He accepts and preaches that the creation of all things had a beginning (Mk.13:19; 10:6) and that Adam and Eve were made at this beginning point as the first man and woman (Mt.19:4-6; Mk.10:6-8). He speaks of the murder of righteous Abel (Mt.23:35) the days of Noah (Mt.24:37; Lk.17:27) and of the destruction of Sodom (Lk.17:29; Mt.10:15; 11:23).
He speaks of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Mat 8:11; 22:32; Jn.8:56, 58) and even instructs the people that Abraham was alive in paradise, conscious and able to speak (Lk.16:25). He taught that in the days of Moses the Lord did indeed speak out of a burning bush (Mk.12:26) and dropped manna in the wilderness for the people to eat (Jn.6:49), that David did reign and prophesy (Mat 12:3 Mat 22:43) and that the kingdom of Solomon was glorious (Mat 6:29 12:42).
He taught that Jonah was swallowed by a whale who then preached to Nineveh (Mt.12:39-40, 41; Lk.11:30). He taught that Elijah did indeed shut the windows of Heaven by prayer stopping the rain for three and a half years and that He was then fed by a widow (Lk.4:25-26). He also taught that Naaman was healed from leprosy through the ministry of Elisha (4:27). Every miracle and supernatural incident revealed in the Scriptures was accepted and preached by Christ.
Christ’s simple acceptance of the literal text of Scripture as dependable, literal and perfect is beyond doubt. He even revealed that when such men as Moses, David, Jeremiah, Isaiah and others spoke and wrote that is was the LORD speaking. Christ was in perfect agreement and unity with the written Scriptures. When teaching on the resurrection of the dead He referred to the written Scriptures (Mt.22:31-32).
When we come to the prophecies of Daniel we see that Christ believed that they were indeed prophesies given before time to be fulfilled and that they were to still be
fulfilled in His day. He accepted a literal interpretation of such prophesies. He never tried to explain them away or spiritualise them. He just simply said 'when you see it come to pass.' There was no doubt cast on the fact that it would happen literally and visibly as written (Mt.4:15; Mk.13:14).
This is a vital key to interpretating, understanding and expounding the Scriptures. We follow the example of Christ. Christ is the key to Scripture. Handle them as He did. Trust them as He did. Rely upon their infallability as He did. Quote them simply, without excuse or change as He did. Believe the text literally as He did. Those who teach or who do otherwise are proud and know nothing. Such men reject Christ as the key to Scripture thinking they know better than Him.