Jesus, Expert in the Word
Scripture Reading — Luke 4:1-21
. . . He found the place where it is written . . . .
Being God, Jesus had written the Old Testament—partnering with human authors to compose it. And then, when he became a human child, he studied and learned it with other children from the teachers in the community at Nazareth.
In our verses for today we see that Jesus studied well. He was able to use the words of Scripture expertly! He used them to defend himself and define himself.
In the first part of our reading for today Jesus used three quotations from Deuteronomy to defeat the devil’s temptations. Tell these stones to become bread? No. “Man shall not live on bread alone.” Worship Satan? No. “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Test God’s love through acts of disobedience? No. “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”
In the latter part of today’s Scripture Jesus used words from Isaiah to define himself for the people of his hometown of Nazareth. He had become a preacher of good news, a rescuer of the blind and oppressed, and a proclaimer of the Lord’s favor.
Jesus knew that God’s Word is “useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).
Moses had to learn the same things as he prepared to lead God’s people. And we will be wise to use God’s Word in these ways also!
Dear God, “your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Guide me to read, love, and use it beyond my devotional time today. Amen.
About the author — Dave Den Haan
Dave Den Haan is an ordained minister who works for Thrive, the Christian Reformed Church in North America agency that equips and encourages congregations. His main focus is to serve churches experiencing conflict and challenge. Before working with Thrive, Dave served as a pastor to two congregations, one in Minnesota and one in Michigan. He and his wife, Connie, have three married children and two grandchildren.
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