What the Red-Letter Jesus has to say about the Bible
I always smile when I hear someone say, "I don't care about the Bible, I just follow Jesus. I'm a red-letter Christian." I smile because of what Jesus himself says about Scripture. For him every word of Scripture is our very life. He is continually quoting it as a final authority, referring to it, making arguments from it, and telling about how he himself fulfils it. Indeed one cannot get very far in understanding what Jesus says unless we too are steeped in Scripture. So here are just a few examples of how Jesus talks about the Bible taken from Matthew's Gospel alone. Matthew 4:4 -- Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 8:3. If we live like Jesus every word of Scripture is our life. Matthew 5:17-18 -- Jesus affirms the Law and the Prophets. Matthew 15:3-9 -- Jesus criticizes the Pharisees and teachers of the law for putting their traditions over Scripture -- Exodus 20:12 & Deuteronomy 5:16 / Exodus 20:12 & Deuteronomy 5:16 / Isaiah 29:13 Matthew 12:3-8 -- J