Jesus’ critics saw the Bible in a very different way than Jesus saw it. They saw it as law, rules for living. He saw it as a book about loving God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-40). They saw and preached the letter of the law; He saw and preached the spirit of the law. They saw the Bible as pointing to the Messiah as the greatest military man ever, He saw it as a book that told of a Messiah that laid down His life in unconditional love for His enemies. They interpreted the Bible to be a book about many things; He interpreted the message of the Bible as a book pointing to His own saving mission (Luke 24:27).
“I did not come to abolish the law or the prophets but to fill up their meaning to the fullest” (Matthew 5:17 a paraphrase).
