What Jesus Thinks of the Bible

You can turn your Bibles to Matthew chapter 5, verse 1, which is the first book of the New Testament.

Martin Luther, who helped kick off the Reformation near the end of his life, reflected back on his ministry with these typical Luther words: "I simply taught, preached, and wrote God's word; otherwise I did nothing. And while I slept or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philip and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything." He didn't storm a castle, he didn't raise an army—he drank beer with friends, and the Word of God took down an empire.

Some people hear that and say, "Let's sign up for that!" while others might think, "How dare he?" The Bible talks a lot about itself, and one of the main ways it describes itself is through its power. This is not a book of suggestions; this is not Proverbs or folk wisdom that has been collected over centuries. The Bible describes itself over and over again as alive, dangerous, and active.

For example, Jeremiah 23:29 says, "'Is not my word like fire,' declares the Lord, 'and like a hammer that breaks a rock to pieces?'" You can hear the power in that. Have you ever been near a fire that was out of control? Fire is not cozy when it is out of your hands—it is scary, dangerous power. And a hammer that breaks rock is pure demolition.

Or consider Hebrews 4:12 in the New Testament: "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Hear that power—it is a sword that penetrates, divides, and judges. It checks the inner recesses of your heart, even the things you hide from the people you love. Being stabbed is not being healed; it hurts and directs pain down to your soul deeper than any physical sword can go. It functions like a sword without a handle: if you use it on someone, you are bound to cut yourself too. There have likely been times when you read the Bible and closed it quickly because you simply could not take what you were reading.

Now we arrive at the words of Jesus in Matthew chapter 5. Consider how amazing this is: the God who speaks fire and cuts like a sword opened His mouth and spoke. We are talking about the incarnate Son of God, who spoke words out loud in Aramaic that were summarized into Greek and passed down to us in English. This is Jesus, the one to whom we belong, whose connection with us is deep and unbreakable. He has joy, and we have joy; He will not leave us behind, and we cannot be separated from Him. These are the words that He spoke.

Premier New Testament scholar D.A. Carson noted that these four verses—Matthew 5:17–20—are among the most difficult in the New Testament to understand. People in the backdrop of Jesus' ministry had started comparing His message to that of the scribes and Pharisees, accusing Him of abandoning the Old Testament law. We know this accusation was present based on His direct response here, and because much of the Gospel of Matthew works to address that charge.

So what does Jesus think about the Bible?

1. Christ Upholds the Law and the Prophets

In verse 17, Jesus says, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them." That is not a neutral opening line; it is a direct denial answering an implicit charge. Jesus clarifies that He did not come to destroy the law, but to uphold and fulfill it.

Different cultures respond to various parts of the Bible in different ways. In modern Western culture, most people do not have a hard time with parts of the New Testament, but they often label the Old Testament as the hardest or most difficult section. Yet in this text, the attitude is flipped. The people were worried that Jesus was not taking the Old Testament law seriously enough.

Jesus addresses His attitude toward the law in verse 18: "For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." That is an extremely strong statement. The smallest letter refers to the smallest mark in Hebrew. Jesus is stating that all of the Old Testament, down to the smallest detail, will stand, along with everything to which it points.

When Jesus says "until everything is accomplished," it means every prophecy will come true and every promise will be fulfilled. God's Word is true and is not dependent on human opinion or cultural shifts. Jesus reinforces this in verse 19, stating that anyone who sets aside the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

Consider what C.S. Lewis called "chronological snobbery"—the assumption that ideas from the past are inherently outdated and that current thought represents ultimate progress. Every generation has a list of biblical passages it finds uncomfortable or embarrassing. Yet entire centuries of human opinion will pass away, while the Word of God remains standing.

When you encounter a passage that unsettles you—a command you dislike or a hard statement—what is your initial reaction? Is it to wrestle with it and ask God for understanding, or is it to explain it away, minimize it, or ignore it? If we only submit to the parts of Scripture with which we already agree, we have not submitted to Scripture at all; we have simply made ourselves our own authority.

2. Christ is What the Law and the Prophets Point To

When Jesus says He came to fulfill the law rather than abolish it, it does not mean nothing changes. The food laws, sacrificial systems, and ceremonial structures shift, but they do so because they find their fulfillment in Him.

Matthew 11:13 states, "For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John." The Old Testament law itself functioned prophetically by pointing toward a greater reality. The sacrifices, the priesthood, the historical accounts, and the moral demands were all pointing to a story reaching for its resolution. Jesus stands on the hillside and presents Himself as that resolution. Every sacrifice points to the true Lamb, and every king points to the ultimate King.

We see this same truth across the Gospels:

In John 1, Jesus is revealed as the eternal Word made flesh. In the Old Testament, God's word is His powerful agent in creation ("God said, 'Let there be light'"), His revelation through the prophets, and His instrument of deliverance. John declares that this very self-expression of God took on human flesh and dwelt among us.

In Luke 24, following His resurrection, Jesus walks with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. In verse 27, "beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself." Jesus provided the ultimate framework for reading the Bible: if Scripture is interpreted in a way that does not point to Him, it is missing its intended climax.

For example, the story of David and Goliath is frequently read merely as a moral lesson about conquering personal giants through courage. But in the larger biblical framework, David acts as a champion for a helpless people who need a deliverer. David's victory points to a greater King—Jesus—who overcomes sin and death on behalf of His people. Jesus is the key that unlocks the true meaning of the entire Old Testament.

When the disciples on the road to Emmaus finally understood this, they said in Luke 24:32, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?" When Christ opens the Scriptures, truth becomes focused, and the heart is fundamentally moved.

3. Christ Demands a Higher Righteousness

In verse 20, Jesus makes a striking statement: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Pharisees were the most disciplined rule-keepers of the first century, creating extensive secondary regulations to ensure they never broke the law. Yet Jesus explains that His standard goes beyond external rule-keeping to the condition of the heart. In fact, He concludes the chapter by stating, "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Throughout the rest of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus addresses internal heart attitudes—anger, lust, truthfulness, retaliation, and love for enemies. Each example presents a deeper demand than mere external compliance, calling for a righteousness that flows from a transformed heart.

This connects directly back to the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:6: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." This refers to a deep longing to live in conformity with God's character—hungering for mercy, purity, and peace.

While these demands are comprehensive, they are motivated by love. In Genesis, Jacob served seven years for Rachel, "but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her." When the heart truly loves God and desires His righteousness, His commands are not experienced as a crushing burden, but as life-giving truth.

The entire biblical story points to Jesus Christ. He upholds the Scriptures, fulfills every promise, and invites us to find our ultimate satisfaction in Him. As He promises in the Gospel of John, those who come to Him will never hunger, and those who believe in Him will never thirst.