students of jesus

Homer left us the Iliad and the Odyssey. Aristotle wrote on every conceivable topic. Moses wrote down the law of God. King David penned a thousand songs. Mohamed wrote down the words of the Koran. Confucius left us the Analects and the Dalai Lama is a publishing juggernaut. And if it’s Thursday, that means Deepak Chopra has a new book out.

And then there’s Jesus. The smartest guy who ever lived didn’t write a book. Instead, he wrote himself into the hearts of men and women—and only a few at that. It seems Jesus is more comfortable inside the humid chests of humanity than the dust-dry collection of pigment and paper.

Every student of Jesus should consider Jesus’ lack of a publishing dynasty. It’s a challenge to how we read the Bible, and how we hear the Lord’s voice. Nor does this diminish the importance of the inspired, the inscripted word we call the Bible. I’ll show my cards early, because I’m not trying to win the hand. The Holy Spirit breathed upon men, who wrote things down. Important things. Dependable things. Holy things. I read the Bible because it’s a signpost to Jesus. It’s reliable and true. True-er than any other book. It’s filled with wisdom I must have, as important as food and water. I trust the Spirit who breathed it, the men who wrote it, and the communities who preserved it. The Bible is a gift to treasure.

But it’s dangerous to read this book apart from feeling the still-fresh breath of the Spirit. The Bible is a portal, not the path. It’s a message, not the mentor. Even when we recite those sweet words from the proverbs, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path,” we understand there’s a path to be traveled and a life to be lived, not a test to be taken. In the wise words of Bishop Todd Hunter, “the Bible is the menu, not the meal.”

Jesus doesn’t live in the Bible. He lives in the hearts of men and women all over the world. He’s capable of looking me in the eyes this very day. (He also lives at the right hand of the Father on a shining throne surrounded by a crystal sea, but that’s a post for another day.)

Ten days ago my friend Andrea Giordano introduced this topic, and you really should read her guest-post. It’s practical and life giving.

To her insightful words I want to add one observation. Jesus wrote himself into the hearts of men and women because he wanted to use the longest-lasting media available. Men and women, created in the image of God and awaked by the Spirit of God, will live forever. Ink fades, pixels falter, even stone will crumble, but the sons and daughters of the King will remain forever. Mature children of the King will carry the presence—and the word—of the King to every corner of creation. In a billion years the people of God will still have the word of God written in their hearts.

If there is an investment to be made, we should value what Jesus valued: people. The value of knowing the Bible is because it equips us to serve others and see Jesus more clearly. The surest way to preserve the precepts of God is to love and nurture the people of God. I believe what Isaiah said, “The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God shall stand forever.” I just think it will happen in surprising and beautiful ways.