Jesus and the Authority of the Scriptures
Jesus demonstrated the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures as God’s Word in several ways through His teachings and interactions. Here are a few key examples:
1. Jesus’ Use of Scripture to Resist Temptation (Matthew 4:1-11; Luke 4:1-13)
When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He responded to each temptation by quoting Scripture from the book of Deuteronomy (Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:16; 6:13).
By repeatedly saying,
“It is written…”
Jesus demonstrated that He viewed the Old Testament as authoritative and as the final word in resisting temptation. He upheld the Scriptures as His guide and source of truth against Satan’s lies.
2. Jesus’ Teaching on the Permanence of Scripture
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. 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” Matthew 5:17-18
Here, Jesus affirmed the Old Testament (“the Law and the Prophets”) as enduring and unchangeable. He declared its fulfilment, not annulment, indicating its divine authority and eternal significance.
When Jesus was praying for his disciples, shortly before his crucifixion, he emphasised that the prophecies of Scripture are dependable. He prayed for his disciples,
“None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.” John 17:12
He then prays for their future walk with God,
“Sanctify them by the truth: your word is truth.” John 17:17
Without God speaking to us in a dependable way we can never know the truths that matter.
3. Jesus’ Reference to Scripture in Debates with Religious Leaders
Jesus often quoted the Old Testament in His debates with the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other leaders to affirm its authority.
Jesus criticises the Pharisees for putting their traditions above God’s commandments, quoting Isaiah to support His teaching about authentic worship and obedience to God’s Word.
“The Lord says: ‘These people come near to me with their mouth and honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught.’” Isaiah 29:13
In Matthew 15:3-9, Jesus criticises the Pharisees for putting their traditions above God’s commandments, quoting this verse from Isaiah to support His teaching that authentic worship is obedience to God’s Word.
When questioned by the Sadducees about the resurrection, Jesus rebuked them,
“You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.” Matthew 22:29
He then cited from Exodus 3:6 to affirm the resurrection, emphasising that Scripture holds the answers to theological questions.
“But about the resurrection of the dead—have you not read what God said to you, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’[a]? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Matthew 22:31-32
4. Jesus’ Use of the Psalms and Prophets to Confirm His Own Identity and Mission
Jesus frequently pointed to the Old Testament to reveal aspects of His own identity and mission:
In Luke 4:16-21 Jesus reads from Isaiah in the synagogue, proclaiming that He is the fulfilment of that prophecy.
“The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Isaiah 61:1-2
By affirming Isaiah’s words, Jesus upholds the prophetic authority of the Old Testament.
The Jewish authorities knew that God’s Messiah would be a descendant of King David because of the many prophecies about this in Scripture. Elsewhere Jesus uses Psalm 110:1 to explain that the would be Divine, affirming that David’s words were God given, are authoritative and prophetically point to the Messiah.
“He said to them, “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,“‘The Lord said to my Lord:“Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.” Matthew 22:43-44
Jesus often alluded to prophetic passages like Isaiah 53 (about the suffering servant) and Zechariah 12:10 (about being pierced) to explain His role in God’s redemptive plan, affirming the prophets as authoritative.
5. Jesus Explained His Fulfilment of Scripture
After His resurrection, Jesus appeared to His disciples on the road to Emmaus and
“. . . beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Luke 24:27
Later, He told His disciples,
“Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.” Luke 24:44
This shows Jesus viewed the entirety of the Old Testament as divinely inspired and authoritative, with prophecies that pointed to Him.
6. Jesus Affirmed the Authority of the Law of Moses (Matthew 19:3-9)
When asked about divorce, Jesus cited the creation account in Genesis (Genesis 1:27; 2:24) to explain God’s intention for marriage, showing that He regarded the Torah as authoritative for moral teaching and God’s design for human relationships.
In summary, Jesus demonstrated that He viewed the Old Testament as having the authority of God through:
Quoting it as the final word in temptation, moral teachings, and theological discussions.
Affirming its divine inspiration and permanence.
Using it to reveal and validate His own mission and identity.
Through these actions, Jesus clearly upheld the Old Testament Scriptures as the authoritative Word of God.
BVP
