Have You Ever Read the Last Chapter First?

When I was in seminary, we often had hundreds and even thousands of pages to read. I learned to speed read, and I also learned to read the last chapter first. Richard Hays has written a book, Reading Backwards, which tells us how important this practice is in understanding the Bible. It is important that we read the Bible forward and backward.

Jesus’ disciples only understood His resurrection after His resurrection. The disciples did not understand what Jesus meant when He said He would rebuild the temple in three days (John 2:21).

John’s gospel is generally thought to be the last of the gospel accounts to be written. John 2:13-22 provides an important insight into faith. John linked the belief of the first disciples with Jesus’ resurrection. After Jesus rose from the dead, the disciples’ belief in Him was confirmed in a way that reinforced Christ’s own words (vs. 19-22).

The early disciples didn’t have all the pieces of the puzzle together until after He died and was resurrected. John said the point of this gospel is that we “may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing we may have life in His name.” (20:31)

Only through rereading the scriptures in light of the true temple of God (Jesus Himself) could the disciples grasp how the ritual of Israel’s religion and Messiah would throw light on one another. It is only by reading these same Scriptures backward and forward, that we can see in Jesus everything any of us have ever needed or longed for.

Prayer – Father, thank You for allowing me to live long enough to show me the wonder of your presence in ways I could not have foreseen. Thank you for becoming clearer each day as I read your scripture forward and backward. Amen.

John 2:22 – “After He was raised from the dead, His disciples recalled what He had said.”

By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images by Manuel Rheinschmidt & Rolf Neumann, courtesy of Unsplash