JESUS' FIRST BIBLE STUDY AFTER HIS RESURRECTION (Psalm 119:11; Luke 24:13-33)
Yeow Chin Kiong
It often goes unnoticed that our risen Lord's first activity, mere hours after His resurrection, was to conduct an intense scripture study with two disciples. Luke records it in Luke 24:13-33,- an open-air Scripture class along the seven-mile road from Jerusalem to the village of Emmaus (Luke 24:13). We are not told how many hours the class lasted but the lesson was about "all that the prophets have spoken (about the Christ having to suffer before entering His glory) (Luke 24:25-26). Today, His class would be titled "Christ In All The Old Testament Books," for it covered all the Scriptures concerning Himself, "beginning at Moses and all the prophets" (implying He also covered the "Writings" or the wisdom literature of the Old Testament (Luke 24:25-27). Our Lord would have explained very many passages of scripture that day!
At that moment in human history, texts were not bound between two covers as books are today. The 39 "books" of the Old Testament (i.e. the Hebrew TANAKH or its Greek translation, the SEPTUAGINT) which Jesus made reference to were divided into many scrolls or separate manuscripts. "All of the scriptures,", in the form in which they were recorded then, would be too bulky to carry around on any lengthy journey. It is reasonable to conclude that the three men were handling God's word held in memory and recalled. Then, too, the scriptures were not yet arranged into numbered chapters and verses. Entire passages of scripture would have to be quoted correctly from memory to make a point. Such was the tedious practice on the Jerusalem-Emmaus road that day!
During the days of primarily oral transmission of scriptures without chapter and verse numbers, memorization and recall of entire books were not options. The religious authorities had access to scrolls and manuscripts but their hearers very frequently did not. For many faithful,- even after the invention of the printing press,- the exemplary habit of Psalm 119:11 meant putting effort to memorize large portions of scripture and recalling them to be applied to the changing circumstances of life. That Psalm reads, "Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You."
Other scriptures encouraging,- if not commanding,- the memorization of God's word are Proverbs 3:1-2 ("My son, do not forget my law, but let your heart keep my commands; for length of days and long life and peace they will add to you,") Jeremiah 15:16 ("Your words were found and I ate them, and Your word was to me joy and rejoicing of my heart; for I am called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts,") and Proverbs 4:20-21 ("My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart.")
Internalizing the meaning of Divinely-inspired scripture is necessary if we are to change our conduct to be aligned to God's will for us (2 Timothy 3:14-17). Memorizing scriptures embeds them in our thought and, more importantly, also in our conscience. Especially so are we to memorize the many so-called "Catalogues of Virtues and Vices" to be found throughout God's word as lists of good to pursue and evil to avoid. Examples of such lists include the beatitudes in our Lord's Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:2-12), vices of a debased mind which incur God's judgement (Romans 1:28-32), the meaning or manifestation of love (1 Corinthians 13: 4-10), the works of the flesh (Galatians 5:19-21) and the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-24). The separate items in such lists ought to be studied so that their meaning in Greek and English can be well-understood, memorized and later recalled and applied in our daily life if they represent what God approves and avoided if they represent what God does not (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22).