Today is the 29th installment of 30 days of resources for your family to use to grow together. Each of our daily activities will have the following pieces:
- PLAY TOGETHER: An opportunity to have fun and do something together instead of watching Netflix.
- TALK TOGETHER: Around the dinner table or just two of you sitting on the back porch, take turns asking these questions to learn more about the other.
- ORIENT TOGETHER: In time of need we have an opportunity to renew our vision for Jesus, and pray for His work in our life and world.
We hope these resources are helpful to you as a family. Feel free to share with others as well!
Hide-and-Seek: A fun child’s game. Everyone hides and one person seeks! Play with a base, no base, in the dark or outside! Switch it up and play Sardines in the Dark where one person hides and everyone tries to find them. Once found, they hide with them until the last person finds the group.
- What’s your favorite Bible verse or book? Why?
- Which book in the Bible is the most challenging to read? Why?
- If you could only read the New Testament or the Old Testament, which would you choose? Why?
Read Luke 24:13-49
Reading the Bible is a good thing, but understanding the Bible can be challenging. I cannot tell you how many times I have started a new Bible reading plan with such determination to finish it only to fizzle out after wandering around in the book of Numbers. Why is it that we can be pumped to read some parts of the Bible but not all? Some parts of the Bible are confusing. Other parts seem irrelevant, impersonal, or strange. What hope is there for us? For me, reading Luke chapter 24 opened my eyes to understanding the whole Bible as one unified story.
Go back to Luke 24 and read verses 27 and 44 again. Reading those two verses unlocked the Old Testament for me and filled it with a richness I did not think was possible. One thing I love about those two verses is how we are told that the disciples had to be shown how the Scriptures (Old Testament) always pointed to Jesus. “He interpreted to them…” and, “He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.” It is comforting to me that these men, who spent three years with Jesus and were taught the Old Testament from their youth, still did not get it. So, you are in good company. The three portions of Scripture that are mentioned here are: the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms. Below I will give brief examples of how each section can point to Jesus.
The Law of Moses – “The phrase “Law of Moses” refers to the first five books of the Bible. Jesus says each one points to Him in some way. Take, for instance, the book of Leviticus. One of the major themes is holiness in every realm ceremonial, moral, spiritual, relational, etc). It can be very easy to get lost in this book, but once you see this theme of clean and unclean, it starts to become more clear. We read about unclean things and unclean things making other things unclean to the point where you start to “feel” unclean yourself and wonder if there is any hope to be clean. Enter Jesus. The One who is pure entered into our filth. Jesus did not become unclean even as He touched to heal. Instead, He made the unclean clean! It is hard to not think of 2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God”
The Prophets – By stating “Prophets” along with the Law of Moses, Luke is essentially referring to the rest of the Old Testament. Take, for example, the book of Daniel, the prophet whose enemies created a law to get him in trouble, and whose obedience to God got him thrown into the lion’s den. However, he was ultimately saved by God because he had done nothing wrong. Compare these themes to Jesus, whose enemies had to lie about Him in order to get Him arrested and whose obedience to God led to being crucified. Yet instead of being saved from death, He experienced death for all those who do not obey God. But because He truly was God, He rose again and displayed His power and rule over death. Now, He offers the same life to those who trust in Him.
The Psalms – Also known as “The Writings” (think of books like Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon). Check out Psalm 15, in it David writes about the type of person that can be in God’s presence. What a tall order. If there was anyone who fit that description, it would be Jesus! But, wait. Jesus fleshed out all of these qualities perfectly.Yet, He was placed on the hill of calvary between two robbers instead of being welcomed to dwell on God’s holy hill. Instead of being welcomed to sojourn in God’s tent, God hid His face from Him! Why? Jesus willingly experienced rejection so that we can always be welcomed into God’s tent on His holy hill when we do not live as we ought. When we fail, Jesus’ obedience becomes our obedience.
We have just begun to tease out the various ways that we can see Jesus in the Old Testament. I hope you start to look at the Old Testament differently, knowing that when You read it, Jesus is there! The next time you open your Bible, I would encourage you to ask yourself, “How does this point me to Jesus?” As the Jesus storybook Bible says, “every story in the Bible whispers his name.”
Pray
Father, we thank You that the Bible is one unified story that points us to Jesus. We confess that reading the Bible does not always come easily, but we pray that You would help us see the beauty of Jesus on every page. You have the words of life. Open our eyes, Holy Spirit, so that we might behold wonderful things in all of Scripture. Help us taste and see that You are good.
Today’s Family Resource for Growing Together is written by Adam Davenport, a speaker and business consultant in Raleigh, NC.
MODGNIK 