Jesus Book

Luke 24:27
And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

I went to a sign language class the other day and learned some pretty interesting things. I learned how to say “Thank you” and “You’re welcome” with my hands. But the most interesting thing that I learned in that sign language class was the sign for Bible. You see, deaf people don’t call it a Bible; they don’t spell out B-I-B-L-E with their fingers. They have a specific sign to show what the book is. More importantly, what the book is about.

The sign for Bible in American Sign Language is a combination of two signs put together. One is the sign for Jesus and the other for book. When a deaf person tells you to get your Bible, he or she is saying, “Get your JESUS BOOK.” This floored me!

Why can’t the “hearing” Christian community get this simple truth through their heads? The Bible is not a manual for how to live a right life. It’s not a book of rules and regulations. It’s not “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. These are trite cliches that rob God of the integrity of His word. The Bible is The Jesus Book. That’s it, and that’s what I’m calling it from now on. Maybe I’ll shorten it to JB, but for the most part; it’s now going to be referred to as my “Jesus Book”.

Funny thing: when you read the Jesus Book with the understanding that it’s a book about Jesus, you learn more about Jesus. However, when you read the Bible as a book of rules for you, you only learn more about you! “Hearing, they will not hear.”, I think those were Jesus’ own words (Matthew 13:13). Yet, the Jesus Book tells us that the blind will see and the deaf will hear! Perhaps the deaf have heard with their eyes, and proclaim with their hands, what we, the hearing have been spiritually deaf to.

This is the point that Jesus was making on the Emmaus road: everything written in the Old and New was pointing to Him; it was revealing Jesus. That’s why He hid Himself from them as He expounded from all scripture everything concerning who He was. The Ten Commandments, the 613 ceremonial laws, and the prophetic writings all serve to reveal Jesus. The battles fought, the stories of valiant men, the writings of redemption all serve to reveal Jesus. And this is the blessing that the deaf culture has through their language: the first thing they know about the Bible (Jesus Book) is that it’s about Jesus!

What can we learn from all of this? Put aside the doctrine of rules and laws. Stop looking to the Jesus Book for ways to make it a book about you; it’s not! Are there blessings to be found within its pages for you? Absolutely! Are there promises made to you in the Jesus Book? Yes. But it’s only when you understand Jesus, who He is and what He’s done, that everything in His book will be applied to your life.

So go ahead, pick up your Jesus Book (a/k/a the Bible) and learn more about Him today. Learn how He gave up His throne for your redemption. Learn how He gave up His righteousness for your sin. Learn how He gave up His glory for your shame. Learn how He gave up His life for your death. Understand who Jesus is and find yourself in Him!