That’s how Jesus replied to questions, problems, and difficulties that were agitating the church in His day. “Have ye not read?” He would ask, and then go on to quote a relevant passage of Scripture to settle the matter in hand once and for all.
In other words, if the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the chief priests and the elders, had only read and believed the Scriptures they would have known what was true and what was false, what was right and what was wrong.
“Have you not read?”
That was both a rebuke and also a directive.
But this applies to us also. Questions, problems, and difficulties galore plague us in religion and theology in our day also. Unfortunately one’s scholarship and erudition soon become suspect if we advance definitive answers, propositional truths, and unambiguous language instead of ever continuing in dialogue and a search for truth. But so often the reason for our confusion, uncertainty, and doubt is precisely this: we have not read!
Dr. Charles Hodge was right: “In opposition to all error, to all false philosophy, to all false principles of morals, to all the sophistries of vice, to all the suggestions of the devil, the sole, simple and sufficient answer is the Word of God—this puts to Right all the powers of darkness.”
But what’s happening? The Bible is being downgraded today and its authority and authenticity undermined. And that not only by clearly recognized liberals but now also by those who still want to call themselves Reformed. Whittier, in “A Sabbath Scene,” once addressed some scathing lines of rebuke to those who take liberties with the Bible:
“Foul shame and scorn be on ye all
Who tum the good to evil,
And steal the Bible from the Lord
And give it to the Devil.”
Unassailable example – Let’s beware lest we be too easily driven or laughed out of court whenever we believe it to be warranted to meet questions, problems, doubts, and difficulties head-on by following our Lord in the use of His “Have ye not read?” There are answers and solutions in Scripture as clear as broad daylight and anyone who blurs these with a fog of doubt and uncertainty makes himself guilty of tampering with Christ’s unassailable example.
“I am a man of one book,” said Thomas Aquinas. Does this mean that we are to read and study nothing but the Bible? To be sure, not. But it definitely should mean for us that we are to acknowledge and own nothing but the Bible as our final rule for faith and practice. In our search for answers and solutions, conflicts arise between what Scripture clearly states and what other would-be authorities boldly affirm. When such real or apparent conflicts are incapable of being resolved, the believer knows that there can be no both-and, but that of necessity it must be either-or.
There are those who may say that what we are advocating is naive, simplistic, bibliolatry, or allegiance to a paper pope. But surely our Lord was not guilty of anything of the kind; and we are, therefore, in good company in following His example as often as we are warranted in doing so. William Cowper gave beautiful expression also to our Savior’s high regard for Scripture when he wrote:
“A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun; It gives a light to every age—It gives, but borrows none.”
Back to the Bible – It is both interesting and instructive to note how our Lord repeatedly directed critics and questioners back to the Bible for them to know the truth of a matter and what is right. And, however unschooled and unsophisticated we may appear in doing so, so often the only way out of our maze of questions, problems, and difficulties is to do just as Jesus did. Note the following instances:
“But the Pharisees…said unto him, Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him….? Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath…?” (Matt. 12:2, 3, 5).
“And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? and he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female…?” (Matt. 19:3, 4).
“But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were moved with indignation….And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matt. 21:15, 16).
And on another occasion when the chief priests and the elders challenged our Lord’s authority, He said: “Did ye never read in the scriptures,
The stone which the builders rejected,
The same was made the head of the corner;
This was from the Lord,
And it is marvellous in our eyes?” (Matt. 21:42).
And to the Sadducees who denied the resurrection, Jesus said: “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but the living” (Matt. 22:31, 32).
“But as touching the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in the book of Moses…how God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; ye do greatly err” (Mark 12:26, 27).
Now it should go without saying that this constant refrain (“Have ye not read?”) may never be regarded as a substitute for painstaking study and respectable scholarship. Of course, that which we read in Scripture must be carefully studied and properly interpreted. However, at the same time it must not be forgotten that the Lord has endowed His Word with a perspicuity that so often authorizes even the simplest believer to reply to man-made problems, questions, and difficulties by saying, Have ye not read?
To regain our bearings – It is disturbing indeed to become increasingly aware that the religious and theological milieu of our time is so greatly characterized by problems instead of solutions, questions rather than answers, and difficulties rather than direction. The need to regain our bearings and our sense of direction today has become undeniably acute. The time has come that we earnestly ask ourselves, each other, and others: “Have ye not read? Have ye not read? Honestly now, have ye not read!”
For those who really read and know the Bible can there be any question about it:
– that the whole Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant;
– that Adam and Eve were real persons, and that the account of their fall into sin is literally true;
– that the historicity of the first eleven chapters of Genesis may not be called into question and boldly denied;
– that there can be no justification for abandoning the teaching of creation by divine fiat in deference to the theory of evolution;
– that Scripture clearly prescribes the preaching of the Word as being indispensable in divine worship, and that even the best contrivances of men are no substitute for it;
– that divorce except on the one ground Scripture allows is to be condemned;
– that pre-marital and extra-marital sex are an abomination in God’s sight; and that those who advocate and practice such are adulterers of whom the Bible says that, unless they repent, they shall not inherit the kingdom of God;
– that the homosexual who is unwilling to know and confess and forsake his loathsome practice is under the divine judgment;
– that “situation ethics” and the “new morality” are inventions of the devil and that those who yield to Satan’s wiles in this must be urgently counseled to flee from the wrath to come;
– that ecumenical affiliations and mergers that jeopardize our forthright testimony concerning the fundamentals of Scripture and cause the sound of the trumpet to be muted must be shunned rather than cultivated;
– and that for us as a church there is no warrant for getting our priorities confused by giving social involvement the right of way rather than the kerygma or the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of sinners.
Begging the question? – “Have ye not read?” was Jesus’ answer to those who somehow had gotten off the King’s highway into the byways of human teaching and detours from Scripture. And may God have mercy on us if this guide line our Lord so clearly sets before us already has or will become the lost chord in our preaching and living!
But, says someone, when you attempt to solve problems, answer questions, and resolve difficulties by a device as simple as that, aren’t you just begging the question? Shouldn’t we rather keep the dialogue and discussion going and the lines of communication open?
The answer is that so many matters in dispute have been discussed forward and backward for so long already that they should no longer be permitted to go begging for an answer. Finally the time must come to say, “Have ye not read?” and thereby put an end to the matter.
The believer has been taught of the Lord to say that God’s Word is a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path. As problems, questions, and difficulties multiply and as we grope for light, let’s be brought hack to the faith we profess by our Lord’s repeated and penetrating question: “Have ye not read?”
In other words, if the Pharisees and the Sadducees, the chief priests and the elders, had only read and believed the Scriptures they would have known what was true and what was false, what was right and what was wrong.
“Have you not read?”
That was both a rebuke and also a directive.
But this applies to us also. Questions, problems, and difficulties galore plague us in religion and theology in our day also. Unfortunately one’s scholarship and erudition soon become suspect if we advance definitive answers, propositional truths, and unambiguous language instead of ever continuing in dialogue and a search for truth. But so often the reason for our confusion, uncertainty, and doubt is precisely this: we have not read!
Dr. Charles Hodge was right: “In opposition to all error, to all false philosophy, to all false principles of morals, to all the sophistries of vice, to all the suggestions of the devil, the sole, simple and sufficient answer is the Word of God—this puts to Right all the powers of darkness.”
But what’s happening? The Bible is being downgraded today and its authority and authenticity undermined. And that not only by clearly recognized liberals but now also by those who still want to call themselves Reformed. Whittier, in “A Sabbath Scene,” once addressed some scathing lines of rebuke to those who take liberties with the Bible:
“Foul shame and scorn be on ye all
Who tum the good to evil,
And steal the Bible from the Lord
And give it to the Devil.”
Unassailable example – Let’s beware lest we be too easily driven or laughed out of court whenever we believe it to be warranted to meet questions, problems, doubts, and difficulties head-on by following our Lord in the use of His “Have ye not read?” There are answers and solutions in Scripture as clear as broad daylight and anyone who blurs these with a fog of doubt and uncertainty makes himself guilty of tampering with Christ’s unassailable example.
“I am a man of one book,” said Thomas Aquinas. Does this mean that we are to read and study nothing but the Bible? To be sure, not. But it definitely should mean for us that we are to acknowledge and own nothing but the Bible as our final rule for faith and practice. In our search for answers and solutions, conflicts arise between what Scripture clearly states and what other would-be authorities boldly affirm. When such real or apparent conflicts are incapable of being resolved, the believer knows that there can be no both-and, but that of necessity it must be either-or.
There are those who may say that what we are advocating is naive, simplistic, bibliolatry, or allegiance to a paper pope. But surely our Lord was not guilty of anything of the kind; and we are, therefore, in good company in following His example as often as we are warranted in doing so. William Cowper gave beautiful expression also to our Savior’s high regard for Scripture when he wrote:
“A glory gilds the sacred page, Majestic like the sun; It gives a light to every age—It gives, but borrows none.”
Back to the Bible – It is both interesting and instructive to note how our Lord repeatedly directed critics and questioners back to the Bible for them to know the truth of a matter and what is right. And, however unschooled and unsophisticated we may appear in doing so, so often the only way out of our maze of questions, problems, and difficulties is to do just as Jesus did. Note the following instances:
“But the Pharisees…said unto him, Behold thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him….? Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath…?” (Matt. 12:2, 3, 5).
“And there came unto him Pharisees, trying him, and saying, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? and he answered and said, Have ye not read, that he who made them from the beginning made them male and female…?” (Matt. 19:3, 4).
“But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were moved with indignation….And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Matt. 21:15, 16).
And on another occasion when the chief priests and the elders challenged our Lord’s authority, He said: “Did ye never read in the scriptures,
The stone which the builders rejected,
The same was made the head of the corner;
This was from the Lord,
And it is marvellous in our eyes?” (Matt. 21:42).
And to the Sadducees who denied the resurrection, Jesus said: “But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but the living” (Matt. 22:31, 32).
“But as touching the dead, that they are raised; have ye not read in the book of Moses…how God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of the dead, but of the living; ye do greatly err” (Mark 12:26, 27).
Now it should go without saying that this constant refrain (“Have ye not read?”) may never be regarded as a substitute for painstaking study and respectable scholarship. Of course, that which we read in Scripture must be carefully studied and properly interpreted. However, at the same time it must not be forgotten that the Lord has endowed His Word with a perspicuity that so often authorizes even the simplest believer to reply to man-made problems, questions, and difficulties by saying, Have ye not read?
To regain our bearings – It is disturbing indeed to become increasingly aware that the religious and theological milieu of our time is so greatly characterized by problems instead of solutions, questions rather than answers, and difficulties rather than direction. The need to regain our bearings and our sense of direction today has become undeniably acute. The time has come that we earnestly ask ourselves, each other, and others: “Have ye not read? Have ye not read? Honestly now, have ye not read!”
For those who really read and know the Bible can there be any question about it:
– that the whole Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant;
– that Adam and Eve were real persons, and that the account of their fall into sin is literally true;
– that the historicity of the first eleven chapters of Genesis may not be called into question and boldly denied;
– that there can be no justification for abandoning the teaching of creation by divine fiat in deference to the theory of evolution;
– that Scripture clearly prescribes the preaching of the Word as being indispensable in divine worship, and that even the best contrivances of men are no substitute for it;
– that divorce except on the one ground Scripture allows is to be condemned;
– that pre-marital and extra-marital sex are an abomination in God’s sight; and that those who advocate and practice such are adulterers of whom the Bible says that, unless they repent, they shall not inherit the kingdom of God;
– that the homosexual who is unwilling to know and confess and forsake his loathsome practice is under the divine judgment;
– that “situation ethics” and the “new morality” are inventions of the devil and that those who yield to Satan’s wiles in this must be urgently counseled to flee from the wrath to come;
– that ecumenical affiliations and mergers that jeopardize our forthright testimony concerning the fundamentals of Scripture and cause the sound of the trumpet to be muted must be shunned rather than cultivated;
– and that for us as a church there is no warrant for getting our priorities confused by giving social involvement the right of way rather than the kerygma or the proclamation of the gospel for the salvation of sinners.
Begging the question? – “Have ye not read?” was Jesus’ answer to those who somehow had gotten off the King’s highway into the byways of human teaching and detours from Scripture. And may God have mercy on us if this guide line our Lord so clearly sets before us already has or will become the lost chord in our preaching and living!
But, says someone, when you attempt to solve problems, answer questions, and resolve difficulties by a device as simple as that, aren’t you just begging the question? Shouldn’t we rather keep the dialogue and discussion going and the lines of communication open?
The answer is that so many matters in dispute have been discussed forward and backward for so long already that they should no longer be permitted to go begging for an answer. Finally the time must come to say, “Have ye not read?” and thereby put an end to the matter.
The believer has been taught of the Lord to say that God’s Word is a lamp unto his feet and a light unto his path. As problems, questions, and difficulties multiply and as we grope for light, let’s be brought hack to the faith we profess by our Lord’s repeated and penetrating question: “Have ye not read?”