Where’s Jesus?
“You search and keep on searching and examining the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and yet it is those [very Scriptures] that testify about Me; and still you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life.”
John 5:39-40 AMP
Where’s Wally, known as Where’s Waldo in North America, is a popular children’s puzzle book series created by English illustrator, Martin Handford. You’ve likely seen a copy, as over 73 million have been sold since the series debut in 1987. Each book consists of various double-page spreads depicting hundreds of characters at a single location doing various activities. While the characters are depicted engaging in various amusing actions, the goal of the puzzle is not to focus on them, but instead to search the pages to find Waldo, a character known for his red and white striped shirt, hat, and glasses. Many of you remember seeing this book and character throughout childhood.
While many could be distracted by the other aspects of the page, the point is to find Waldo. While there are fun things found throughout the pages, the focus is and should be Waldo. You aren’t done with the book, let alone the page, until you find Waldo. The book has no point if you don’t search for Waldo.
And in the same way, the Bible is a “where’s Jesus” puzzle of sorts. While every story may not depict Him explicitly, each story is pointing to Him in some way, and if you don’t see Jesus in the page, you’ve missed the point of the passage. Jesus Himself argued that all Scripture points to Him. The goal of the text is to see His life, His work, what is possible for us through what He did or how we should live in response to what He did. Everything centers on Him. Every story is about Him, and when you miss that, you miss the point.
The issue is that many of us read the Bible and come away with good stories but not the good news. It’s like going to an NBA or NFL game but spending the entire time eating at the concession stand outside and not watching the game inside. Sure, the food is good, but you’re missing the action!
Jesus touches on this in His discourse in John 5. Jesus starts our passage speaking in what scholars believe should be read in both the imperative mood and the indicative mood. That is nerd speak, arguing that Jesus is essentially both describing and prescribing the process of studying the scriptures. He’s saying this is what you do and this is what you should do. Paul agrees when he argues that all scripture is breathed by God and profitable for teaching, correction, reproof, and training so that we may be complete and walk in the call God has placed on our lives. All Scripture is beneficial. Basically, any reading can bring some value. But the truth is that you don’t even have to believe in Jesus to get some value out of Scripture. It can help your health without Jesus. It can help your relationships without Jesus. It can even help your finances without Jesus. But without Jesus there’s no real transformation. Without Jesus, there’s no real power. Without Jesus, you may get some results, but you won’t get revolution.
This is why Jesus says to search the Scriptures, but if you want eternal life, find Him in them. Find the gospel. Find transformational power. In your Bible study, don’t just get fun facts; seek His face.
I want to borrow from the title of Norman Geisler's book and say In order to understand the Bible, you have to look for Jesus. But Jesus is only in the New Testament, you may be asking. While the Word may have become flesh and dwelt among us in the New Testament, He was pointed to, predicted, and present all throughout the Old.
A Message from the MCU
I want to use the Marvel Cinematic Universe to make my point. I remember being in middle school and spending time lying on the floor in my living room with my friends as we excitedly looked up the slate of movies to be produced as part of the Infinity Stones Saga. We excitedly looked ahead as Marvel laid the groundwork for what would be over 20 films and TV shows all centered around the same story. Almost every summer for two decades, a movie or two would come out pushing the story along. Like the Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, or Harry Potter series, the writers expertly crafted the stories of countless characters across decades into a continuous narrative. I mean, it was and is a big cultural moment for people around my age. The first Iron Man movie was announced when I was about to turn 7 years old in 2006, and Marvel movies connected to this continuous story are still being planned for 2028, when I’ll be almost 30. It’s practically been my whole life, not just my childhood.
Marvel was able to make such an impact in pop culture and box office numbers in part because every story built on another. Each built anticipation and excitement for the next. And this is how we should see and read the Bible. Each story, while powerful on its own, is a setup for the Savior. You miss the power if you take them out of that reality.
One way Marvel would stoke this fire of excitement is by curating scenes to be placed in the credits of each movie to set up the next. It wouldn’t be explicit or give away too much, but it would be enough to cue you to what or who from the comics may be coming to the big screen next. It would be simple. Some movies' end-credit scenes showed conversations about people creating a team to queue up the coming Avengers. A few movies showed people discovering another character's weapon or an item associated with them before the movies formally introduced that character or situation. The Bible does the same thing, especially in the Old Testament, as a set up for what Jesus would be shown doing in the New. And because of this, original readers who knew of the promised liberator would see Jesus in the text loud and clear. I mean, when Jesus said that all Scripture points to Him while on the road with his followers, the Gospels hadn’t been written. He was talking about Genesis to Malachi. He’s there too!
As modern readers, finding Jesus in the Old Testament stories where He isn't explicitly mentioned is hard for us, but the original audience would have seen Him loud and clear. The way God covers Adam and Eve after they fall is pointing to the way Jesus covers us in spite of our sin. The first prophecy we see of God saying a child born to a woman would defeat the devil is an obvious glimmer of hope given to Adam and Eve and thousands of years of readers to come in that story, pointing to Jesus. The Ark Noah built depicts the safety that one man’s righteousness and work provides for those connected to him. Moses bringing his people out of bondage is a preview of how Jesus would bring us out of our slavery to sin. The priests and beasts in Leviticus are pointing to His work of atonement and forgiveness in our lives. Joshua’s name is literally a Hebrew spelling of the Greek name, Jesus. It doesn’t get more obvious than a person whose name means God saves or God’s salvation leading people into the promise they couldn’t earn on their own. Most scholars believe Old Testament approaches of The Angel of the Lord are Jesus peeking into stories throughout time as a messenger for His people! It all points to Jesus!
The story of David isn’t primarily a story about us slaying our giants. It’s a story about how an unassuming and often forgotten shepherd and king from Bethlehem came to defeat what was taunting us and invite us into the victory He’s won. Esther was a royal figure who was willing to sacrifice her life for her people. Who does that sound like? Some scholars even believe that Jonah died in the fish before being resurrected after three days to bring liberation to known sinners. Then Jesus came along and said the sign of His power would be Him doing the same thing. Do you get the picture? Every story is a picture of who Jesus is and what He can and did do. Yes, they’re cool on their own, but without Him you miss power. Like a Where’s Waldo book, you didn’t get the point of the page if you didn’t find the star of the story.
You don’t get Abraham sacrificing Issac if you don’t notice Abraham saying that God would provide a lamb for the sacrifice. Notice that in the story, a ram, not a lamb, is found, and while that is good, it’s showing that Abraham was prophesying about someone even greater coming to take their place. You don’t get the sabbath if it doesn’t bring your mind to the God who said Come to me, all who are weary and heavy burdened, and I will give you rest. Or if you don’t think about how Adam and Eve woke up into rest because someone else did the work. If you don’t remember that the sabbath was given as a reminder to former slaves that they don’t have to produce their own safety anymore, you’re missing the picture of righteousness by faith. You don’t get heaven and the second coming if it doesn’t bring your mind to the good God who said He desired nothing else but to be near to us. You don’t understand the commands of God if you don’t see them as a good God giving good instruction for the good of His children. The spirit behind prophecy is the testimony of Jesus, so even prophetic books and passages are pointing to Him. Doctrine outside of the work, character, and call of Jesus is like buying a Where’s Waldo puzzle book and forgetting to find Waldo.
Jesus, and the good news that He saved you, is the central theme and interpretive key behind every passage in the scriptures. Yes, Jesus may not be mentioned or directly present in the passage, and I’m not telling you to force Him into it. However, the entire canon of Scripture is centered around the setting and set up that led to Christ and the salvation we have through surrender to Him.
Find the Road to Him
One story, often attributed to Charles Spurgeon, says it like this. There were two English preachers. One young and new, the other old and well respected. The young came to the old and asked him to critique one of his sermons and give him pointers. The old man did and came back saying that the young man preached a lackluster sermon because there was no Christ in it. The young man, offended, rebutted that Jesus wasn’t in the story and he preached what he saw in the text. The old preacher responded with an illustration saying, “From every town and village and hamlet in England there is a road to London… And so from every text in Scripture there is a road to the center of the Scriptures—that is, Christ. Your business is, when you get a text, to ask, ‘What is the road to Christ?’ Then preach a sermon running along the road to the great center, Christ.”
Does this mean to force Jesus into a text? No. But it does mean to find Him. The law points to our need for Him. The sacrifice points to His atoning work. Kings point to a greater king. Even in wisdom literature, wisdom itself is described as Christ is described in John, as the one present at the creation of the world, inviting us to follow it towards the abundance and freedom Jesus promised to give. The entire narrative of Scripture details humanity's need for Him and sets the stage for their Savior. In your preaching, teaching, and bible study, if you can’t find the road to Jesus, you’re missing the point. If the text isn’t good news that brings great joy to all people, you haven’t yet found the road to Jesus. If the text doesn’t bring to mind the overwhelming love of God, you’re missing it. If the story doesn’t inspire you to follow God into holistic abundance, you are missing it. Every story. Every text. Every letter is a part of a spiritual sword. It’s a living and breathing story that is meant to seep into the deepest parts of you. No word of it will return void. No word of it has no potential for power. The issue is that we keep forgetting the interpretive key, and that’s Jesus.
Need for the Holy Spirit
Spiritual things are spiritually discerned. The good news is that the Spirit is willing and able, and all you have to do is ask. The Holy Spirit is promised to lead us to all truth, and Jesus said that He is the truth. The Holy Spirit is promised to testify of Jesus, the key to all we need. If you want to find Jesus, ask the Spirit to lead you there. The Spirit will help you see Jesus and find joy in the text as you study. Ask for the Holy Spirit, and you’ll start to see Jesus and the abundant life He brings.
Discussion Questions:
Have you found fun facts or fulfilment in the scriptures? Could it be that you may be missing Jesus in the pages?
Where has Jesus been in the scriptures that you have missed?
Where else do you see a glimpse or preview of His work of atonement and forgiveness in the scriptures?
Like missing Waldo in a Where’s Waldo book, what good things do we focus on while neglecting the “God-thing” that is a preview of Jesus?
