Don’t Miss the Forest for the Trees
Scripture
“You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life.”
—John 5:39–40 (NLT)
Don’t miss the forest for the trees. That’s the warning Jesus gives to the religious leaders here. They knew their Bibles better than anyone, but they completely missed the One their Bibles were written about. You can know the text and miss the Person.
The Pharisees are a sobering example. They searched the Scriptures, memorized them, and debated them endlessly. Yet when the Word became flesh and stood right in front of them, they didn’t recognize Him. Their faith became an intellectual exercise, detached from the living God. And Jesus says this same trap is still alive today.
There are people who spend their lives studying theology, building airtight systems, and polishing arguments, yet have no relationship with Jesus Himself.
“You can have all the right notions in your head without ever tasting in your heart the realities to which they refer.”¹
—J.I. Packer, Knowing God
That’s the trap Jesus is naming. You can know all the right facts about God and still never actually know Him. The Scriptures are not an end in themselves, they are a signpost pointing us to Christ. He is the giver of life, the one who offers life to the full (John 10:10). Knowing Him is what transforms us, not simply knowing about Him.
That doesn’t mean we neglect the Bible. We must read it, study it, and let it shape us. But we must always remember that every page whispers His name. He is the Word of God, and all of Scripture flows from Him and points back to Him. So the next time you open your Bible, don’t just search for information. Search for Him, and let every page lead you into His presence.
Reflection
- How can you guard against letting your faith become an intellectual exercise rather than a relationship with Jesus?
- When you open your Bible, do you read it primarily for information or for encounter with the living Christ?
- How might your daily reading look different if you intentionally approached it as a way of meeting Jesus Himself?
Prayer
Ask God to help you see Jesus in every page of Scripture. Pray that your time in the Word leads to deeper love and relationship with Him. Thank Him that fullness of life is found in Christ alone.
Footnote:
¹ J.I. Packer, Knowing God (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1973), 39.