Know Scripture Yet?

You know what it is like when you are reading Scripture and something strikes you profoundly and you just cannot continue on without stopping and pondering on it for awhile? Well that is what happened with me as I read of the resurrection in John 20. This verse stopped me dead in my tracts: “For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead.” (John 20:9 NKJV) I read this and thought “What? They did not know the Scripture yet? How many times did Jesus tell them that He would die and rise again from the dead?” Thomas, even after learning of the resurrection of Jesus form those who already saw Him still did not believe. He said “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” John 20:25b NKJV)


The word “know” in John 20:9 is translated in some translations as “understand.” We are no different that the apostles or Mary Magdalene, we can know all about Scripture and still not know it. What I noticed, when they saw they believed and understood.

6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and the handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. (John 20:6-8 NKJV)

18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her. (John 20:18 NKJV)

27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” 28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28 NKJV)

The disciples spent all that time with the Lord seeing His miracles and hearing His teaching. He told them many times over that He would die and rise again, yet they did not understand. We can quote Scripture, hear teaching after teaching, spend hours in the Word and still not “know” Scripture. We must put on the Lord Jesus Christ and not only talk the talk, but walk the walk. James said “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” (James 1:22 NKJV)

To illustrate my point, Scripture says:

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV)

Suppose we are always complaining about what we do not have, our only prayer is at supper time when we say some canned prayer plus we take everything have for granted. We may be able to quote this passage all day long, but do we really know (understand) it? As we step out in faith and apply the Word in our lives, we see His work and our lives changed. Then we start to know Scripture and our Lord, not just know about Scripture.

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