What Bible Promises or Teachings Do You Have Difficulty Believing?

Believing the Word

“That same day, Sunday, two of Jesus’ followers were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles out of Jerusalem. As they walked along, they were talking of Jesus’ death when suddenly Jesus himself came along and joined them and began walking beside them. But they didn’t recognize Him, for God kept them from it.

“You seem to be in a deep discussion about something,” He said. “What are you so concerned about?” They stopped short, sadness written across their faces. And one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about the terrible things that happened there last week.”

“What things?” Jesus asked.

“The things that happened to Jesus, the Man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a Prophet who did incredible miracles and was a mighty Teacher, highly regarded by both God and man. But the chief priests and our religious leaders arrested Him and handed Him over to the Roman government to be condemned to death, and they crucified Him. We had thought He was the glorious Messiah and that He had come to rescue Israel.

“And now, besides all this—which happened three days ago—some women from our group of His followers were at His tomb early this morning and came back with an amazing report that His body was missing and that they had seen some angels there who told them Jesus is alive! Some of our men ran out to see, and sure enough, Jesus’ body was gone, just as the women had said.”

Then Jesus said to them, “You are such foolish, foolish people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the Scriptures! Wasn’t it clearly predicted by the prophets that the Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering His time of glory?”

Then Jesus quoted them passage after passage from the writings of the prophets, beginning with the book of Genesis and going right on through the Scriptures, explaining what the passages meant and what they said about Himself.¹ Luke 24:13–27 (The Living Bible, Paraphrased). 

Setting the Scene

Jesus called these two disciples “foolish” because they hadn’t been able to believe what had been predicted in the Scriptures: that “the Messiah would have to suffer . . . before entering His glory.” Evidently, these men, like most of Jesus’ followers, had been caught off guard by the Crucifixion and then probably had expected God to rescue Jesus from the cross. They hadn’t expected the Messiah to suffer the way Jesus had.

So, Jesus reintroduced these disciples to the teachings of Scripture about Himself, no doubt beginning with the promised offspring in Genesis 3:15 and going through the suffering Servant in Isaiah 53:1-12, the pierced one in Zechariah 12:10, the messenger of the covenant in Malachi 3:1, and other passages in between.

The Jewish religious leaders had spent their lives studying Scripture but had ignored or disregarded the idea of a suffering Servant. Jesus showed the men how the recent events in Jerusalem had fulfilled every prophecy regarding the Messiah. Jesus may have taken the two followers through Old Testament history, pointing out the problem of sin and how it would have to be solved through the sacrificial death of God’s own Son. 

Getting Personal

• What biblical principle gleaned from a sermon, small group, class, or personal Bible study, have you been recently trying to apply in your life? 
• What Bible promises or teachings do you have difficulty believing?

Jesus told the two men they were “foolish” for not believing what the Bible clearly teaches. Today, we have an amazing array of Bible translations, study tools, commentaries, and devotionals. We certainly have no excuse for not reading, studying, and understanding Scripture. Our greater struggle is truly believing and applying what we read.

The two men leaving Jerusalem behind were so focused on their plight and what they perceived as catastrophic events that they failed to believe what they had read in Scripture—no wonder they couldn’t believe the women’s report of an empty tomb. What Scripture had predicted they had seen fulfilled, and they should have been eagerly expecting God’s next move. 

Talking to God

Actions speak louder than words, so ask your heavenly Father to help you live according to the truths you are learning from the example and teachings of Jesus. Ask Him to help your belief in the value of His Word lead to a transformed life.² 

^[1] Taylor, Kenneth Nathaniel. 1997. The Living Bible, Paraphrased. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

^[2] Veerman, D. R. Life Application Study Bible Devotional.