Jesus Christ is the center of the Bible, and the Bible is all about Him.— Billy Graham
In the Old Testament, Christ is concealed; in the New Testament, Christ is revealed.— Augustine of Hippo
There is a way to read Scripture and miss its center.
Jesus speaks these words to those who knew the Scriptures well. They studied them, memorized them, taught them, and built their lives around them. Yet He tells them something deeply revealing: the very Scriptures they search are meant to lead them to Him, and still they have not come to Him. This exposes a sobering possibility. It is possible to know the text and yet miss the Person it reveals.
The Bible is not an end in itself. It is a revelation that points beyond itself to Christ. To read Scripture rightly is not only to understand its message, but to encounter the One of whom that message speaks.
After His resurrection, Jesus makes this unmistakably clear. Walking with His disciples, He begins ‘from Moses and all the Prophets’ and explains the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27). Later, He opens their understanding, showing them that everything written in the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms was ultimately about Him (Luke 24:44). In that moment, the entire structure of Scripture comes into focus. What once seemed like separate sections becomes a unified witness, and that witness is Christ.
This means the Bible is not primarily about moral instruction, historical record, or even theological system, though it contains all of these. At its deepest level, it is about Jesus. He is the thread that runs through every page, the fulfillment toward which every promise moves, and the reality to which every shadow points.
Yet seeing Him is not automatic.
Paul explains that a veil remains when Scripture is read apart from Christ, but that veil is removed when one turns to the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:14-18). The ability to truly see Christ in Scripture is not merely intellectual. It is spiritual. The Holy Spirit opens our understanding, enabling us to behold the glory of God revealed in Christ. And in beholding Him, we are changed.
John expresses this in another way. ‘Of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace. For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ’ (John 1:16-17). The Word does not only inform us about Christ. It brings us into encounter with Him. And in that encounter, grace and truth become living realities flowing from His person.
This also helps us understand the nature of the Old Testament. Christ is present there, but not yet fully revealed. He appears in promise, pattern, shadow, and prophecy. But in the New Testament, what was hidden becomes unveiled. The anticipation gives way to fulfillment. What was once seen in part is now seen clearly in the person of Jesus.
When we begin to read Scripture this way, we start to recognize Him everywhere.
He is the true Adam, restoring what was lost and establishing a new humanity. He is the true Noah, preserving a people through judgment into new life. He is the true Abraham, through whom all nations are blessed. He is the true Isaac, the beloved Son who is offered for our redemption. He is the true Moses, delivering His people not from Egypt, but from sin. He is the perfect High Priest, who lives forever to intercede. He is the perfect sacrifice, fulfilling all that the law pointed toward. He is the true Joshua, leading His people into their inheritance. He is the true Boaz, redeeming what was lost and restoring what was broken. He is the true Samuel, the faithful prophet who hears God clearly, reveals His voice, and leads His people in righteousness. He is the true David, the Shepherd-King whose reign is everlasting and whose kingdom will never end. He is the true Jonah, entering death and rising again, extending mercy to all. He is the true Daniel, revealing the wisdom of God in the midst of earthly kingdoms and pointing to a kingdom that will never be shaken.
And beyond all these, He is the One to whom all the prophets pointed. They spoke of His coming, His suffering, His rejection, His death, and His resurrection. What they saw from a distance has now come into fullness.
This is why Scripture must ultimately lead us to Him. If we read the Bible and only gather information, we have not yet reached its purpose. If we study deeply but do not see Christ, we are still at the surface. The goal is not merely to know the Word, but to encounter the Word made flesh.
Because He is the essence of Scripture.
He is not only the subject of the Bible. He is its center, its fulfillment, and its life. And more than that, He is the One in whose image we are being recreated. As we behold Him in the Word, we are transformed into that same image. The more clearly we see Him, the more deeply we become like Him.
So the question begins to change. Not only, ‘What does this passage say?’ but also, ‘How does this reveal Christ?’ And even further, ‘How does this draw me into deeper fellowship with Him?’
Because in the end, it’s all about Jesus.
Lord Jesus, open my eyes to see You in Your Word. Remove every veil that keeps me from knowing You rightly. As I read, let me not only understand, but encounter You. Transform me as I behold You, and draw me into deeper fellowship with You. Amen.