Preface

"Back to the Bible" is the first motto of our spiritual heritage. Because of the word "back,” the motto implies that we have been away from the Bible and we should return to the Bible. If we interpret it negatively, we do not honor the Bible as much as we did in the past. If we interpret it positively, the motto indicates our willingness to correct our shortcomings in light of the Bible while we embrace and improve what we have done right. So, in essence our motto is like Sola Scriptura— one of Five Solae of the Protestant Reformation (Ref. Wikipedia).

Yet as a motto and as a simple phrase, it could mean different things to other people. In search of its meaning, some of us have written essays on this topic. During this time of collecting and reviewing them I wondered what it would mean to Jesus. This led me to review the passages from the Gospel of Matthew where Jesus turned to the Scriptures during his ministry. Jesus often quoted the Scripture in his teachings, in making decisions, and in guiding people. The religious leaders at the time of Jesus were well versed in the Scriptures. They disciplined their trainees to memorize the Scriptures from early ages. They taught them diligently. They also strived to obey what was written in the Scriptures. They were recognized as the religious leaders among God’s people because of their special dedication to the Scriptures. Yet, Jesus often confronted them by citing the Scriptures. The religious leaders’ thoughts and actions were sometimes opposite to the teachings of the Scriptures, despite their efforts and respect toward the Scriptures. What irony! However, this can be a warning to us. This may be our case as well. Jesus helped the religious leaders to use the Scriptures in a right way.

"Back to the Bible" may not be as simple as reading the Bible. Although reading and meditating it are certainly a good start, proper interpretation and application of the Bible are equally important. I want to learn from Jesus. I have selected 13 passages from the gospel of Matthew. Don Kuper joins me in this adventure and makes contributions for the two passages: Mt. 21:12-17 and Mt. 22:34-40. The articles are presented in the same order as that of the passages in the gospel. We pray that this is useful to those who love the Bible and struggle to live according to the Bible. I sincerely thank my friend Samuel A. Lee, Jr. who has proofread my articles and even made many invaluable suggestions. Without him, this work would have been impossible.

Charles Kim, Ph.D.
Nov. 2013