the word residing

Devotions from Jefferson Vann # 2400

John 5:36-40

Joh 5:36 “But I have a more significant testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given me to complete. These works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent me.
Joh 5:37 The Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You have not heard his voice at any time, and you haven’t seen what he looks like.
Joh 5:38 You don’t have his word residing in you, because you don’t believe the one he sent.
Joh 5:39 You examine the Scriptures in detail because you think you have permanent life in them, and yet they testify about me.
Joh 5:40 But you do not want to come to me so that you may have life.

the word residing

The scene Jesus describes carries a deep and painful irony. The very people who devoted their lives to studying the Scriptures—copying them, memorizing them, debating them, guarding them—were the ones missing the very life those Scriptures promised. Their problem was not a lack of knowledge. They knew the text thoroughly. They could quote long passages, recite traditions, and explain interpretations handed down through generations. Yet all that learning remained external. It never reached the heart. It never opened them to the One to whom the Scriptures pointed.

Jesus exposes this tragedy with clarity. The Scriptures were meant to lead people to Him, not to become an end in themselves. The religious leaders searched the sacred writings because they believed that in the words alone they would find life. But life was standing in front of them, speaking to them, calling them—and they refused to come. They needed more than information. They needed transformation. They needed the Word not only in their hands and minds but dwelling within them, reshaping their desires, humbling their pride, and opening their eyes to the presence of God in Christ.

The healing of the crippled man had already demonstrated this contrast. A man who had no theological training, no social standing, and no religious credentials responded to Jesus’ voice and was restored. Meanwhile, those who prided themselves on their spiritual insight could not recognize the One who gave the Scriptures their meaning. Their hearts remained closed, even as their minds overflowed with knowledge.

Jesus’ words remind me that the danger still exists. It is possible to read the Bible faithfully, study it deeply, and even teach it regularly, yet miss the living Christ who speaks through it. The Scriptures are not merely a collection of truths to master; they are the witness that leads to the Savior. When the Word resides within, it produces humility, repentance, faith, and a growing desire to come to Christ again and again. Without that inward work, even the most diligent study can become dry, defensive, or self‑righteous.

The invitation remains open: to welcome the Word not only as text but as life, to let it take root, and to let it draw the heart toward the One who alone gives eternal life.

LORD, we welcome your word residing within us.