LEARNING OF CHRIST: by Andrew Murray

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Matthew 11:29

All Bible study is learning. All Bible study to be fruitful should be learning of Christ. The Bible is the school book, Christ is the Teacher. It is He who opens the understanding, and opens the heart, and opens the seals. (Luke 24:45, Acts 16:14, Rev 5:9.) Christ is the living eternal Word, of which the written words are the human expression. Christ's presence and teaching are the secret of all true Bible study. The written Word is powerless, except as it helps us to the Living Word.

No one has ever thought of accusing our Lord of not honoring the Old Testament. In His own life He proved that He loved it as coming out of the mouth of God. He ever pointed the Jews to it as the revelation of God and the witness to Himself. But with the disciples it is remarkable how frequently He spoke of His own teaching as what they most needed, and had to obey.

It was only after His resurrection, when the union with Himself had been effected, and they had already received the first breathings of the Spirit (John 20:22) that we find Him expounding the Scriptures. The Jews had their self-made interpretation of the Word: they made it the greatest barrier between themselves and Him of whom it spoke. It is often so with Christians too; our human apprehension of Scripture, fortified as it may be by the authority of the Church, or our own circle, becomes the greatest hindrance in the way of Christ's teachings. Christ the Living "Word, seeks first to find His place in our heart and life, to be our only Teacher: thus shall we learn of Him to honor and understand Scripture.

Learn of Me for I Am Meek and Lowly of Heart. Our Lord here opens up the inmost secret of His own inner life. That which He brought down to us from heaven : that which fits Him to be a Teacher and a Savior ; that which He has given to us, and which He wants us to learn of Him: you find it all in the words, " I am meek and lowly of heart.'' It is the one virtue that makes Him the Lamb of God, our suffering Redeemer, our heavenly Teacher and Leader. It is the one disposition which He asks of us in coming to learn from Him: out of this all else will come.

For our Bible study and all our Christian life you have here the one condition of truly learning of Christ. He, the Teacher, meek and lowly of heart, wants to make you what He is, because that is salvation. As a learner you must come and study and believe in Him the meek and lowly One, and seek to learn of Him how to he meek and lowly too.