You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus points out a subtle but crucial flaw in their religious practice: they meticulously study the Scriptures, thinking they hold eternal life within those pages, yet they completely miss the One the Scriptures were pointing to all along. Their focus on the text itself, rather than its ultimate subject, renders their diligent searching ultimately empty.
You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is directly confronting the religious leaders who are looking for eternal life in the Scriptures but refuse to believe in Him. He's just shown them that He has the power to give life, and now he's pointing out their hypocrisy: they meticulously study the Old Testament, believing it holds the key to eternal life, yet they reject the very Messiah those scriptures testify about.
You meticulously study the Bible, believing it holds the key to eternal life. But what if your intense study is missing the point?
Jesus confronts the religious leaders of His day, who were experts in the Old Testament. They knew the Scriptures inside and out, believing their deep knowledge was the path to eternal life. Jesus doesn't deny that the Scriptures contain life; rather, He points out their fundamental error: they saw the Scriptures as the destination rather than a guidepost.
Jesus tells them to 'search' the Scriptures, but then says they 'will not come' to Him. How can these two seemingly opposite ideas exist in the same breath?
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There's a fascinating tension in Jesus' words here. Scholars debate whether Jesus is commanding them to search the Scriptures ('Search!') or describing their current activity ('You search...'). Either way, the point is the same: their searching was disconnected from their willingness to come to Jesus.
Understand the original words
graphē · Greek Noun
The sacred writings of the Old Testament (in this context), which the Bible asserts are divinely inspired and point toward the fulfillment of God’s redemptive plan in Christ.
aiōnios zōē · Greek Noun phrase
The quality of existence that begins with salvation in Christ and continues into eternity. It is defined by Jesus Himself as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He has sent.
zōē · Greek Noun
The fundamental essence of life, both physical and spiritual. Spiritually, it is found only in union with God through Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life.
Jesus is speaking to Jewish leaders deeply invested in studying the Old Testament, believing it held the key to eternal life. However, their intense focus on interpretation and tradition, often driven by a desire for human recognition, had blinded them to the scriptures' true purpose: to point to Jesus himself as the source of life.
c. 1st century BC - 1st century AD
Rise of Rabbinic Interpretation
Following the Babylonian exile, Jewish scholars developed extensive systems of interpretation ('Midrash') for the Old Testament. This often involved seeking hidden meanings and traditions, sometimes overshadowing the plain text.
Early 1st century AD
Hillel's Influence
Rabbi Hillel the Elder, a prominent Pharisee, presided over the Sanhedrin. His teachings and the interpretive methods of his school heavily influenced Jewish understanding of scripture and tradition.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Ministry
Jesus preached and performed miracles throughout Judea and Galilee, challenging established religious authorities and offering a new understanding of God's kingdom and salvation.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus Confronts Jewish Leaders
Jesus engaged in debates with religious leaders, particularly the Pharisees, who questioned his authority and teachings. He accused them of hypocrisy and of missing the core message of the scriptures.
c. AD 30-33
Jesus' Trial and Crucifixion
Jesus was arrested, tried by the Sanhedrin and Roman authorities, and crucified. This event, central to Christian faith, was understood by Jesus and his followers as the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies.
c. AD 40s-60s
Early Church Proclamation
The apostles and early followers of Jesus began proclaiming his messiahship and resurrection. They used the Old Testament scriptures to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled prophecies about the Messiah.
This passage speaks of God raising up a prophet like Moses, directly foreshadowing the coming Messiah that Jesus claimed to be, and pointing to the Old Testament as the source of this prophecy.
Psalm 40:7This psalm is a prophetic declaration of the Messiah's willingness to obey God's will, which Jesus cites as directly testifying about Him in other parts of this Gospel.
Isaiah 53:1This chapter describes the suffering servant, whose story is a key part of the Old Testament witness about the Messiah, and whose message the Jewish leaders were failing to grasp.
Matthew 13:15Jesus quotes Isaiah, lamenting how people's hearts have become dull and their ears have not heard, a spiritual blindness that prevented them from seeing the truth in the Scriptures about Him.
Acts 17:11The Bereans are commended for searching the Scriptures daily to verify Paul's teachings, highlighting the importance of Scripture in discerning truth, but also showing how this searching should lead to Christ.
calvinJohn 5:37-40: "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape."
- And the Father who hath sent me, himself hath testified concerning me; you have never heard his voice, or seen his shape. 38. And you have not his word abiding in you; for whom he hath sent, him you believe not. 39. Search the Scriptures; for you think that you have eternal life in them: and they are they which testify concerning me. 40. And…
ellicottJohn 5:39: "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me."
(39) Search the scriptures. —Better, Ye search the Scriptures. The question whether the mood is imperative or indicative, whether we have here a commandment to examine the writings of the Old Testament canon, or a reference to their habit of doing so, is one which has been discussed through the whole history of New Testament exposition, and one on which the opinion of those best…
Jesus points out a subtle but crucial flaw in their religious practice: they meticulously study the Scriptures, thinking they hold eternal life within those pages, yet they completely miss the One the Scriptures were pointing to all along. Their focus on the text itself, rather than its ultimate subject, renders their diligent searching ultimately empty.
Jesus is directly confronting the religious leaders who are looking for eternal life in the Scriptures but refuse to believe in Him. He's just shown them that He has the power to give life, and now he's pointing out their hypocrisy: they meticulously study the Old Testament, believing it holds the key to eternal life, yet they reject the very Messiah those scriptures testify about.
Jesus is directly confronting the religious leaders who are looking for eternal life in the Scriptures but refuse to believe in Him. He's just shown them that He has the power to give life, and now he's pointing out their hypocrisy: they meticulously study the Old Testament, believing it holds the key to eternal life, yet they reject the very Messiah those scriptures testify about.
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." — Jesus points out a subtle but crucial flaw in their religious practice: they meticulously study the Scriptures, thinking they hold eternal life within those pages, yet they completely miss the One th…
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Last reviewed October 2026