Today in God's Word—August 2023
East Tallassee Church of Christ
August 3, Luke 10
You’re not ready to turn to Christ until you’re ready to turn away from yourself. The lawyer who asked Jesus what he could do to inherit eternal life illustrates this point.
This lawyer was not an attorney, but an expert in the Law of Moses. His first question sounded noble enough, but the underlying motive was not—he wanted to put Jesus to the test. When Jesus responded with a question, the lawyer was the one facing a test. His response showed he had a good grasp of the law’s requirements and was able to summarize the law in the same way Jesus did on another occasion. Quoting from the law, he said “Love God supremely, and love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus told him he was right, and then stated the problem we encounter, even when our understanding is correct: “Do this and you will live.” The problem is we don’t always do what we know is right. Law can only reward exact and complete obedience. Anything short of perfect obedience inherits death, not life.
The lawyer’s second question gets to the heart of the matter. He wanted to know, “Who is my neighbor?” Seeking to justify himself, he wanted to qualify the command and limit its scope so his conduct would be approved. He was looking for the loophole. Just how far did all this neighbor-loving go? Jesus didn’t immediately expose the man’s self-serving motives. He didn’t define the terms and launch into a debate about what persons and relationships are governed by the law of loving neighbors. Instead he told a story in which an unlikely hero modeled the virtue of loving his neighbor. The unfortunate victim of the robbers may not have acted wisely, but he was still a neighbor. The command crossed racial and cultural lines, building a bridge over a history of hostility between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus contrasted the stranger’s loving conduct with the indifference of two religious professionals who passed by without offering to help. The Samaritan invested time, money and effort to
show love for a fellow human being in need. The priest and Levite saw the robbed man, but took no action. If they claimed to love their neighbor, they missed a good chance to show it.
Jesus finished his response to the man’s second question with another question of his own: “Who proved to be a neighbor?” Again, the lawyer answered the question correctly, and the implications would come in Jesus’ comment on his answer. He used the word “do” again, telling the lawyer to go and emulate the Samaritan’s compassionate demonstration of love for his neighbor.
Forget the fine print and technicalities that might frustrate our quest for righteousness by law- keeping. The simplest statement of the law’s requirement sets the bar so high that no one can “do” it for merit. That dissolves self- righteous pride and points us to a Savior in whose perfect obedience we can trust.
From The Abiding Companion: A Friendly Guide for Your Journey Through the New Testament, Copyright © 2010 by Michael B. McElroy. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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