Jesus was put to the test by a lawyer from the testimony in the gospel of Luke. The lawyer asked, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered with a question, He already knew the answer to (I get the impression He asks me questions often and I know He knows.) Jesus was getting to the root of his heart by asking Him to answer, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?
I can see Jesus revealing His wisdom to not debate or quarrel with a self-righteous lawyer trying to test him. The Holy Spirit will often stop us from debating online or quarreling with someone in our family who thinks different than what we think we know. It is often wise to ask what they believe because you already know what you believe. This particular time the lawyer answered correctly, according to Jesus, and then Jesus said, “Do this and you will live.”
Wait….. He got the answer correct? Why didn’t the lawyer stop there? Maybe because Jesus knew the next thing was a call to action of His lifestyle that his heart wasn’t ready to sign the check to. So he did what every human being in life has done before, he desired to justify himself. The question by Jesus revealed the lawyer’s true belief.
Luke 10:25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.” 29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answers this next question with the great story of the good Samaritan. This Jewish lawyer and all the Jewish people hear a story from Jesus, where the hero is someone from a race and religion they despise. To put it mildly, the Jews of that day were racist toward Samaritans and didn’t bother even talking with them (John 4:9). The Samaritans were half-Jew, half-Gentile. The Samaritans had their own religious system and both sides argued where to worship (John 4:19-23). So today, if Jesus was telling the story in America, He might use the term, “the good Muslim” just to expose what was in the heart of the self-righteous.
Luke 10:30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance, a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
Well, if we all try and justify our behavior, what is the solution? The answer is to see that Jesus is the good Samaritan. As believers, we all were once pronounced dead but made alive in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:5). He is the one that found us on the side of the road, beaten by life and the evil one. Jesus took His oil and bound up our wounds (Psalm 147:3). We are left with worshipping the one that heals and justifies us by our faith in Him (Romans 5:1).
Want more encouragement? Watch this sermon at https://youtu.be/AlvpFD1bfpY
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