In the time when Jesus was active in his earthly ministry, the Jews were in constant oppression, dealing with political and racial issues. Sound familiar?
Luke 10: 25-37 Jesus is asked by an expert in the law, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus responds to his question with a question.
“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?
The man answered, “‘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, Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
Jesus told him he had answered correctly. “Do this and you will live,” Jesus said.
“But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Don’t we kind of face life with this same attitude sometimes? It’s easy to love when it’s family or friends.
Jesus shares the parable of the good Samaritan. (This is found in verses 30-36.) When asked which of the men was a neighbor to the one who had been robbed, he replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
And Jesus told him to go and do likewise. Shouldn’t that be how we should live our lives? Treating others with love, as Jesus would do, no matter who they are. But we often
But, the first mistake the religious expert made was thinking that there was something he could “do” to gain an inheritance. That’s a matter of birth, identity and relationship.
“What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
Luke 10: 26
Isn’t this what has caused the rift in the church? All denominations have put their own spin on the Word, often times taking it out of context or twisting it to fit their agenda. When will we be able to throw our agendas out the window and look at the absolute truths of God. It doesn’t really matter what we think. What matters is what the judge thinks. Who holds the authority to judge on the day of judgement? It doesn’t matter if you believe if Jesus is the Messiah or not, you will still be judged according to standards of God.
So, what makes the difference? Loving like Jesus loved. Treating all human life with value is how he loves because he lives in us. Loving people is the primary way we show love for God.
We can’t receive eternal life by “doing” anything. We receive it by believing on Jesus Christ and trusting God that Jesus paid the penalty you deserve for every time you have fallen short of loving God or loving others the way you should. In turn for living for God, he will give you the resources to love Him and other people in a much better way. You can’t do it apart from having His life in you.
Jesus wants us to see two things:
- Loving people is the primary way we love God.
- The love of humankind must always take precedence over religious rituals, racial obstacles, and ideological agendas.
In Faith,
Pam
Where God Leads 