Scio Journal July 10th Luke 10 Scripture: On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He 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.’ ” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10.25–29) Reflection: This expert of the law “wanted to justify himself.” It’s not that he couldn’t figure out what Jesus was saying. No, he understood what these commands (known as the Great Commandment) demanded of him. Maybe he wanted to preserve his reputation. Maybe he wanted to reassure himself that he was a good person. Either way, he tried to dodge Jesus’s words by redirecting the conversation in a more theoretical direction. He was more interested in raising questions about Jesus’s words than in acknowledging that he found them difficult, confessing his inability to keep them, or asking for the grace to do so. It’s possible this expert of the law never did put his trust in Jesus. But even we who have can easily fall into the “wanting to justify ourselves” mindset. I need to be reminded: although there are many tricky parts of God’s Word, there are also many exhortations in which are easy to understand. Often hard to practice, but easy to understand. I need to turn away from the temptation to raise a smokescreen or redirect the conversation. I need to be formed into a person who obeys, empowered by grace and the Holy Spirit. Lord, may we be those who not only hear your Word, but obey it. Turn us away from justifying ourselves and let us rest in your righteousness. Give us the grace to love you and to love others. Amen.
Posted on: Wed, 10 Jul 2013 08:00:01 +0000
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