Luke 9-10

October 31

Luke 9-10

The religious leaders did not like Jesus because He forced them to think outside the box in which they had placed their faith. An expert in the law attempted to test Jesus and asked what he had to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus put the question back on the teacher of the law. After all, he was supposed to be the expert in the law. The lawyer responded that we should love God and love people. Jesus told him he was correct and that if he did that he would have eternal life. But who can perfectly love God and people. So to clarify and to justify himself the lawyer asked; “who is my neighbor?” Jesus responded with the story of the Good Samaritan.

Jesus’ story made the enemy of the Jewish people the hero. His story challenged the listeners to love even those they hated. Jesus in effect said that to have eternal life we have to love God and love people, even those people we hate. What Jesus told the lawyer he had to do is impossible on our own. The Good News is that Jesus died and rose again and gives us His Spirit so that we do not have to love on our own, we can love through the power of God living in us.

Jesus allowed the lawyer to answer his own question, then told him to go and love. Jesus does not give easy answers. He makes us think. He challenges our way of thinking. He stretches our comfort zone. He forces us to see that God is bigger than any box in which we attempt to place Him. God wants to make us what He created us to be, but what we cannot be without His power shaping us into the image of Jesus.