“Luke 10:25-37”

Monday, June 08, 2020

“And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?’ And He said to him, ‘What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?’ 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.’ And He said to him, ‘You have answered correctly; do this and you will live.’ But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.” Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?’ And he said, ‘The one who showed mercy toward him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do the same.’”

---End of Scripture Verses---

“What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” The lawyer asked this question to “test Jesus” (verse 25), and he was only looking to “justify himself” by his answer when Jesus threw the question back on him (verse 29); but this is still the most important question that anyone could possibly ask. What do we need to do to be saved eternally? The answer? “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” (verse 27).

This lawyer lived in a different time and place, and under a different covenant with God than we do. But the answer to the question of eternal life has not changed. We must love God with everything we’ve got, obeying Him at His every command (Hebrews 5:8-9). And we must love the people that He created in His own image as we love ourselves. Notice that within this statement is the commandment to love ourselves. It is good to have a healthy love for self. It becomes unhealthy and ungodly when our love for self eclipses our love for others.

Jesus demonstrated the meaning of loving neighbor as self in the parable of the Samaritan traveler. This man “felt compassion” on another human being that had fallen upon hard times (verse 33). He helped out a total stranger for no other reason than because it was the right thing to do. He loved this man even though he didn’t know him personally. He recognized need, and he used his time and energy and resources in an effort to fill that need. Loving your neighbor as yourself is having the ability to place yourself in another person’s shoes. It is the ability to understand that, at any given time, some hardship could befall you as well. And then it is doing for that person what you would want someone to do for you if you were in a similar situation.

Make no mistake about it. Our willingness or unwillingness to love our fellowman in the right way will have eternal consequences. The Judgment scene in Matthew 25:31-46 is a long passage, but I am posting it anyway, in the hope that all will actually take the time to read it.

“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’ “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Please read Luke 12:13-21 for tomorrow – Jesus teaches against greed.

Have a blessed Day!

-Louie Taylor

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