A Test

Scripture – Luke 10:25-29: 25On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 26“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” 27He 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.’” 28“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” 29But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Reflection: This story always trips me up. The “expert in the law” thought he was testing Jesus, but he was really being tested himself.

He asked a question a lot of people ask. Jesus turned it back on him as He pointed the man to his own Bible. Then, as Jesus pointed out, it was clear the man knew the answer. He just needed to put what he knew into practice.

Quite often I’ll raise questions when I already know the answer. What I’m really doing is looking for a more acceptable answer. Usually I know exactly what Jesus wants me to do in a given situation. It’s just not what I want to do.

In this passage, however, the man’s not asking a serious question. But Jesus throws him off by leading him to a serious answer. So the man counters with another not-so-serious question. Again, Jesus has an interesting answer for him. We’ll see that tomorrow.