Luke 10:25-37 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:25-37 on biblegateway.com
Verse 25Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he said, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Verse 26He said to him, "What is written in the law? What do you read there?" Verse 27He 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." Verse 28And he said to him, "You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live." Verse 29But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Verse 30Jesus replied, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Verse 31Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Verse 32So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. Verse 33But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. Verse 34He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. Verse 35The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, 'Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.' Verse 36Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?" Verse 37He said, "The one who showed him mercy." Jesus said to him, "Go and do likewise."
Devotion
What do I need to do to inherit eternal life? Keep the law of love, right? Wrong! But Jesus said so. Do the apostle Paul and my pastor disagree with Jesus? They taught me that, try as I might, I cannot keep the commandments. And so, left to my own devices, I am lost. I need a savior and that savior is Jesus. He gave his life on the cross for just such sinners as I am. The church has been proclaiming this “way of salvation” for nearly 2,000 years. It is the Good News of the gospel. We are so thankful for this message that we spend the whole church year praising God for it.
Didn’t Jesus yet know that he was destined to be the crucified-risen savior? Or did he just want the lawyer to try to keep the law until he realized that he couldn’t?
Prayer
Lord, you alone loved the Father and love us as you told the lawyer to do. So we trust in you to give us the gift of eternal life. Amen.