By Alex Roy
Read Luke 10:25-37
From the passage we can see Jesus confronting the Pharisees with the truth that being knowledgeable of God and his word does not directly equate to being righteous. This was expressed in the pagan (who had little to no knowledge of the law) being the only one to act righteously.
To take a step further; the parable destroys the idea that “looking good” equates to “being good”. To apply a modern cultural lens, we see ourselves as “long-time church going, clean-living Christians” who would never walk by a man lying half dead on the side of the street. And yet… Jesus felt the need to inform us of a hypocrisy that we see play out in our own hearts seemingly regularly.
Candidly; understanding God’s righteous ways does not directly equate to personal righteousness, so we should ask ourselves:
- 1Who do you think you are in the parable?
- Jesus (similar to 27) summarises the law in Matthew 22:37-40, but uses the phrase “and the second is like it” between the first and second commandment. Why?
- Can you love God and neglect your neighbour?
Read Matthew 25:31-46 and then spend some time in prayer asking God, “How can I practically grow in my love for you?”