A Lawyer Put on the Spot
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy
mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. And he said unto him,
Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. But he, willing
to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Luke 10:27-29
Read Psalm 41:1-4
The Lord Jesus asked the lawyer who had come to Him what was written
in God’s law regarding entrance into the kingdom of God. The lawyer readily
answered using the well known words of Deuteronomy 6 which speak
of love to God and one’s neighbour. The Lord praised this inquirer for his
answer, while giving the following command: This do, and thou shalt live.
The lawyer wanted to put Christ on the spot by his question, but he was
unsuccessful. Instead, the Lord turned the tables on him, putting him on the
spot with His command. It would have been better if he had acknowledged
the Lord’s wisdom. Instead, he continued to self-righteously challenge
Christ, thereby trying to justify himself. We can have this same attitude,
can’t we? We are reluctant to submit to others, nor are we willing to bow to
the Lord and His Word; we seek to uphold ourselves. Do you recognize this
in your own life?
The lawyer tried to save face by asking a different question: And who is my
neighbour? The fact that he asked this question shows that he found the
Lord’s command unsettling; with this second question he tried to evade his
guilt. But the Lord Jesus would not let him get away with it. When the Lord
calls you to love your fellow man, do you think you can fulfill this command?
Or do you only love those who are kind to you? What if your neighbour
and fellowman is a foreigner? Do you consider them to be your neighbour?
That’s the issue the Lord confronted the lawyer with.
Thought: Do you consider the foreigner who lives in your neighbourhood
someone you need to be interested in?
Psalter 113:1,2 (based on Psalm 41)
How blessed the man who thoughtfully The poor and weak befriends;
Deliverance in the evil day To him Jehovah sends.
The Lord will keep him, guard his life, On earth he shall be blessed;
The Lord will not surrender him, By foes to be distressed.
