Articles
Desiring To Justify Himself - Luke 10
Desiring to justify himself
Luke 10 tells of a lawyer (a scribe, one who worked at writing down the teachings of the Rabbis) who put Jesus 'to the test'. He was a religious man with lots of experience reading the Law of God. He wasn't asking in order to learn but in order to somehow 'expose' or 'humiliate' Jesus as a teacher.
The lawyer asked Jesus what he needed to do to have eternal life. He asked the right question of the right person and received the correct answer. He already KNEW the answer. His problem was not only not doing what he knew to be right, he didn't WANT to do it. Hence, he needed to give an 'excuse'. But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
It is interesting in the parable that Jesus uses such religious leaders to make His point. Loving one's neighbor is doing good to those we come in contact with. The priest and the Levite both refused to show love to a man in need. A Samaritan, despised by the religious leaders of Judaism at that time, put love of neighbor into action even though he didn't know the man he was helping. Knowing that one should love his neighbor is not the same as loving one's neighbor. Many religious people cannot be bothered with the doing.
Yet, one cannot simply refuse to do what he knows is right. The conscience gets in the way and proclaims him to be guilty. Dealing with such guilt is often dealt with by 'justifying self' or excusing such action. We might justify ourselves with many excuses but it doesn't make us right. Knowing the right answer doesn't make us right. Jesus simple answer: "Do this, and you shall live."
We all have sinned and only by the grace of God do we find forgiveness. When one is willfully in rebellion to God and refusing to do what he knows God has commanded, he will find judgment and not mercy.
How many things do we try and justify ourselves in? How many times do we excuse ourselves from obedience to God? When you know what to do - 'Do this, and you shall live." Hugh DeLong
