Why do I so desperately want to set limits on what God can ask of me? I'm just like the lawyer in the parable of the "Good Samaritan."
On Wednesday a small group of us discussed the parable of "The Good Samaritan." We wrestled with what the lawyer was saying when he attempted to "justify himself" (Lk. 10:29).
The word "justify" comes from the Greek word dikaioo, which appears 40 times in the New Testament. It is usually translated as "justified" or "justify." A couple times it's translated as "freed," "vindicated," and "acquitted." And it is closely related to the group of words which deal with our word "righteousness" (dikaiosune, dikaios, etc.).
So, to sum up, the lawyer wanted to prove himself to be "right" with God on his own terms. Jesus, however, blew him out of the water by setting impossible terms for the fulfillment of the command to love our neighbor. In other words, we cannot justify ourselves before God. He did the work of justification at the cross. We respond to that justification by living it out in love, following his lead, loving those we meet along the way.
We are not in control. We do not determine when enough is enough. We do not determine who we get to love and who we get to pass by on the other side.
So, why do we tend to be like the lawyer, putting limits on God?
On Wednesday a small group of us discussed the parable of "The Good Samaritan." We wrestled with what the lawyer was saying when he attempted to "justify himself" (Lk. 10:29).
The word "justify" comes from the Greek word dikaioo, which appears 40 times in the New Testament. It is usually translated as "justified" or "justify." A couple times it's translated as "freed," "vindicated," and "acquitted." And it is closely related to the group of words which deal with our word "righteousness" (dikaiosune, dikaios, etc.).
So, to sum up, the lawyer wanted to prove himself to be "right" with God on his own terms. Jesus, however, blew him out of the water by setting impossible terms for the fulfillment of the command to love our neighbor. In other words, we cannot justify ourselves before God. He did the work of justification at the cross. We respond to that justification by living it out in love, following his lead, loving those we meet along the way.
We are not in control. We do not determine when enough is enough. We do not determine who we get to love and who we get to pass by on the other side.
So, why do we tend to be like the lawyer, putting limits on God?
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