Jump Start # 491

Luke 10:25 “And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

  Jesus experienced people like this lawyer all the time. They ask great questions, but their motives and purpose are not right. They come to Jesus with an agenda and they think that they are the ones who can knock Him down by putting Him in a situation that He cannot answer or that He will stumble at.

  The more my faith grows and I come to love the Lord more and more, I read passages like this and I just want to scream at this lawyer. What a nut! The Holy God is standing before you and you have the opportunity to speak one on one with Him and you have to be a real jerk! The nerve. You notice, Jesus never calls him an idiot.

  What a great question, though. He probably thought a long time about this one. A lawyer isn’t like our lawyers today. This was a man who studied the law of God—a religious man not a legal man. He understood that something must be done to inherit eternal life. It just isn’t given away free without any conditions. His question comes from the standpoint of the O.T. law. That’s how he sees life.

  Jesus didn’t just answer the question. He asked the lawyer two questions in return. What’s written in the law? How does it read to you? The answer is in the book, the Bible. Jesus always stood with the Bible. Folks tried and tried to get him crossways with the Bible, but it never worked.

  The answer: love God and love your neighbor. That’s it. Jesus said, you’re right. Go do this. Again the evil ways of the lawyer manifest itself. The text says, “Wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ Now he’s trying to be cute with Jesus.

  What follows is the wonderful parable of the good Samaritan.

  Why are some people like this lawyer? Why do some always try to have the last word? Why do some always thrive in controversy and love to stir things up. I know brethren like this. They can take a great Bible class and just get everyone confused and stirred up by bringing up controversial things in a manner that challenges the teacher and sets everyone on edge.

  What is wonderful about this exchange with this lawyer is that Jesus by passed his motives and answered the question for all to know. He controlled the situation and turned it just the way He wanted.

  Have you ever thought about standing where this lawyer did? Can you imagine what it would be like to have five minutes alone with Jesus? What do you think you’d do? Would you stand there with your mouth hanging open? Grab your cell phone to take a photo? Would you ask a silly question, or, one that really didn’t matter, like, ‘what did you eat last night?’

  I am impressed that this lawyer, evil motives and all, asked a spiritual question of depth, and he also asked a question that was personal. “What must I do…” He didn’t ask, ‘what must Israel do,’ or, ‘what should most of us do,’ rather, it was about him. He and Jesus. Me and Jesus.

  That’s where it’s really at—me and Jesus. We can talk about the nation, the church, others, but what really matters is simply me and Jesus. Am I on the same page with Jesus? Am I where Jesus wants me to be? Am I connecting with Jesus and do I have a real relationship of love and trust with Jesus?

  And often we can use the excuses of boring preaching, stale churches and lifeless brethren as a reason for us to drift away from Jesus, but the real reason is “me and Jesus.” Jesus isn’t boring, stale nor lifeless. You don’t worship the church, you worship Jesus. You don’t follow the church, you follow Jesus. Me and Jesus—that’s where it’s at. That makes the difference every day of my life. I can go through dark days when Jesus is with me. I see death, hope and Heaven differently when Jesus is with me. I see a purpose every day, when it’s me and Jesus.

  I think the lawyer in our text just wanted himself. He certainly didn’t want Jesus and the way he acted, he really didn’t want anyone else. That thinking will always sink a person—every time. Me and Jesus.

  Today at work, me and Jesus. When you go home, me and Jesus. At the store, me and Jesus. Knowing He is with you and that you love and trust Him, tends to make your day brighter and it causes it to rise above the muck and mire of lifeless existence, where this lawyer dwelled.

  Me and Jesus—Paul said it this way, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me”. Me and Jesus…

Roger