Where to start. There is so much going through my mind but I will start and end with this one thought for today. More to come tomorrow, I am sure.
I spoke to students at Loyola Prep on Wednesday this past week from a story in the gospels that most of us, if honest, have heard a thousand times. It is the parable of the good samaritan (Luke 10:25). We focus a lot on the beauty of helping your neighbor from this text and that is relevant. Deeper than that, Jesus makes the 'hero' of the story an actual Samaritan, a race despised by the jewish community. From this we learn that love goes BEYOND just loving those that look like us. Love goes much further.
But here is the part of the story that really struck me.
Take a look:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live." But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Off the start we learn that the expert in the law was just that: an expert. He knew the law. He knew the commands of God and what was important.
He knew scripture.
The problem he encountered was that he possessed a lot of head knowledge of the word of God; but that was where it stopped. What he was missing was heart knowledge. What he missed was living a life that came from intimately knowing and living out the words of God.
So today, I am living through the knowledge of God's Word, and using my eyes and heart to see how it applies to my life through relationships and loving those I encounter today and the days to come.
Care to join me?
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