Monday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Luke 10
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
25 One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”
27 The man answered, “ ‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ”
28 “Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
10:25 The lawyer desired only “to justify himself” (v. 29). He was not genuinely seeking to be taught by Jesus. what shall I do …? …? A good question, as 18:18; Acts 2:37; 16:30 reveal (cf. also Luke 3:10, 12, 14). Eternal life (cf. 18:18, 30; Acts 13:46, 48) is a synonym for “entering the kingdom of God”.
10:26 What is written in the Law? For Jesus, the OT is the definitive, unerring standard of faith and practice (cf. 18:19–20).
10:27 To love the Lord your God involves having faith in him and also delighting in him above all else. All the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) include the words heart (emotions, will, and deepest convictions), soul (the immaterial part of a person’s being), and mind (reason; however, this term is lacking in Deut. 6:5). Matthew (22:37) alone lacks the term strength (how a person uses the abilities and powers that he has), an indication of the total devotion of one’s entire being that is required.
10:28 You have answered correctly. There is nothing wrong with the lawyer’s answer. do this, and you will live. Knowledge of “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” is insufficient. One must “do this.” Jesus is about to show the lawyer that he falls far short of following these commands.
10:26 What is written in the Law? For Jesus, the OT is the definitive, unerring standard of faith and practice (cf. 18:19–20).
10:27 To love the Lord your God involves having faith in him and also delighting in him above all else. All the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) include the words heart (emotions, will, and deepest convictions), soul (the immaterial part of a person’s being), and mind (reason; however, this term is lacking in Deut. 6:5). Matthew (22:37) alone lacks the term strength (how a person uses the abilities and powers that he has), an indication of the total devotion of one’s entire being that is required.
10:28 You have answered correctly. There is nothing wrong with the lawyer’s answer. do this, and you will live. Knowledge of “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” is insufficient. One must “do this.” Jesus is about to show the lawyer that he falls far short of following these commands.
Study Questions:
- An expert in the Law asks Jesus a question to test him. Jesus proceeds by giving him an answer that illustrates this "expert's" complete lack of understanding. "What must I DO to inherit eternal life?" Do? You don't "do" anything to inherit something. You simply need to be a part of the family. Your membership in the family guarantees your inheritance. It's easy for Christians to drift into this way of thinking. Our default is always religion. Even if we know the truth, we behave as though if we do better and try harder it will make us more acceptable to God. Is this something you struggle with in your walk with the Lord? What are the dangers of this kind of theology? What can it lead to?
- This "expert" in the religious law was out to trap Jesus. He obviously thought he knew more than Jesus did. He thought he could get the best of the King of Kings! I mean, how crazy does that sound? It's easy to read this and shake our heads and roll our eyes at this guy. What was he thinking? But, if we're being honest, we often think the same thing. We may never dare to say it out loud, but how often do we prove we think we know better by the way we behave? How often do we do things in our own power and only turn to God when we're desperate? How often do we know what God's way is only to go and do the opposite? How have you thought you know better than God lately? How can you do the opposite today and acknowledge your dependence on him and his wisdom?
Pray:
- That you would realize that you can't earn his love.
- That you would never behave as though you know better.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
7. How can I trust that the Bible is still God’s Word today? I trust the Bible is still God’s Word today because Jesus rose from the dead proving He was God and said His words would never pass away. Through the Holy Spirit, God inspired the writing of the Scripture, determined the canon of Scripture and protected the copying of Scripture so that we might know Him and worship Him to this day.
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
(Matthew 24:35; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:16-21; Revelation 22:18-19)
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