When Man Tests God And What Then Happens
Posted: Sunday, October 18, 2009
by Joel Kontinen
http://joelkontinen.blogspot.com/
Luke chapter ten includes a touching parable that many if not most Christians know almost by heart. The context is anything but dull: " B ehold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life ?" (Luke 10:25).
The Greek verb translated as 'tested' is ekpeiradzo, which can also mean 'to tempt'. In other words, the lawyer did not approach Jesus with the best of motives. The same verb is also used in Matthew 4:7 of the devil in the context of Jesus' temptation in the wilderness at the beginning of His earthly ministry.
However, he could hardly have anticipated the consequences of his approach. Jesus, instead of being taken aback, replied by asking him a question, " What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?" (Luke 10:26).
The lawyer was not satisfied with merely reciting Scripture. While he answered Jesus' question, " wanting to justify himself, [he] said to Jesus, " And who is my neighbor?" (verse 29).
The ensuing answer was probably a surprise for the lawyer and for everybody else as well. What followed was not a recitation of Old Testament passages defining the meaning of "neighbor" but a moving story: " A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead"
Apart from describing who our neighbor is, The Parable of The Good Samaritan also speaks volumes of Jesus' attitude towards individuals who wanted to ask Him about both " earthly things" and " heavenly things" (John 3:12). He was and still is willing to listen to their questions and answer them, even if their motives were not always laudable.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Yes, good observations here. Thanks for shining the light on this piece of scripture and opening it up more for the reader. MarijoThanks Marijo for your encouraging words.
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