May 25, 2023

Luke 10: 25-29 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. . . . He answered: “‘Love the Lord your God . . .’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. . . . But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (NIV)

The best questions aren’t mere curiosities. They are catalytic.*

I went to high school with a boy who liked to begin a conversation by saying, “Tell me something. I’m curious.” It was a meaningless expression accompanied by little or no actual curiosity. The expert of the law who asked Jesus a series of thought-provoking questions wasn’t really curious either. He just wanted to justify himself, Luke writes. Perhaps he just wanted the chance to show off how smart he thought he was. 

We, too, are often deliberately obtuse. As Josh McDowell writes, “People develop intellectual doubts in order to excuse their moral lives.”* We play dumb to disguise our lack of obedience. “I would love my neighbor if I knew who that was.” Or “I would give to the church if I knew how much I’m supposed to give.” Or, fill in the blank: “I just don’t understand ____.” Like the man with the questions, our problem isn’t with our ignorance but with our heart. 

When Paul noted similar behavior among the Christians at Corinth, he didn’t tell them that it was okay to be lacking in an area of grace. He wrote of testing the sincerity of their love (II Corinthians 8: 8); and he urged them to “finish the work” (verse 11). In other words, as someone else has suggested, if God tells you to love your neighbor, “[i]nstead of sitting around and asking, Who exactly is my neighbor? – In the name of God, pick one!”*

Sometimes our comfort zones masquerade as peace when in reality we’re just too lazy to change and grow.*