. . . meditations on the Gospel of Luke . . .

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Luke 10:25 – 28 The Golden Rule

Luke 10:25 – 28 The Golden Rule

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, "Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said to him, "What is written in the law? How do you read it?" He said in reply, "You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." He replied to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."

A Lawyer – yes, apparently they had them even in ancient times – posed a very straightforward and important question. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” When Jesus asked him what he thought, the lawyer answered with a succinct summary of the Ten Commandments: You shall love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind, and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. This man’s synthesis of the Law bypasses rules and regulations, avoids controls and standards, and skips measurements and judgments. Love God and treat others as you like to be treated. Simple, impossible to misunderstand . . . no owner’s manual or arbiter required. You could carry it around written on your hand and yet it tells you all you need to know. Brilliant!

No comments: