How Do You Read God's Law?

8th Sunday after Pentecost, 7/18/10
Luke 10:25-37


How Do You Read God’s Law?
I. As a way to eternal life?
OR
II. As a guide for thankful living?


Nearly every day we see and hear about people who use something for which it was never intended. For instance, if you regularly use email, no doubt you’ve seen photos of redneck motor homes, houseboats, lawnmowers, bird baths, wheelchairs, and on and on. Personally I think many of those items are staged, but they give me a good laugh. It’s quite humorous to see people using things for which they aren’t intended.

But it can also be extremely tragic. The fireworks weren’t made to be used by children and terrible injuries occurred. The rural road was designed for a maximum speed of 45 mph, not 85, and the young driver crashed and died. The drugs were intended to be administered by prescription from a medical doctor, not sold on the black market and abused. When people use things for which they weren’t intended, terrible things can happen.

That’s also true in spiritual matters and we have a case of it before us this morning in Luke 10. Jesus is approached by an expert in Jewish law, a Jewish lawyer who has intensely studied the first 5 books of what we call the Bible—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Jews referred to those books as the Torah. This man not only knew what Jewish laws those books contained, he also knew how to apply them in daily Jewish life not just for other Jews, but for himself as well. And he makes that fact clear in his conversation with Jesus.

But from what Jesus says to him, it’s also clear that Jesus wants this man to know that he’s using the law for the wrong purposes. That’s why he asks him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” Likewise, from the parable Jesus told him, Jesus wants him to know that he’s not using the Law correctly. He’s using it for something it wasn’t intended to do.

And that’s not unique. Sadly, billions of people fall into the same tragic mistake. So that we don’t make the same mistake, let’s ask the question, “How do you read God’s law?” May the Holy Spirit fill us with his truth so that we use it correctly.

Part I.

There are many ways to motivate people to do something. One of the ways is to tell them it can’t be done. Tell that to an engineer, and he or she will immerse themselves in designing the necessary equipment to do the job. Tell that to an athlete, and he or she will immediately begin training harder than ever to accomplish their sports goal.

God states many things to us in his law and one of them is “Be holy because I the Lord your God am holy.” He demands holiness, sinlessness. But it can’t be done. There’s no way that sinful people can live holy lives.

But some people refuse to accept that and this lawyer in our text was one of them. He was sure not only that he could keep God’s law but that he was in fact keeping it. He knew what the law said. When Jesus asked him for a summary, he correctly stated right from the law of God, “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.” He nailed it. All of the 10 Commandments and all of the laws that God gave the Jewish people to obey could be summarized with those two statements.

When Jesus tells him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live,” notice what we don’t hear from the lawyer. We don’t hear a confession of sin. We don’t hear him admit, “I can’t do that, Lord.” His lack of a confession tells us exactly what he thinks about himself. Remember, this entire conversation began when the lawyer asked him, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” He thinks the answer to that question is to love God and your neighbor. His lack of a confession indicates that he felt he was doing what the law required. He assumed he loved God above all things and he assumed he loved his neighbor.

But his definition of his neighbor was faulty. The man wanted to limit who his neighbor was. Jesus knew that because Jesus knew the man’s heart and mind. From the details of the parable Jesus spoke, it’s clear that the man considered his neighbors to be only a very small, close group of people. It surely didn’t include people who didn’t like him, foreigners, his enemies. The man wrongly assumed that’s all the law required.

But that’s always the way it is when people—even modern people—try to use the law for something it wasn’t intended to do. They minimize it. They find exclusions and loopholes. They reduce it from demanding holiness to just trying hard or having good intentions. And when they succeed in doing that, then they wrongly conclude, “I’m doing what God requires. Surely he will let me into heaven.”

They use the law as a way to eternal life and God never intended the law to be used that way.

So, how do you read God’s law? We’d like to think that we read and use it correctly. But let’s be honest. We fall into the same mistake the Jewish lawyer did. We minimize it. We know God says that the way we’re feeling is wrong, but we justify it with statements such as, “That’s the way God made me,” or, “I can do this once and God won’t mind,” or, “Surely God wants me to be happy and this will make me happy.” But all the while the law demands holiness. It demands we love God above all else and that means always obeying his word. And even when we do obey his word, we can use the law incorrectly. Our obedience doesn’t win us points with God. Thinking that God owes you a favor because of your goodness is using the law for something it wasn’t intended to do. So use it correctly. Let it expose your sinfulness. Let it remind you daily of how desperately you need a Savior from sin. Don’t use it as this man did—as a way to eternal life.

Part II.

I’ll bet you’ve read the encouragement to practice random acts of kindness. I think we all try to do that every day. We try to make a person smile. We’re kind to the bank teller and the grocery store clerk. We help a stranger by opening a door for them. We help our neighbor find his lost dog. Those are random acts of kindness.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan is about acts of kindness, but they’re more than random. The traveler—likely a Jewish man—was robbed, beaten and left half-dead. His situation was critical. One of the beauties of this parable is that Jesus doesn’t just present the man who helped him. He contrasted that man with two characters who didn’t help him. Did you notice who they were? A priest and a Levite. Both were likely traveling home from the temple in Jerusalem after their tour of duty was completed. They were religious workers! Surely they knew that they should help the man and be a neighbor to him, but they didn’t.

But the least likely person was a true neighbor to the injured man. He was a Samaritan. For centuries there had been no love lost between the Jews and their neighbors, the Samaritans. Most Samaritans worshipped a false god which they called the Lord. And they didn’t worship at the temple as God commanded nor did they follow most Jewish religious laws. The two groups despised each other. But not this man. No, he helped the Jewish traveler. In fact, he did so in the extreme. He went way beyond what most people would do when he insisted on paying for his extended stay and care. He plopped down 2 days’ wages on the counter and told the innkeeper to look after him. And if that wasn’t enough to cover it, he would settle things with the innkeeper the next time he was there.

What would move a man to do such a thing, to be such a neighbor? Again, recall the setting for this parable. The lawyer thought he could keep God’s law to inherit eternal life. Nothing could be more false. It’s likely that Jesus wanted all who heard this parable to understand that this Samaritan was not motivated to do good works to earn heaven. Rather, he was move to do good works out of love and thanks to his God for his grace and mercy. He knew that he was a sinner. He knew he deserved to be punished in hell. He knew he wasn’t one of God’s chosen people. And yet God was gracious and merciful. God had promised a Savior from sin for the entire world. That included this Samaritan, just like it did the Samaritan leper that Jesus healed. And he was overjoyed with his forgiveness.

That joy spilled over into his daily life. It wasn’t enough that he spoke and sang his thanks to God. He wanted to show his gratitude to God by the way he treated others. In other words, he used the law of God to guide him in thankful living. When the grateful sinner asks the Lord, “What can I do to show you my love and thanks?” the Lord answers, “One of the things you can do is to love your neighbor as yourself.” The Samaritan was a fine example of a sinner who did just that.

So, how do you read the Law? I hope it’s like this Samaritan. He read it as a guide for thankful living.

If you’re like most people, you don’t plan your day in great detail. There are too many unknowns. So you tend to take things as they come and react to them. But often our reactions aren’t what God expects. Our motives and desires are impure. Our words and actions are loveless and vengeful. So use the law of God properly. Let it remind you how much you need a Savior. And then let the gospel—the good news of Jesus who died for your sins—assure you of your forgiveness. And may that gospel strengthen your faith in Jesus so that your faith produces fruit in abundance—a life of daily thanks guided by God’s law. May the Holy Spirit work such faith and fruits of faith in you and me! Amen.