The Gospels tell us of two separate incidents when men
sought Jesus out to ask of Him “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Both times he answered with reference to keeping the law. The first man was described as a ruler, and
Jesus listed many of the Ten Commandments before finally exposing his love for
money rather than God with a final command to “Sell everything you have and
give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
The other man was described as an expert in the Jewish law
who was really only there to test Jesus.
Jesus asked how he read the law, and commended his references from the
Old Testament to “‘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.’” Jesus then
elaborated on the specifics of what that love looks like by telling the parable
of the Good Samaritan.
So, how many of us have perfectly kept the Ten Commandments
like the rich young ruler claimed to have done, and loved God more than self
and possessions, and served others like the Good Samaritan? If we are honest, we will ask Jesus as the
disciples did - “Who then can be saved?” and we will hear what Jesus replied,
“What is impossible with man is possible with God.”
Why would Jesus command us to do the impossible? If following the law – not to mention just
trying to be a good person – can’t save us, what can? What is the purpose of the law if it is
impossible to follow?
I met a young man named Justin, who will be working at a
nearby church with young people this summer doing service projects around
Chicago. I asked him a question he might
get asked as a youth leader – “What must I do to be saved?” It can be easy to answer a question like this
as Jesus did, referring to the law, but this can be confusing, appearing to
imply that it might be possible to be saved through following the law.
But Jesus was still in a teaching phase in his earthly
ministry, before the cross and resurrection, where like John the Baptist he was
using the law to help people see their need for a savior, to help them
understand that they couldn’t save themselves but that “What is impossible with
man is possible with God.”
Both the rich ruler and teacher of the law asked their
questions from a position of pride, and Jesus followed the Biblical principle
of “law to the proud and grace to the humble.”
The disciples then more humbly asked who could be saved, and heard
mention of the grace possible with God.
I had asked Justin how he would respond to a direct question
about salvation, but I really believe that questions like this are extremely
rare in our everyday relationships. No
matter how nice we as Christians are to people, no matter how generous, sacrificial,
kind or tolerant, it will be rare to be asked of the way to salvation from
people who don’t really know or believe that they need to be saved.
We need to share the law as Jesus did, not as a way to be
saved but as a reminder that we need to be saved. We need to share the law in order to help
others see that they haven’t kept it, which isn’t always perceived as being
“nice”, but then we get to share Jesus.
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