Days 253&254: Luke 10; 12:1-13:30; John 10:1-11:54

I think we make a terrible mistake when we read scripture as if it were all a book of law...of rules and regulations. We often read it to find out how God expects us to live and therefore we interpret it as if it were written in "legalese".  Here's an example of what I mean...

     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. “How do you read it?”
     He answered, “‘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.’”
     “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
     But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29)

I think we do that a lot. We need to stop trying to pick apart and dissect the language of scripture so much that we lose the meaning. Instead of asking questions like, "Who is my neighbor?" we should be asking questions like "How can I live out the command to love others to the fullest?" The Bible is not just a rule book for life. It's a book that tells a narrative. It's a story about God and His relationship with people from His point of view.

On another note, I have been getting a little different picture of Jesus from reading through the Gospels this time. I suppose I always knew this about him, but, for some reason, I'm seeing it a bit more clearly this time. What I'm seeing is that Jesus wasn't always the most fun person to be around. He comes across as pretty abrasive a lot of the time. He'll begin talking to you with phrases like, "You hypocrites!" or "Don't you have any faith?" He didn't worry about making friends or getting along with everybody or making people feel good about themselves. He spoke truth. And he spoke it freely and without any concern about who it would offend. And yet, in spite of all this, people couldn't help but be drawn to him...especially the outcasts and "sinners". But even the religious leaders would invite him into their homes for dinner even though they had to know it wasn't going to be a comfortable get together. Jesus said this about himself...

     “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to undergo, and what constraint I am under until it is completed! Do you think I came to bring peace on earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on there will be five in one family divided against each other, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” (Luke 12:49-53)

How I wish that I could have experienced being around the flesh and blood Jesus! But I honestly don't know if I would have believed him if I had.

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.” (Luke 10:23-24)