If You Know Better, Why Don’t You Do Better?
Luke 10:25-28
As we have been blessed to come to this first Sunday of the New Year we must remember that it has not been by our goodness that has brought us here, but it has been by the goodness of God that has brought us thus far. God brought us this far for a reason and a purpose. That reason and purpose is not that we glorify ourselves but we glorify God. God has a purpose for every one of us in the world. No one is here by chance or that they are a mistake. Every life, everyone is important to the purposes of God.
One of our purposes that we have to do for God is to praise Him and lift Him up. We are to bless His Holy name. For all creation was made for HIS pleasure.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
The other purpose that we have to do for the Lord is to be a witness to others for Him. It is when we witness for God that others know that there is a God. In today’s world there are many that are looking for something to believe in. What people are looking to believe in is something that rings with truth. People have a need and want to believe in something that is going to change their lives. The problem is that we hear of these things, see the programs on television, and go to the gatherings to be a part. We experience the emotion of what is going on inside. We feel that what is going there is what we are missing. However when the music stops, and the crowds thin out, we get the opportunity to speak to the people, only to find that they are the same as the ones that we run into the everyday. What I mean by that is that they have the same cold, uncaring attitude you may find on your job. Others have the same self-centered, me my and I outlook on life you find at school. What happens when you see people with the same attitude you meet in everyday life? You start to think that what this group is getting is not real. If it was real then the lives of this group would be changed. This is the same that the people in the bible were thinking about their religious leaders.
The lawyer that came to Jesus was one that was in Jewish leadership. In the accounts of opposition that Jesus ran into while in His earthly ministry the people who confronted Him where the scribes and the Pharisees. In the Jesus’ time a lawyer and a scribe were the same. Therefore this person that posed the question to Jesus knew the answer that he was looking for. This was not a question for additional enlightenment, but it was a question that was designed to entrap Jesus.
These are the questions that we must beware of ourselves. There are those that are out there that look to bring down others with their words. The bible does state that we need not to entertain foolish questions:
But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
These are questions that are inspired by the devil to create confusion and fan the flames of strife. It is these questions that can lead to splits and broken relationships. That is because when these inquiries are put to us, we want to answer them with haste without fully understanding what has been said or asked of us.
Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
This lawyer’s motivation was wrong for the Word states that he tempted Jesus with a question about the Word. This lawyer thought that he had Jesus right where he wanted him. The lawyer was going to record Jesus’ answer and report it back to the Pharisees so that they would have something against Jesus. Oh how wrong this lawyer was, for instead of giving an answer that the lawyer expected, Jesus answered the question with a question.
This just proves that you can not put Christ in a box. That is because Christ is so much bigger than any box that we can put Him. The confines of man’s mind are so limited compared to the vastness of Christ. When you think that you have pinned God down to what you think that He going to do, God moves in a new way. That is what happened with the lawyer. I’m sure that he heard that Jesus would answer a question when asked; now to his surprise he finds the shoe on the other foot.
When Jesus asked His question, the man was forced into the uncomfortable spotlight that he was trying to put Jesus in. Now he was now forced to show others what He knew. Therefore the lawyer answered:
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
Answer sums up the whole of the Ten Commandments. The first part of the answer deals with man’s duty to God. If we take note we find that we are to love God with three things: With our hearts, with our minds, and with our souls. The translation is that we are to worship God with all our emotions, with all of our intellect, and with all of our will. If we half step with any of the three then we are half-stepping in our worship to God.
The other half of the answer deals with man’s duty and relationship to fellowmen. We are to have the same type of love of others that we would have for ourselves. There is no one in their right mind that would hate themselves. It is that type of love that we are to show others in our daily walk. We are to treat others the way that we want to be treated. That is to regardless of age, gender, or race.
Jesus told the lawyer that he gave the correct answer to his question. However that did not make the lawyer feel at ease. The spotlight that he put on Jesus was now shining brightly on him. He was now feeling that all eyes were now on him. It is interesting how those that were attempting to trap act when they are caught. The first thing that they want to do is getaway. They want to hide somewhere until the heat is off. However they do not hide the way that you think that they should. These troublemakers hide by changing the subject in order to get the focus of them and put on someone else. So in trying to hide this troublemaking religious leader asks another question, “who is my neighbor?”
What the lawyer was doing now was attempting to justify himself. Ol’ boy was doing the oldest trick in the book when one is caught, setting up an excuse for why he is not doing what he was supposed to be doing. Let’s look at it. He answered Jesus’ question right now he sees by his own words that he has been left wanting. Has he been left wanting because he has not loved God completely? No, he has been left wanting because he has not loved his neighbor.
Being a spiritual leader he was supposed to show love. Don’t get me wrong I’m sure that he showed love to his friends at the temple. I’m sure that he showed love to the ones on his block. I’m sure that he showed love to those that were his co-workers. However that showing of love stopped there. The more I think about it the more I see some of us in this lawyer. There are those that we show love to and there are others that we do not.
We show love to those that are part of the thing that we do. We show love to those that are in the same group that we are in. We show love to those that look like us. But let someone come that is not from the area we are from. We give them a cold shoulder. Let someone come that does not look like us. We sent them to back of the room and hope that they go away. Let someone come that does not sound like us. We don’t even speak to them. That is a shame, for we know better!
We know better because Jesus talked with sinners and tax collectors.
We know better because Jesus fellowshipped with the outcasts.
We know better because Jesus walked with the learned and the unlearned.
We know better because Jesus gave the Samaritan water from a well that never runs dry.
We know better because Jesus gave sight to a man blind from birth.
We know better because Jesus healed a Canaanite woman’s daughter.
We know better because Jesus died for the whole world.
Not only did Jesus die for the world but got up for the whole world.
Now what we have to do now is believe. Believe in Jesus.
For when we believe in Jesus, he’ll make us talk right.
For when we believe in Jesus, he’ll make us walk right.
For when we believe in Jesus, he’ll make us act right.
When we believe in Jesus, we know Jesus. When we know Jesus we know better.
Because we know Jesus, we know of a better hope.
Because we know Jesus, we know of a better friend.
Because we know Jesus, we know of a better joy.
Because we know Jesus, we know of a better peace.
Because we know Jesus, we know of a better love.
Know Jesus. Know better. Raise your thinking, know Jesus, and know better. Raise your attitude, know Jesus, and know better. Raise your outlook, know Jesus, and know better. When you know better, you will do better. Therefore I ask you the question since you now know better are you going to do better?
