Heart Matters

A lawyer stands up and asks a question. His intent is to test Jesus. “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” It is a question of supreme importance. It should show us that the heart of this man seeks God. The problem with the question is that he already has it answered in his mind. He is not really looking for truth, he is conducting a test. He is trying to catch Jesus saying something that would conflict with the Law of Moses. But Jesus, too, knows the Law.

Jesus asks a question of His own. “What does the Law say?” Without hesitation, the lawyer quotes Deuteronomy 6:5. He knows his Scripture. He has studied it since he was a boy. He has embedded the words of God through Moses in his mind. Jesus does the unexpected. HE confirms the man’s answer, thus confirming the man’s belief. The problem is, it seems that the lawyer is in conflict. Luke tells us that he tried to justify himself. That tells me that his belief and his actions did not match. He needs a way out. So, he asks another questions. “Who is my neighbor?”

Jesus responds by telling the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10. Two men, men who claim relationship with God, men who know the Scriptures, men who are meant to live out the character of God before the Jewish people pass by a man, stranded and in need. Who will stop to help? Only a Samaritan; a foreigner and an outcast. Who is the neighbor? Who lives out the Word of God? Embedding the Bible goes deeper than the mind. Embedding the Bible is a matter of the heart.

1. Where do your beliefs and your actions need to be more in line with each other?

2. How does the word of God shape our hearts, souls, strength, and minds?