Knowing the Bible . . . and living it, too!

Mike Hosey, Elder

I love how Jesus can expose our true personal situations with such clarity. Consider the story of The Good Samaritan, which by the way, isn’t really about the Samaritan at all (Luke 10:25-37).

In this story, an expert in the law approached Jesus and asked him what he could do to get into Heaven. Jesus simply asked him what the law said, and the man answered by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18. These verses essentially tell us to love God with everything, and to love our neighbors as we love ourselves.  The man, wanting to justify himself, immediately asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor.” Jesus told him a story of how a man had been beaten by thieves on the side of the road and left for dead, and how two religious leaders, who would have known the above quoted law very well, passed by the man using the opposite side of the road without stopping to render any assistance. Then Jesus described how a half-breed piece of white trash (which is what the Jews considered the Samaritans) chose not to pass   In Florida’s 21^st century economy, that would be about $360 for the average wage earner.  The expert in the law recognized the Samaritan was a good neighbor, and that the Samaritan’s love (or commitment) for others had been proven. So Jesus commanded him to go and live like the Samaritan.

George Frederic Watts

by the injured man, but instead helped him, cared for his wounds, and left him at an inn to recover until he could return. The Samaritan then gave the inn keeper two days of wages to care for the man.

The two religious leaders in this story illustrate a profound truth. It is the sad truth that one can know the law, but not live it. In fact, this may be the human condition. All of us experience this weight from time to time.  Even the Apostle Paul struggled with it (Romans 7:15-20). The failure of those two religious leaders also gives us the opportunity to ponder the nature of our spiritual knowledge and our spiritual life.  Our knowledge and our spiritual life are completely intertwined. We cannot live the Bible without knowing the Bible.  And because the Bible should be the core of our life, we cannot know the Bible fully without living it.

That very Bible teaches us to be committed to others as we are committed to ourselves.  If we examine our lives in light of that command, how do we measure up to living it?