Scripture to Read: Luke 10:30–32
Jesus knew the lawyer was seeking to justify himself, so Jesus laid out a beautiful scenario to challenge him. God had Luke record in Luke 10:30–32, “Jesus replied and said, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. 31 And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.’” Jesus, as well as all those who were listening, already knew that the road from Jerusalem to Jericho was dangerous, for many crimes and robberies took place along it. Notice that both the priest and the Levite saw their Jewish brother lying half dead but chose not to do anything for him. Instead, they both simply moved themselves to the other side of the road so as not to notice him. The problem was this: since both the priest and the Levite were religious officials, they would have had a moral obligation to stop and show mercy to a fellow Jew, but they didn’t stop at all. The priests’ and Levites’ uncaring, insensitive attitude would have broken God’s Law and everyone there would have known it, especially the lawyer. Since the lawyer wanted to justify himself, Jesus gave a scenario in which the priest and Levite might have justified themselves given how dangerous that road was, but self-justification is nothing but an excuse.
Challenge & Application
Why is self-justification never honoring to our Lord?
How do we guard against self-justification so that our choices align with God and His Word?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!