Get Real November 16 Devotional
November 16, 2024
Luke 10:29-32 | 29 But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away,
leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
Well before Jesus, Jewish teachers had identified the double love command as the center, or summary, of the Torah. But they missed the awesome challenge of it. They also gave priority to love of God and subordinated love of neighbor. Thereby creating an inherent contradiction. The priest and Levite are on the way to the temple for their turns officiating at the great ritual sacrifices. When they see the injured traveler they have two solid reasons to pass by. First, they cannot tell if he is a real “neighbor,” i.e. a fellow Jew, because he is unconscious, can’t speak, and naked, so without identifying clothing. Second, even if he is Jewish, and therefore a neighbor, religious rituals express love of God and this trumps love of neighbor.
How do you relate these two commands to one another?
