LUKE 10 (PART 3): JUSTIFICATION & PERFECTIONISM

Have you ever known
anyone who thinks they are wise,
at least...in their own eyes?
They are constantly condemning others,
and acting justified.
They know everything;
and are self-glorified.
They stand self-righteous,
and like to point out everyone's lies.
They focus on falsehood,
and try to force you to pick a side.
They walk in black or white,
and don’t ever cross the line.
They appear to be an expert,
on all that divides;
and they demand others
to carry the same perspective
that they have justified.

This is the essence
that lies behind
human pride.

Arrogance
is the opposite characteristic
of what Jesus calls
a good Samaritan.  

Part 3
of Luke Chapter 10
separates
a merciful believer
from
a self-righteous man.

It starts with verse 24
and extends to 42;
my prayer is that your curiosity
will cause you to stay in tune.

This is a story
about an expert of the law
who stood up to Jesus,
to justify himself.
 
He said,
“Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
And Jesus said, 
​"Well, what do you think?"

Actually,
that is not exactly
what Jesus said.
More precisely, 
this is how He responded,
“What is written in the Law?”
“How do you read it?” 

Jesus was scrubbing the man's heart,
to break up the muck
that bound him,
and kept him apart.

As you would think,
the expert answered
with the perfect words,
“Love the Lord your God
with all your heart
and with all your soul
and with all your strength
and with all your mind;" 
and,
“Love your neighbor as yourself.”

If you noticed,
he did not give one answer,
but quickly gave two;
because he was smart
and he knew
that you can not possibly love God,
without loving humans.

The problem was he thought
he only had to love some -
the ones who were like him;
the ones who strictly followed
the laws of God.

But Jesus is so good!
  He understood
that beneath pure love
is the willingness to forgive.
The Lord replied,
“You are correct. 
Do this and you will live."

But the man pursued,
scripture says "to justify himself,"
so he asked Jesus,
“and who is my neighbor?”

Instead of giving a simple answer,
Jesus shared a story,
like He always does.
A short parable -
that sounded like this, 
“A man was going down
from Jerusalem to Jericho,
when he was attacked by robbers.
They stripped him of his clothes,
beat him and went away,
leaving him half dead. 
A priest happened to be going
down the same road,
and when he saw the man,
he passed by on the other side. 
So too, a Levite (priest),
when he came to the place and saw him,
passed by on the other side. 
But a Samaritan, 
as he traveled,
came where the man was;
and when he saw him,
he took pity on him. 
He went to him
and bandaged his wounds,
pouring on oil and wine.
Then he put the man
on his own donkey,
brought him to an inn
and took care of him. 
The next day
he took out two denari
and gave them to the innkeeper.

"Look after him," he said,
"and when I return,
I will reimburse you
for any extra expense you may have."

“Which of these three
do you think
was a neighbor to the man
who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied,
“The one who had mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said, 
“Go and do likewise.”

Before I move on
to Martha and Mary,
let me take a minute
to explain the things I learned
about this story.

The road to Jericho
is also known
as the Way of Blood.
It's a thin, winding and narrow road
that works it's way down
into dry, desert land.  

A person who was
robbed and beaten
would have been 
in a very vulnerable position.

People who traveled
were easy targets for bandits; 
utterly exposed and isolated -
and if left alone,
they would have been
as good as dead.

If a wise man,
or a priest
ran into a person
on the road to Jericho,
he would have 
had to  step over them, 
if they were broken and hurt.

Can you imagine
the callousness of men
who talk about truth
but to live to condemn?
 
Samaritans were known
for robbing this road,
especially when
they were walking to Jerusalem.
 
So if a Samaritan stopped
along the way,
to lift up a man
and pay for an inn,
then act truly speaks
to the heart that lies within.

Justification
is not only seen
in heartless men,
it's also seen
through the spirit of perfectionism.

We see this in verses 38-42,
when Martha invites Jesus in,
and opens her home.

She's the Queen of the Kitchen,
and the rest of the house too.
Hospitality is her thing -
she likes to show off
all of the things she can do,
and all the ways
she can focus on you.

"She had a sister called Mary, 
who sat at the Lord’s feet 
listening to what he said. 
But Martha was distracted
by all the preparations
that had to be made.
She came to him and asked,
“Lord, don’t you care 
that my sister has left me
to do the work by myself?
Tell her to help me!”
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, 
“you are worried and upset about many things, 
but few things are needed--
or indeed only one.
Mary has chosen what is better,
and it will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10: 39 - 42

So as I end
Luke Chapter 10,
I want to thank the Lord
for showing me
the sinful weeds
of Justification and Perfectionism.

Yesterday,
Holy Spirit showed me
how to be like Mary. 
He told me to focus on Him,
and choose mercy. 

More exactly
this is what I heard, 
True disciples
don’t stop to debate;
they simply focus
on the perfecter of their faith!
They walk among
the scorpions and snakes,
as they walk within
the Lord’s sacred space.
(Poetic Sermon Luke 10 Part 2)