When I am asked similar questions twice, I grow annoyed. When I am asked a third time, I grow tired of answering. However, Jesus finds new ways to articulate an answer when asked similar questions over and over again. Jesus was often asked, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life? and, “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment?” Many believe that practically applying the answer to the latter is the answer to the first.
The rich young man in Matthew 19:16 asked the first because he kept the latter. Then an expert in the law asked the second believing he could obtain the first by keeping the latter (Matthew 22:36 and Mark 12:28). Now another expert in the law who was listening to Jesus stood and asked the first because like the rich young ruler, he wanted to obtain eternal life. Jesus’ answer is remarkable. Luke is the only one to record this exchange.
When the expert in the law asked the question that binds humanity, “How to inherit eternal life?” Jesus replied with two questions. “What is written in the Law?” Then Jesus personalized it, “How do you read it?” Of course, an expert in the Low of Moses would have greatly studied this subject, because he would have been asked this. He answered Jesus from Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
Jesus agreed. “Do this and you will live.” If I were to stop there and read no more I could wonder how does this not conflict with, “It is by grace you have been saved, through faith, – and this not from yourself, it is the gift of God.” (Ephesians 2:8) No conflict exists with the two statements for the person who acknowledges their inability to keep perfectly the requirements of eternal life, love God and love neighbor. I try, but am unable to do these all the time. Jesus perfectly illustrates this to the man who did not accept his inability to love God and people perfectly all the time. This is in tomorrow’s BDBD.
