"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?"
Luke 10:25-29
These are the verses that lead up to the story of the good Samaritan. I think it is interesting that it says that the lawyer was tempting him. Maybe trying to trip him up or justify his own actions or whatever... we do a lot of that. :) Christ ripostes perfectly by asking him what he thinks the answer is, and then praises him for a correct answer, but the questioner continues, so Christ tells a story to help the listeners (and future readers) understand the principle... a good outcome, for sure, but perhaps there is also a lesson here about not tempting the Lord in the first place. :)
Today, let's not pick at the gospel trying to find exceptions and justification to get out of our obligations, but rather, let's go all in, embracing everything that we have learned, and being open for continued instruction. Relearning the same lessons is good... it helps us to solidify them in our hearts, but when we are ready, God always has more to teach. :)
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