Jesus said, “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:36-37)
The above verses come at the end of the Parable of the Good Samaritan (a story Jesus tells to help us see what loving our neighbors really looks like). They help us see what a faithful life looks like. And the parable offers us much insight as we think about our exploration of the Ten Commandments.
As we think about all the ways the commandments show us how to live, they also have their limits (and so do we!). In fact, Martin Luther saw the commandments as offering a framework for living that was both incomplete and unattainable, all at the same time. He believed that when we were honest with ourselves, we never could keep all the commandments. He famously said, “The Law always condemns.” By that he meant, if we were honest about ourselves, we broke the commandments all the time.
So, when Luther looked at the commandments, he always took us beyond them to Jesus. In Christ, God does what we cannot do and through Christ, God calls us to become something we cannot be on our own. When Luther defined what the commandments meant he often shared what we aren’t to do (don’t kill, don’t steal, etc.) and then said “but instead…” and then shared what we are to do – which is far more than avoiding trouble!
What Martin Luther helps us to see is that our goal isn’t to keep the rules – our goal is to be Christ-like. The rules offer a framework for living but Christ offers life itself! So when you reflect on the Law and its demands, reflect even more on Christ and his offering. We mostly aren’t called to obey the Law – we are called to be Christ-like!
Our first guiding principle as a congregation is “growing in faithfulness to be more Christ-like.” As you reflect on the Law and see Jesus teach using examples like the Parable of the Good Samaritan, don’t settle for trying to just not do bad things, hear the Spirit’s voice encouraging you and guiding you to “go love like Jesus loves!”
