MIDWEEK MEDITATION

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And he answered, “You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

                                                Daniel 10:25-29

Who is my neighbor?
It is a simple enough question. On the face of it, it might even sound innocent or simply curious. But for the lawyer standing in front of Jesus that day, that question held much more meaning. 

Justification. 

The lawyer wanted to position and to nuance what he knew to be true in such a way that it justified his selfish and unloving attitude towards others. Like a dispassionate scholar, he had the right idea and yet, he was fundamentally wrong. The command of God was always intended to sink much deeper than just the mind. The true gift of God is a radical change that happens at the heart level. It is a divine passion that leads to compassion and then to action for those in need around us. His question hid a much deeper purpose and it also revealed a much deeper truth about himself: he was spiritually dead inside. 

Racism is a sin against our fellow man and a horrific offense to a God whose image they bear. The soul's deep cure is a heart that loves our neighbor as selflessly as we are selfish. We cannot do this on our own, but need a radical change of heart that only God can bring. If we are hedging, positioning, and justifying our own cold and unloving hearts like that lawyer did, it reveals a deeper truth about ourselves. 

May God, by the power of His Spirit, bring us new life, and give us His desires.