Cross-examining the Master
August 7, 2009 at 9:41 am | Posted in Biblical neighbors | 4 CommentsTags: attorneys, Biblical lawyers, Biblical neighbors, cross-examination, cross-examination strategies, cross-examination techniques, cross-examining witnesses, eternal life, good neighbors, Good Samaritan, Jesus the Master, lawyers, lawyers in the Bible, love thy neighbor, Luke 10, neighbors, neighbors in the Bible, the parable of the Good Samaritan, tough questions, tricky questions
Lawyers in Bible times were not the same as what we call “lawyers” today. They were thought to be experts in Old Testament law. However, like lawyers today, they had a penchant for trying to trip folks up with tricky questions:
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
Luke 10:25
Jesus, the Master, however, was not fazed by such a question. Instead, He turned the tables, forcing the lawyer to confront his own self-righteousness:
But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Luke 10:29
This question Jesus answered with the story of the “Good Samaritan.” This story (so familiar to us today) forced the lawyer to realize that a hurting neighbor should not be a problem to be avoided or a topic to be debated. Instead of analyzing who is, and who is not, our neighbor, Christ taught that we should see a hurting neighbor as an opportunity to serve. As believers on the Lord Jesus Christ, our question should not be, “Who is my neighbor?” Our question should be, “To whom can I be a neighbor?”
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