On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?” “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?” He answered, “‘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, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.” But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

Luke 10:25-29

One of the key questions of life deal with the idea of what happens when we die? There are those who believe we simply cease to exist. Other world religions have thoughts as well, but the final answer is found in the faith fulfilled by Jesus Christ.

In the passage above, the “expert in the law” asks that familiar question regarding eternal life and it’s interesting that Jesus responds with a question of his own. How often do we jump in with the answer instead of listening to what the other person says?

The response from Deuteronomy matches the answer Jesus gave when asked about the greatest commandment, but the man felt the need to push a little more “to justify himself.”

It’s easy to find fault in the man who tried to justify himself, but before considering Jesus’ response, is it possible we have tried to justify our own actions and response to others in our own lives?