This was more than he bargained for. It started out innocently enough, but now things had taken an unexpected direction. With sincerity he had asked the question to which his mind desperately needed an answer. His question, though sincere, was also a potential trap the religious leaders were hoping to use to justify their malice towards the object of their contempt.

“Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Luke 10:25. I like that – straight and to the point. This was a conversation not to be wasted with platitudes and mindless chatter. As a lawyer he knew he needed to get to the bottom line.

He was surprised when his question was met by a question. “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?” Luke 10:26. With an authority that could not be denied Jesus pointed him to the scriptures and now began the process of enlightenment.

Answering Jesus, this seeker for truth gave a bottom-line response that ignored esteemed traditions and ceremonies. So he answered and said, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’” Luke 10:27

So far so good. The lawyer had demonstrated a knowledge of Scripture that was an  indicator that he was serious about his religion. Maybe the mental struggle robbing him of peace in his salvation was just his imagination running wild. He was closer than he thought. But before he could bask in his completeness he heard a command that flipped the script and shone a bright light where he never expected or wanted one to shine.

And He said to him, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.” Luke 10:28

Live. Be alive. Yes, hidden beneath the exterior of what to the casual reader appears to be do’s and don’ts are the secrets of living joyfully both in this world and eternally in the world to come. The Scriptures point us in directions that our naturally selfish hearts are reluctant to go. Yet if we trust and obey we find the truth to the promise, “I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” John 10:10

I like the way my favorite author puts it, “Fill the whole heart with the words of God. They are the living water, quenching your burning thirst. They are the living bread from heaven. Jesus declares, “Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” And he explains himself by saying, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” John 6:53, 63. Ellen White, Christian Education, p. 57

This quarter as we explore the facets of being a true disciple of Christ, the  bedrock of the Holy Scriptures must be the foundation of each discussion. Christianity that ignores the Bible is only morality without salvation. “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalms 119:105. And the light shining from the Bible leads in only one direction: “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.” John 5:39

Here are a few Hit the Mark questions for this week’s lesson discussion:

• What does a “true disciple” mean to you?
• Isn’t it true that once I am baptized I am now a disciple of Christ?
• Why do you answer yes or no?
• Isn’t it true that as long as I believe Jesus died for me I really don’t need to “study” the Bible?
• Why do you answer yes or no?
• Isn’t it true that since God knows my heart and can speak to me directly, I don’t have to read the Bible to know His will for my life?
• Why do you answer yes or no?
• Isn’t it true that the more of the Bible I memorize and become familiar with, the more spiritual I will become?
• Why do you answer yes or no?

We close this week with the words of Jesus spoken in Sermon on the Mount. They leave no room for doubt or confusion about the importance of the truths of God’s Word:

“Don’t suppose for a minute that I have come to demolish the Scriptures—either God’s Law or the Prophets. I’m not here to demolish but to complete. I am going to put it all together, pull it all together in a vast panorama. God’s Law is more real and lasting than the stars in the sky and the ground at your feet. Long after stars burn out and earth wears out, God’s Law will be alive and working.

“Trivialize even the smallest item in God’s Law and you will only have trivialized yourself. But take it seriously, show the way for others, and you will find honor in the kingdom. Unless you do far better than the Pharisees in the matters of right living, you won’t know the first thing about entering the kingdom.” Matthew 5:17-20 The Message

Until next week, let’s all continue to Hit the Mark in Sabbath School!

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