14 July 2019
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus gives the perfect answer to an imperfect question. He is engaged in a little bit of back-and-forth with a scholar of the law, who wishes to press Jesus for a further question on “who is my neighbor.” However, this scholar does not ask for the sake of knowledge. He asks “because he wished to justify himself” (Lk. 10:29). In the presence of Jesus, the scholar wishes to make himself look better.
Yet notice what Jesus does. Surely, He is aware of the imperfect (at best) motives of the scholar’s question. But instead of berating the scholar or refusing to answer the question, Jesus provides one of the greatest parables of the gospel, that of the Good Samaritan. Imperfection is met with perfection, lukewarm human love with perfect divine love. Even if the scholar’s motivations are not perfect, Jesus will still give an answer for the sake of his soul.
So often, we are that scholar, as we approach Jesus for imperfect or self-aggrandizing reasons. None of us can truly say that we come to Jesus with nothing but pure motives. Yet Jesus will respond to us lovingly and perfectly, time and time again. Even with our imperfections, Jesus will take our pleas, our questions, and our offerings, for the sake of our souls. Jesus will always receive the offerings we make. We must likewise always make offerings to Jesus.