Hook, line, and sinker ...

I think we're all familiar with the story of the good Samaritan. However the story starts out by someone trying to justify themselves before a teacher (who just so happens to be the Son of God) by asking what he needs to do in order to get into heaven.

Jesus starts out His reply (which is of course a question as usual!) and asked:

"What is written in the Law?"

And the man answers in summary about loving God and our neighbor, which then leads into the story of the Good Samaritan. However what I noticed today was not about the story at all, it was Jesus' question. You see the one I wrote above is not his complete reply; that's not the whole verse. Here is His full reply:

He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (Luke 10:26 ESV)

"How do you read it?" Think about that.

Could He simply have been asking in two ways (redundantly) for him to read it aloud to Him? I don't think so. Even in English the tone seems pretty clear to me, but I decided to look up the Greek word out of interest. In Greek you get a pretty clear answer as well, the word used there (transliterated) is anaginōskō. It means to distinguish, recognize, acknowledge or know accurately.

It is a pretty good reminder to me as I read Scripture to ask myself the very question Christ asked the man; how do I read it? Do I know it? Do I recognize it? Do I acknowledge it? Again and again it's about transformation, not information. I could read multiple devotionals, jam through the Bible every year, throw a fish on my car (just for good measure that is), and still not recognize what God is trying to tell me through the Word. I need to anaginōskō His Word.

Let me read His word; and get it. Hook, like, and sinker ...
~Matthew