Looking for Love in all the Wrong Places 

John 5:39-47 

“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me; and you are unwilling to come to Me so that you may have life…Do not think that I will accuse you before he Father; the one who accuses you is Moses, in whom you have set your hope. For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words.” 

So close, yet so far 

The Pharisees were religious, pious, devout and studious students of scripture. These are qualities today that we would consider noble. Those who exhibit them are placed on a pedestal as spiritual leaders. 

Have you ever wondered what drives someone to be so pious and religious? Their drive is intense. So much that they go through years of rigorous study, sacrifice earthly pleasures, separate themselves from others and maintain strict adherence to rituals, rites and ceremonies? What drives them? 

What drives you? 

While reading these words of Jesus, I’m reminded of the life of Martin Luther. Luther became a monk and entered the monastic life in 1505AD after promising God he would be a monk if He saved him from dying in a horrific thunderstorm. Luther was driven by fears of hell and God’s wrath and felt that life in a monastery would help him find salvation and peace. The more diligence he applied to his piety, the more disillusioned he became. His turmoil drove him to extensive theological studies, receiving a doctorate and becoming a professor of theology. However, spiritual clarity and peace continued to elude him. 

An epiphany

At age 32, while preparing a lecture on the book of Romans, he was struck with the simplicity of the phrase, “The just will live by faith.” According to Biography.com, Luther “realized the key to spiritual salvation was NOT to fear God or be enslaved by religious dogma but to believe that faith alone would bring salvation.”  

This period marked his personal salvation and set in motion the Reformation. Luther searched for God in the right place, the scriptures. But initially, he missed the main theme. Jesus is our Savior through mercy and grace. Our inward desire to live a life that honors God is a result of our faith, not the means to our faith. Saving faith is to believe and recieve! 

He’s missing the point 

Yesterday I listened to an interview of Dennis Prager, a popular radio personality and Jewish scholar. He knows the Old Testament explicitly well and is an expert in the language of the Old Testament, Hebrew. He has recently published an extensive commentary on Exodus and is now working on Genesis. He is a likable personality, a brilliant scholar and keenly insightful in applying Biblical laws and principles to life. However, he stated the most difficult law for him to follow is to love the Lord your God with all your heart. He said he simply doesn’t love God. He loves the Torah (the first five books of the OT) but he struggles to love God. He said he wished he did, but he doesn’t. I was shocked.  

What his words reveal is that he has missed the message of Jesus and His love and grace. He searches the scriptures which testify of Jesus, but he is unwilling or unable to embrace Jesus. He loves the scripture, but he is missing out on the simplicity of Jesus’ saving grace and what Paul writes about in Romans 5:5. 

“and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

We don’t have the capacity to love God either unless by grace, God pours His love within us. This happens only when we believe and receive Him by faith. Period. Lord, I know many who believe in God but who are falling short of receiving You by faith and allowing You to pour Your love within them. Open their eyes to the beauty and simplicity of knowing Jesus. Amen!