“Do This and You Will Live"

Sunday Mass Readings


It is often the case in the gospels that when people asked Jesus a question, he often posed a counter question and drew the answer from the questioner. We have one such example in the gospel reading (Mt 11:25-27). When the scholar asked Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus asked him the question what the Law proposed. When the scholar gave the correct answer, Jesus responded with a statement that is important: “Do this and you will live.” Jesus often used parables to teach. Usually the parables of Jesus require some explanation, some interpretation. For example, the parable of the sower, or the parable of the mustard seed required Jesus’ explanation. The parable of the Good Samaritan requires none of that. The lesson is plain and simple. To the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus’ answer is simple, “Who isn’t my neighbor?”

What Jesus said to the scholar, Jesus says to us today: “Do this and you will live!”

Do what?

“You shall love the Lord, your God,
with all your heart,
with all your being,
with all your strength,
and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”

“Do this and you will live!”