Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.

This passage was available to all the religious types of Jesus’ day. When they came to Jesus did they remember this passage and ask right? They came to Jesus with the same question, what must I do to be saved. Considering that repentance is one of the first steps towards salvation, and that John the Baptist preach repentance, then their question is not unreasonable. But is it the right ask?

John was making the Way straight in the wilderness. That was his life’s mission and that straight path led to Jesus. Jesus comes and gathers to Himself the twelve. He is the Teacher and they are His disciples. Here is where many of us go wrong. We see the word disciple as student and starting thinking that being a student is all that is needed to be saved.

John 10:30 I and my Father are one.

A close personal relationship was at the forefront of everything Jesus was and did. Jesus even declared that He did nothing on His own.

John 5:30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

Jesus did not make Adam’s mistake and substitute His own judgements for God the Father’s. He agreed with God because He had this close personal relationship and knew the will of the Father.

A right heart and a right spirit renders right judgement. Without that, the student will only apply what he has learned according to his own understanding.

If all I care about is avoiding eternal damnation, then I have skipped over the first commandment and left it unattended.

Return God’s love in a close personal relationship.