The question itself is framed around "doing" – "what shall I do." This implies that eternal life is something earned or achieved through works, a subtle but common misunderstanding of God's grace that Jesus will later highlight.
And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse introduces a lawyer, a religious expert, who approaches Jesus with a question about inheriting eternal life. The lawyer's intent is to test Jesus, not necessarily out of genuine spiritual seeking, but to see if Jesus' teachings align with or contradict established Jewish law. This encounter sets the stage for Jesus' response and the subsequent parable, which delves into the true meaning of "neighbor" and the essence of loving God and others.
Why did this lawyer ask Jesus about eternal life? Was it a genuine search for truth, or something else entirely?
The word 'tempted' here doesn't necessarily mean malicious intent, but rather a testing or a probing. This lawyer, an expert in the Law, likely wanted to see if Jesus' teachings aligned with or contradicted the established understanding of how to gain eternal life. He wasn't necessarily seeking to harm Jesus, but to 'put him to the test,' possibly hoping to find fault or expose a perceived error in Jesus' claims.
The lawyer asked, 'What shall I do?' Jesus' answer shifted the focus. What's the difference?
The lawyer's question, 'What shall I do?', reveals a common human approach: seeking a list of actions or a formula for salvation. Jesus skillfully redirects him, not to a list of deeds, but to the core principle of the Law: 'What is written in the law? How do you read it?' He points to love – loving God with one's whole being and loving one's neighbor as oneself. This highlights that true righteousness isn't just about outward actions but about an inward disposition and a transformed heart.
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nomikos · Greek Noun
In the New Testament, one who was learned in the Mosaic Law and served as an interpreter and expert in its application. They often held significant influence in Jewish society.
zōē aiōnios · Greek Noun phrase
The life of the age to come, which is the gift of God to those who believe in Jesus Christ. It is a state of eternal fellowship with God that begins now and continues forever.
nomos · Greek Noun
The divine revelation given to Moses on Mount Sinai, specifically the Pentateuch, serving as the standard of holiness and God's moral requirements for Israel. It reflects God's character and demands perfect obedience.
agapaō · Greek Verb
A state of strong affection, devotion, and sacrificial commitment, modeled after God's own nature. In a biblical context, it is not merely an emotion but an act of the will focused on the well-being and honor of the object of love.
kardia · Greek Noun
The center of human personality, encompassing the seat of the intellect, emotions, volition, and moral consciousness. In Scripture, it is the primary locus of one's inner commitment to God.
psychē · Greek Noun
The inner life or personhood; it represents the seat of life and the human spirit as it relates to the divine. It signifies the individual life force created by God.
ischys · Greek Noun
In this context, it refers to the physical and mental energy or capacity one possesses. It underscores that all human power and faculty should be entirely consecrated to the service of God.
dianoia · Greek Noun
The faculty of thought, understanding, and reason. Biblically, it signifies the need to employ one's intellect to know God and understand His word.
plēsion · Greek Noun
Any person with whom one comes into contact, particularly those in one's community or sphere of influence. Jesus expanded this concept beyond tribal or religious boundaries to include all people as objects of required love.
c. 27-30 AD— this verse
Jesus' Public Ministry in Galilee and Judea
During this period, Jesus traveled, taught, and performed miracles, attracting large crowds and generating significant attention from religious leaders.
c. 28 AD
Tensions with Religious Authorities Rise
Jesus' teachings and actions often challenged the established interpretations of the Law by the Pharisees and scribes, leading to frequent confrontations and attempts to trap Him.
c. 29 AD
Growing Opposition and Plots Against Jesus
As Jesus' popularity and influence grew, the opposition from the religious elite intensified, moving from mere questioning to more serious plotting against His life.
This verse contains the first part of the command to love God with all one's being, which the lawyer quotes as the core of the Law. Jesus highlights this foundational principle as essential for eternal life.
Leviticus 19:18This passage provides the second part of the Great Commandment: to love one's neighbor as oneself. The lawyer's question, 'what shall I do,' leads directly to Jesus emphasizing these two overarching principles.
Matthew 22:36-40This parallel account in Matthew describes a similar encounter where a lawyer asks about the greatest commandment, to which Jesus also responds with the two Great Commandments of love, underscoring their centrality to the Law and Prophets.
Luke 18:18This verse describes another rich young ruler who asks a similar question about inheriting eternal life, providing another instance where Jesus redirects the focus from 'doing' to the core commandments of love and obedience.
Romans 10:5Paul quotes Deuteronomy 6:5, highlighting the righteousness that comes from the Law ('The person who does these things will live by them'). This passage speaks to the lawyer's underlying assumption that eternal life is earned through works, a concept Jesus both affirms and transcends by pointing to the *spirit* of the Law.
expositorsLuke 10:25: "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
Chapter 19THE GOOD SAMARITAN. Luke 10:25-37 IT would scarcely have accorded with the traditions of human nature had the teachers of religion looked favorably upon Jesus. Stepping, as He did, within their domain, without any human ordination or scholastic authority, they naturally resented the intrusion, and when the teaching of the new Rabbi so distinctly contravened t…
calvinLuke 10:25-37: "And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
- But when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they assembled together. 35. And one of them, a doctor of the law, put a question to him, tempting him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37. Jesus saith to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.…
The question itself is framed around "doing" – "what shall I do." This implies that eternal life is something earned or achieved through works, a subtle but common misunderstanding of God's grace that Jesus will later highlight.
This verse introduces a lawyer, a religious expert, who approaches Jesus with a question about inheriting eternal life. The lawyer's intent is to test Jesus, not necessarily out of genuine spiritual seeking, but to see if Jesus' teachings align with or contradict established Jewish law. This encounter sets the stage for Jesus' response and the subsequent parable, which delves into the true meaning of "neighbor" and the essence of loving God and others.
This verse introduces a lawyer, a religious expert, who approaches Jesus with a question about inheriting eternal life. The lawyer's intent is to test Jesus, not necessarily out of genuine spiritual seeking, but to see if Jesus' teachings align with or contradict established Jewish law. This encounter sets the stage for Jesus' response and the subsequent parable, which delves into the true meaning of "neighbor" and the essence of loving God and others.
"And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all…" — The question itself is framed around "doing" – "what shall I do." This implies that eternal life is something earned or achieved through works, a subtle but common misunderstanding of God's grace t…
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Last reviewed October 2026
