And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus turns the tables, not just affirming the lawyer's answer about loving God and neighbor, but challenging him to do it, implying the real obstacle isn't knowing the law, but the will and ability to live it out. This "do this" is Jesus’s own subtle test, revealing the gap between intellectual assent and obedient action that the following parable will expose.
And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
A religious scholar, testing Jesus, asks how to gain eternal life. Jesus turns the question back, asking what the Law says, and the scholar correctly quotes the commands to love God completely and love one's neighbor as oneself. Jesus affirms this answer, challenging him to "do this" as the path to life.
Jesus affirmed the lawyer's answer, but then added a crucial challenge. What does it really mean to 'do this'?
The exchange highlights a fundamental tension: knowing the Law versus living it. The lawyer correctly identifies loving God and neighbor as the core of righteousness.
Knowing vs. Doing
Jesus doesn't dispute the correctness of the answer: 'You have answered correctly.' This shows respect for the Law and the scribe's understanding of its highest principles. However, the critical word is 'do.' It shifts the focus from theoretical knowledge to practical application.
The Depth of the Command
This isn't just about reciting commandments; it's about embodying them. True life comes not just from intellectual assent but from the active, wholehearted practice of love for God and others. Jesus implies that the lawyer, like many, might know what to do but struggles with the doing.
The lawyer's follow-up question about 'who is my neighbor?' wasn't just a theological debate; it was an attempt to evade the command to love. Jesus' parable reveals the surprising answer.
The parable of the Good Samaritan wasn't just a story; it was a diagnostic tool. It exposed the lawyer's (and our own) tendency to limit the scope of 'neighbor' to those we deem worthy or convenient.
Beyond Borders
Jesus masterfully turns the tables. The lawyer expected a definition that might excuse him from loving certain people. Instead, Jesus shows that love isn't defined by proximity, ethnicity, or religious affiliation. It's defined by action and compassion towards anyone in need.
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The Samaritan's Example
The Samaritan, an outsider by Jewish standards, embodies the very love the lawyer struggled to conceptualize. His actions—binding wounds, providing care, and ensuring further help—demonstrate that true love is sacrificial, practical, and extends to the most unexpected recipients.
Jesus concludes the conversation with a stark pronouncement: 'Do this, and you will live.' What is the profound connection between love and life?
This statement reveals that the commandments to love God and neighbor are not arbitrary rules but the very essence of life as God designed it.
The Life-Giving Source
Love for God is the foundational principle that aligns us with our Creator. Love for neighbor flows from this right relationship, reflecting God's own heart and character. When we live out these commands, we participate in the abundant life Jesus came to give (John 10:10).
A Prophet's Challenge
Jesus knew the lawyer's heart. He wasn't simply giving him a path to earn salvation; he was exposing the life that was missing due to a lack of genuine, active love. The promise 'you will live' points to the flourishing existence that comes from embodying God's perfect will, a life that begins now and extends into eternity.
This verse is embedded in Jesus's ministry within Roman-occupied Judea, where theological discussions were often intertwined with political and social tensions, and religious leaders frequently tested His teachings.
Early 1st century AD— this verse
Jesus teaches in Galilee and Judea
Jesus travels and teaches throughout the regions of Galilee and Judea, attracting large crowds and encountering various religious leaders and common people.
Early 1st century AD
Scribes and Pharisees challenge Jesus
Religious authorities, including scribes and Pharisees, frequently question Jesus's teachings and authority, often attempting to trap Him with challenging questions. This often happened in synagogues or during public gatherings.
Early 1st century AD
The Great Commandment is debated
The concept of the 'greatest commandment' was a significant point of discussion and debate among Jewish teachers. Jesus's response highlights the centrality of love for God and neighbor.
This verse directly states that obedience to God's commands leads to life, echoing Jesus' response to the lawyer about doing and living.
Deuteronomy 6:5This foundational command to love God with all one's being is the core of the lawyer's correct answer and Jesus' affirmation, highlighting the essence of true obedience.
Romans 10:5Paul quotes Leviticus 18:5, drawing a parallel between righteousness through the Law and righteousness through faith, showing how Jesus' statement points to the impossibility of perfect self-achieved righteousness.
Galatians 3:21This passage discusses whether the Law could give life, concluding that it cannot because of human weakness, which further contextualizes Jesus' 'do this and you will live' as a call to recognize our need for grace beyond mere legal obedience.
Matthew 22:40Jesus declares that the entire Law and the Prophets hang on the two commandments of loving God and neighbor, directly supporting the lawyer's correct answer and Jesus' emphasis on these core principles.
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.…
pulpitLuke 10:28: "And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
Verse 28. - This do, and thou shalt live. The learned Jew was evidently confounded at the Galilaean Rabbi's first answer referring him to the sacred Mosaic Law. His perplexity is increased by the Lord's quiet repartee when he had rehearsed the two duties, to his God and his neighbour, "This do, and thou shalt live." It seems as though the clever, unfriendly critic of Jesus of Nazareth now forgot the host…
Jesus turns the tables, not just affirming the lawyer's answer about loving God and neighbor, but challenging him to do it, implying the real obstacle isn't knowing the law, but the will and ability to live it out. This "do this" is Jesus’s own subtle test, revealing the gap between intellectual assent and obedient action that the following parable will expose.
A religious scholar, testing Jesus, asks how to gain eternal life. Jesus turns the question back, asking what the Law says, and the scholar correctly quotes the commands to love God completely and love one's neighbor as oneself. Jesus affirms this answer, challenging him to "do this" as the path to life.
A religious scholar, testing Jesus, asks how to gain eternal life. Jesus turns the question back, asking what the Law says, and the scholar correctly quotes the commands to love God completely and love one's neighbor as oneself. Jesus affirms this answer, challenging him to "do this" as the path to life.
"And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”" — Jesus turns the tables, not just affirming the lawyer's answer about loving God and neighbor, but challenging him to do it, implying the real obstacle isn't knowing the law, but the will and abilit…
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Last reviewed October 2026