Full Answer
This question of the lawyer was probably asked on the occasion of this visit, and the little episode connected with the Bethany family of Lazarus took place at the same period. The "lawyer" is sometimes termed "scribe." There is little difference between these appellations.
Luke 10:25- Luke 10:37. The lawyerâs first question was intended to âtemptâ Jesus, which here seems to mean, rather, âto testâ; that is, to ascertain His orthodoxy or His ability. Christ walks calmly through the snare, as if not seeing it.
This morning we are going to examine Luke 10:25-37 and the story that promoted the development of the idiom. However, as we shall see as we study this passage, there is a more important lesson than just being compassionate to people in distress. Please follow along as I read through this passage, then we will go back and examine it in detail.
But Lukeâs Jesus does not dismiss the Law or its teachers. When there are controversies over the Law, Jesus argues within the rubrics of legal debate, not against it. i I propose that we read this lection taking clues from the narrative world of Luke and this pericope in particular. âWhat must I do to inherit eternal life?â (verse 25).
Saul, a Jew, later called Paul, was born in the predominately Greek city of Tarsus located in Asia Minor.
ZenasBy tradition, Zenas is often counted as one of the unnamed 70 disciples sent out by Jesus into the villages of Galilee, as mentioned in Luke 10:1-24. Therefore, apostle Paul called Zenas âthe lawyer.â This title meant that before Zenas became a Christian, he had been a Jewish lawyer.
As Luke puts it, he wanted to âjustify himself.â And so he asks the one question he believes will do just that: âWho is my neighbor?â He thought he knew what Jesus would answer, and he assumed that the response would shine a light on his respectability, would show him for what he was, a man on the right side of things.
The two books were probably written in the latter decades of the first century. Even though the works are anonymous, authorship is traditionally attributed to Luke. Today, many scholars accept that the author was an inhabitant of Antioch in Syria and a companion of Paul.
Zenas the Lawyer (Ancient Greek: ÎΡνវĎ) was a first-century Christian mentioned in Paul the Apostle's Epistle to Titus in the New Testament. In Titus 3:13, Paul writes: "Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently, that nothing be wanting unto them" (KJV).
Paul reconciles Jewish law with Christian faith by using Jesus' words âI give you a new commandment, that you love one anotherâ (John 13:34). He states that this single commandment is a fulfillment of the entire Jewish law (Galatians 5:14).
To be a neighbor, according to Jesus, means to come alongside someone. As Christian Americans, we must remember that we are Christians first, and Americans second. Our nationality should never surpass our faith and its duties. This is what we must keep in mind when we consider our âneighborâ.
a person who lives near or next to another. a person or thing near or next to another. (as modifier)neighbour states.
He answered, âYou shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself." He said to him, "You have answered correctly.
In another sermon, Gregory specifically identified Mary Magdalene as the sister of Martha mentioned in Luke 10.
Jesus refers to God as âthe Lord of the harvestâ (Matthew 9:38).
He answered: "`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, `Love your neighbor as yourself.
The lawyer is trying to find a loophole in Jesusâ understanding of the Old Testament law. He is testing him. Jesus, wisely, asks the lawyer a question in return (10:26)! This is the common tactic of Jesus when put to the test, to reply himself with a question, and it is a tactic to keep up our sleeves for when we might need it in persecution.
A religious lawyer comes up to Jesus and asks him a question to test him. These experts in the Mosaic law had by and large not bought into the message of Jesus, nor the preparatory message of John the Baptist (Luke 7:30). Evidently, this lawyer is not being entirely sincere. He is asking Jesus a question âto test himâ (10:25).
The lawyerâs first question was intended to âtemptâ Jesus, which here seems to mean, rather, âto testâ; that is, to ascertain His orthodoxy or His ability. Christ walks calmly through the snare, as if not seeing it. His answer is unimpeachably orthodox, and withal just hints in the slightest way that the question was needless, since one so learned in the law knew well enough what were the conditions of inheriting life. The lawyer knows the letter too well to be at a loss what to answer. But it is remarkable that he gives the same combination of two passages which Jesus gives in His last duel with the Pharisees {Matthew 22:1- Matthew 22:46; Mark 12:1- Mark 12:44}. Did Jesus adopt this lawyerâs summary? Or is Lukeâs narrative condensed, omitting stages by which Jesus led the man to so wise an answer?
A certain lawyer - One who professed to be well skilled in the laws of Moses, and whose business it was to explain them.
And behold a certain lawyer stood up,.... From his seat, having been hearing Christ preach, very likely, in some synagogue; when and where this was, is not certain. The Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions call this man a Scribe; and a lawyer and a Scribe were the same, as appears from Matthew 22:35compared with Mark 12:28
So Christ teaches us that sorrow and need and sympathy and help are of no nationality. That lesson is still more strongly taught by making the helper a Samaritan. Perhaps, if Jesus had been speaking in America, he would have made him a ; or, if in France, a German; or, if in England, a âforeigner.â.
The lawyer asks a Law question. So Jesus turns it around and sees if the man can come up with a Law answer. Thatâs the arena this guy is thinking in. Jesus asks him: âWhat is written in the Law? How do you read it?â In other words, what would you have to do if youâre going to gain eternal life on the basis of the Law?
But really, we could call it the story of âThe Lawyer and the Good Samaritan.â. You see, thereâs something that happens that prompts Jesus to tell the parable of the Good Samaritan. Itâs a little exchange that Jesus has with a lawyer in the crowd: âAnd behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, ...
Commentary on Luke 10:25-37. The lawyer asks good questions and gives good answers. There is no need to assign the lawyer an adversarial role. In fact, the text suggests otherwise. He calls Jesus âteacher,â respectfully. And Jesus engages him as an equal, responding to the lawyerâs first question with a question. Jesus agrees with the answer.
Matthewâs version is brief, including only a lawyerâs question and Jesusâ answer. Lukeâs version does not seek to order Torah commandments but rather inquires about the fundamental principal of all the commandments. Jesus responds to the lawyerâs question with two questions.
A first century audience, Jesusâ or Lukeâs, would have known the Samaritan represented a despised âother.â But I think they also would have understood that the lawyer would not empathize with the priest or Levite. They represented differences within Judaism related to function, class, observance and biblical interpretation. The only character left through which to enter the story is the one who has no identity except life-threatening wounds. The lawyer understands Jesusâ point, according to the gospel narrative, that when you receive life-saving mercy, âothernessâ ceases and we experience instead our common humanity. The lawyer perceives â and so do we â who your neighbor is and what it looks like to be a neighbor. Jesusâ final words, âgo and do likewiseâ parallel the command following the lawyerâs first question, âdo this and you will live.â
The observation is important, because most interpretations read this well-known episode, recorded only in Luke, presuming a contentious relationship between Jesus and the lawyer. But Lukeâs Jesus does not dismiss the Law or its teachers. When there are controversies over the Law, Jesus argues within the rubrics of legal debate, not against it. i I propose that we read this lection taking clues from the narrative world of Luke and this pericope in particular.
According to the synoptic parallels, the questioner asks which is the greatest commandment (Matthew 22:34-40) or which is the first (Mark 12:28-34). In Markâs version, a scribe inquires, approves Jesusâ answer, and Jesus observes the scribeâs wisdom.
Jesus agrees with the lawyer, saying, â Do this and you will live.â (Italics are mine.) The lawyer follows up with a second question, also a very good one. If doing this, i.e., loving God and loving neighbor as oneself, is a matter of eternal life, then defining âneighborâ is important in this context.