One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- KJV And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
- NKJV And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- NASB And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- NLT One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A lawyer tests Jesus by asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. The question frames the dialogue that leads into the parable of the Good Samaritan.
Overview
An expert in the Mosaic law approaches not to learn but to test Jesus. His question about inheriting eternal life sets up Jesus' method of turning the inquirer back to Scripture. The exchange exposes the difference between self-justifying religion and genuine love for God and neighbor.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Matt 22:34–39And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.
- Luke 18:18Then a certain ruler asked Him, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
- Acts 16:30–31Then he brought them out and asked, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- Matt 19:16–19Just then a man came up to Jesus and inquired, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to obtain eternal life?”
- Gal 3:18For if the inheritance depends on the law, then it no longer depends on a promise; but God freely granted it to Abraham through a promise.
- Luke 11:45–46One of the experts in the law told Him, “Teacher, when You say these things, You insult us as well.”
- Luke 7:30But the Pharisees and experts in the law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 10:25 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.