And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall 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?
- BSB One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must 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?”
- 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 22:34–39But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together.
- Luke 18:18A certain ruler asked him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
- Acts 16:30–31brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
- Matt 19:16–19Behold, one came to him and said, “Good teacher, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?”
- Gal 3:18For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no more of promise; but God has granted it to Abraham by promise.
- Luke 11:45–46One of the lawyers answered him, “Teacher, in saying this you insult us also.”
- Luke 7:30But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves.
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.