But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Parallel translations
- WEB But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
- BSB But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
- NKJV But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
- NASB But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
- NLT The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
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
Wanting to justify himself, the lawyer asks who counts as his neighbor. His evasive question reveals a heart seeking to limit love's demands.
Overview
Rather than confessing his failure to love, the lawyer seeks a definition narrow enough to leave him righteous. The desire to 'justify himself' exposes the self-righteous instinct the gospel confronts. Jesus answers not by drawing a boundary but by redefining neighbor-love itself in the parable that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 16:15And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
- Luke 18:9–11And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
- Matt 5:43–44Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
- Lev 19:34But the stranger that dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one born among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.
- Gal 3:11But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
- Rom 10:3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
- Rom 4:2For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
- Luke 10:36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
- Job 32:2Then was kindled the wrath of Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite, of the kindred of Ram: against Job was his wrath kindled, because he justified himself rather than God.
- Jas 2:24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
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 10:29 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.