Why does the lawyer ask, "And who is my neighbor?" in Luke 10:29? The Text in Question (Luke 10:29) “But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbor?’ ” Immediate Literary Context The lawyer—an expert in Mosaic Law—has just recited the two great commandments (Luke 10:27). Jesus affirms his answer and tells him, “Do this and you will live” (10:28). Confronted with the demand of perfect love, the man seeks to narrow its scope. Luke explicitly notes the motive: “wanting to justify himself.” In the flow of Luke’s narrative, the question functions as the hinge introducing the Parable of the Good Samaritan (10:30-37). Who Is This “Lawyer”? • Greek nomikos: a Torah scholar, commonly aligned with Pharisaic tradition. • Social standing: He is versed in halakhic debate, accustomed to hair-splitting definitions that fence the Law (cf. Matthew 23:4). • Typical method: rabbinic dialectic—asking a probing question to test another teacher’s orthodoxy (Luke 10:25). Historical-Cultural Debate over “Neighbor” Second-Temple Judaism wrestled with whether Leviticus 19:18 (“love your neighbor as yourself”) applied only to Israelites or also to resident aliens and Gentiles. • Qumran: 1QS 9.21-22 commands love for fellow “sons of light” but hatred for the “men of perdition.” • Rabbinic sources: m. Nedarim 3:11 restricts certain vows only toward “Israelites.” Sifre Deuteronomy 304 narrows lost-property obligations to “your brother,” not the foreigner. • Broader voices existed (e.g., Philo, Josephus), yet the prevailing legal climate often limited neighbor-love to covenant insiders. Motivational Analysis: “Wanting to Justify Himself” The verb δικαιόω in Luke 10:29 is forensic—seeking a declarative verdict of righteousness. Behaviorally, people confronted with an impossibly lofty ethic reduce its demands to protect self-image. The lawyer’s inquiry is therefore not innocent clarification but an attempt at self-exoneration: if the circle is small enough, he can claim compliance. Narrative Theological Purpose Luke uses the interchange to expose: 1. The inadequacy of legalistic righteousness. 2. The universal scope of divine love, soon illustrated by a despised Samaritan embodying covenant faithfulness more authentically than Israel’s elite. 3. The necessity of heart transformation that the coming cross and resurrection will secure (cf. Luke 24:46-47). Archaeological and Socio-Geographical Notes • The road “from Jerusalem to Jericho” (10:30) has been excavated; its 3,300-ft descent, narrow passes, and bandit reputation corroborate Jesus’ realistic setting. • Samaria’s location between Judea and Galilee made Samaritan-Jewish encounters inevitable yet volatile (cf. John 4:9). The parable’s shock value rests on this well-established hostility. Ethical and Soteriological Implications Jesus’ ensuing parable collapses ethnic, religious, and social barriers, revealing that authentic obedience springs from compassion empowered by grace, not boundary-keeping. Only in Christ’s atoning death and verified bodily resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) can the human heart be freed to love without limits (Romans 5:5). Practical Application Believers today face analogous temptations to restrict “neighbor” to those who share creed, color, or class. The Spirit presses the same question back on us: Do we seek loopholes, or do we reflect the indiscriminate mercy shown us in the gospel? Summary The lawyer asks, “Who is my neighbor?” to draw the circle small enough to vindicate himself. Jesus refuses the contraction, expands neighbor-love to encompass even an enemy, and exposes the need for redemption that the Law itself cannot supply. |
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