Luke 10:29 "But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'"

The "he" here is a lawyer (ha!) who has come to Jesus to ask Him what he must do to inherit eternity. (Luke 10:25) Jesus turns the question back on him, asking him what the law says, and he answers with the Great Commandment - we are to love God with all our heart, soul, and strength, and love our neighbor as ourselves. (Luke 10:27). Jesus tells this man he is correct, "do this, and you will live." (Luke 10:28) But then the lawyer, "desiring to justify himself", asks Jesus who his neighbor is, and Jesus replies with the parable of the Good Samaritan. (Luke 10:29-37).

There are definitely personality traits that lead us to a certain professions! As a lawyer, I can totally identify with this man. He obviously has been listening to Jesus. He repeats back to Him the Great Commandment of love, so he knows, at least in his mind, the answer to his question. It seems he is taking Jesus' words and constructing in his head a statute or contract that, if he follows all its precepts, will get him to eternal life. He believes in Jesus and he wants salvation, so he is on the right path, as Jesus acknowledges when He says "You have answered right; do this, and you will live", but he is approaching the whole thing in too lawyerly of a way.

The man seems to be asking for a "defined terms" section to know exactly how to apply this "law of love" that he has heard from Jesus and understands in a logical way. In statutes, contracts, and other legal documents, lawyers always define terms, it is absolutely essential for applying the law properly. (I am reminded of an elderly man I was helping wanting to check the box as a "Qualified Widower" on his tax return without knowing what it was, simply because he was a widower and, darn it, he's qualified! 🙂)

This lawyer thinks he needs a definition of "neighbor" in order to properly abide by the law of love. Jesus is kind with him, and tells him the parable of the Good Samaritan to get him to realize that being a "neighbor" is not a question of legal definition, but one of the heart. The love comes first - if we act with love, we see all people as our neighbor.

The lawyer has been given a lesson on getting the law of love out of his mind and into his heart, where it will all make sense. This is a hard lesson for those with logical minds, but once we learn it, a whole new world opens up. We start to see the world the way God does, and that is the beginning of wisdom, as opposed to knowledge.