Luke 10:26

My Notes

What Does Luke 10:26 Mean?

"He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?" A lawyer asks Jesus 'what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' and Jesus answers with a COUNTER-QUESTION: what is written in the LAW? How do YOU read it? Jesus doesn't answer the question. He redirects the questioner to the TEXT the questioner already knows. The answer is in the book. The lawyer has the book. The question doesn't need Jesus' answer. It needs the lawyer's own reading.

The phrase "what is written in the law?" (en tō nomō ti gegraptai — in the law what has been written?) sends the lawyer to his OWN EXPERTISE: the lawyer is a LAW EXPERT. He knows the text. He studies the text. He teaches the text. And Jesus says: what does YOUR text say? The answer the lawyer seeks is in the BOOK the lawyer already possesses. The resource for the answer isn't Jesus' opinion. It's the LAW itself.

The "how readest thou?" (pōs anaginōskeis — how do you read?) adds a second question about INTERPRETATION: not just 'what does the text say?' but 'how do you READ it?' The first question is about CONTENT (what's written). The second is about INTERPRETATION (how you understand what's written). Both matter. The text and the reading are both relevant. The answer requires both the content and the comprehension.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What answer do you already have in the text you already know?
• 2.What does Jesus redirecting the expert BACK to his own expertise teach about engaging with what you already possess?
• 3.How does 'how readest thou' — interpretation, not just content — challenge your engagement with Scripture?
• 4.What action does your current knowledge require that you're avoiding by asking more questions?

Devotional

What's written in the Law? How do YOU read it? Jesus answers a question with two questions — sending the lawyer BACK to the text the lawyer already knows. The answer isn't hidden. It's in the BOOK. The book is in the lawyer's HANDS. The question doesn't need Jesus' input. It needs the lawyer's own reading.

The 'what is written in the law' sends the EXPERT back to his EXPERTISE: the lawyer specializes in the Law. He knows it backwards and forwards. He can quote it. He can parse it. And Jesus says: go to YOUR source. What does your own text say? The answer to 'how do I inherit eternal life?' is in the text the lawyer already memorized. The knowledge isn't missing. The application is.

The 'how readest thou' adds INTERPRETATION to CONTENT: it's not enough to know what's WRITTEN. You must know how to READ it — how to interpret, how to apply, how to understand what the text MEANS, not just what it SAYS. The lawyer can quote the text. Can he READ it? The letters are familiar. Is the meaning grasped? The words are memorized. Is the application understood?

The TWO QUESTIONS together say: the answer is already in your hands AND in your comprehension. You HAVE the text (what is written). You know how to READ it (how readest thou). The eternal-life question doesn't need a new revelation. It needs ENGAGEMENT with the revelation you already possess. The lawyer doesn't need MORE information. He needs to ACT on the information he has.

What answer do you already have — in the text you already know — that you're asking someone else to provide?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture