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But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, "Who is my neighbor?"
Verse Takeaways
1
The Trap of Self-Justification
Commentators unanimously agree that the lawyer's question was not from a place of genuine curiosity, but from a desire "to justify himself." Feeling convicted by Jesus's simple, powerful summary of the law, the lawyer tried to find a loophole to prove his own righteousness. Scholars note this is a universal human tendency: when confronted with God's perfect standard, we often try to lower the standard to fit our lives, rather than change our lives to meet the standard.
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Luke
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9
18th Century
Presbyterian
To justify himself. He was desiring to appear blameless, or to vindicate himself, and show that he had kept the law.
Jesus wished t…
Desiring to justify himself (θελων δικαιωσα εαυτον). The lawyer saw at once that he had convicted himself of asking a question tha…
19th Century
Anglican
But he, willing to justify himself . . .—The question implied a conscience half-awakened and uneasy. It is characteristic…
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Baptist
But he, willing to justify himself, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
The Saviour then related this incident, which I have no d…
The only way to justify oneself is to limit the extent of the law’s demand and consequently limit one’s own responsibility (see comment on Mk 12:31…
16th Century
Protestant
But he wanting to justify himself. This question might appear to be of no importance for justifying a man. But if we recall what …
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
But he willing to justify himself Upon the foot of his own righteousness, and to make himself appear to be righteous…
If we speak of eternal life, and the way to it, in a careless manner, we take the name of God in vain. No one will ever love God and his neighbor w…
