What does Luke 10:27 mean?
An expert in the Mosaic and Oral Laws in the tradition of the Pharisees has asked Jesus how to attain eternal life (Luke 10:25). Jesus and the Pharisees have an antagonistic relationship, and the lawyer is putting Jesus "to the test." It was common for teachers and students to debate about theology, so the lawyer isn't necessarily attacking Jesus.Jesus turns the question around on the lawyer (Luke 10:26), asking him "What is written in the Law? How do you read it?" By doing so, Jesus challenges the lawyer to find the answer in the written Mosaic law, not the Oral Law that the Pharisees try to force the people to follow. This echoes the biblical principle that God's written Word is the ultimate guideline for faith (1 Corinthians 4:6).
The lawyer answers with the introduction of the Mosaic law. Deuteronomy 6:4 is the call to listen. Deuteronomy 6:5, which the lawyer quotes, is the first command. As is tradition, the lawyer combines Deuteronomy 6:5, which is the commandment to love God, with Leviticus 19:18, which says to love one's neighbor. Jesus responds that if the lawyer does this, he will attain eternal life (Luke 10:28).
The lawyer mentions heart, soul, strength, and mind; Deuteronomy 6:5 only mentions heart, soul, and might. While the phrasing varies, the meanings are the same. The point isn't to identify specific aspects of a human or even recite the wording perfectly, but to represent the whole being. It is interesting that a lawyer adds "mind"—it shows how he values his own intellect.
Days before Jesus' death, the Pharisees and their lawyers will challenge Jesus by asking about the greatest commandment. Jesus will start with the shema (Deuteronomy 6:4). He replies to their question: "The most important is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lᴏʀᴅ our God, the Lᴏʀᴅ is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29–31). Matthew's account includes Jesus saying, "On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 22:40). The lawyer will respond that these commandments are "much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices" (Mark 12:33). Jesus will say, "You are not far from the kingdom of God" (Mark 12:34).
