Luke 10:26
“He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?””
What does Luke 10:26 mean?
Jesus responds to a lawyer's question about earning eternal life by turning it back on him: "What does the law actually say, and what do you understand it to mean?" Rather than giving a direct answer, Jesus invites the man to discover the truth himself by examining Scripture he already knows. This approach was common in Jewish teaching, where rabbis often answered questions with questions to help students think more deeply. Jesus is essentially saying, "You have the written Word in front of you—what does it teach?" It's a gentle way of suggesting that the answer the man seeks isn't hidden or distant, but already available to anyone willing to read carefully and listen honestly.