Lawyer (New Testament)

Occurrences in Scripture

The term "lawyer" appears mainly in the Gospel of Luke.

• Luke 7:30: The Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God by refusing the baptism of John the Baptist.
• Luke 10:25–37: A lawyer "tempted" Jesus by asking what he must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus asked him in turn what was written in the law, he answered with love for God (Deuteronomy 6:5) and love for one's neighbor (Leviticus 19:18). Then, "willing to justify himself," he asked who his neighbor was, and Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan.
• Luke 11:45–52: One of the lawyers protested that Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees insulted the lawyers as well. Jesus replied that the lawyers "lade men with burdens grievous to be borne" and rebuked them for having "taken away the key of knowledge," hindering others from entering.
• Luke 14:3: Jesus asked the lawyers and Pharisees whether it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath.

The same Greek word also appears in Matthew 22:35, where the Korean Revised Version, New Edition (Gaeyeok Gaejeong) renders it yulbeopsa rather than yulbeopgyosa. Titus 3:13 mentions "Zenas the lawyer," a coworker of Paul. The Gaeyeok Gaejeong also uses yulbeopgyosa to render a different word, nomodidaskalos, meaning "one who teaches the law." Luke 5:17 is one example, and Acts 5:34 uses this word to introduce Gamaliel.

Background

The Greek word nomikos means "one concerned with the law (nomos)," that is, a person well versed in the law. It refers not to a lawyer in the modern sense but to a Jewish expert who studied, interpreted, and taught the Law of Moses. Many scholars regard the lawyers as essentially the same group as the scribes of the other Gospels. For example, the "lawyer" of Matthew 22:35 appears as a "scribe" in the parallel scene in Mark 12:28–34. Some suggest that Luke used this term to make the meaning clear to Gentile readers. Scholars disagree, however, on whether the dialogue in Luke 10 describes the same event as Mark 12. As for Zenas in Titus, some hold that he was an expert in Jewish law, while others think he was versed in Roman law.

Interpretation and Debate

Interpretations differ over the statement that the lawyer in Luke 10 "tempted" Jesus. Some see it as a hostile trap; others see it as a probing question meant to test Jesus' competence, like the exchanges common among rabbis of the day. The text does not say that the lawyer was a Pharisee, nor does it record how he responded after hearing the parable.

Readings also differ on the words "this do, and thou shalt live" (Luke 10:28). Many interpreters in the Reformation tradition read this saying as intended to bring a person to realize that the law cannot be kept perfectly, and they explain it in light of the relationship between law and gospel. Other interpreters read it as a call to actual deeds of love flowing from faith, connecting it with Galatians 5:14, which teaches that love is the fulfilling of the law.

In the Korean Church

In Korean church preaching, the lawyer is frequently discussed together with the parable of the Good Samaritan. He is commonly presented as an example of a faith that knows the law well intellectually but fails to put it into practice.