15th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C - July
13, 2025
Deuteronomy
30:10-14; Colossians1:15-20; Luke 10:25-37
Theme: To Inherit Eternal Life, We Need to Fulfill Our
Part of the Covenant with God
A.
A Brief
Exegetical Analysis of Luke 10:25-37
1. Historical and Literary Contexts
This text unfolds within the context of Jesus’ long journey to Jerusalem
(9:51–19:27), where his Passion, Death, Resurrection, and Ascension will take
place. In this section, Jesus equips his followers with various teachings and
training to prepare them for the roles they will take on after his earthly
life. In our Gospel passage, Jesus instructs them on the greatest commandment,
which is the love for God and love for one’s neighbor as oneself. The story
about the privileges of discipleship (10:23-24) immediately precedes our text,
while the account of Martha and Mary (10:38-42) follows it.
2. Form, Structure, and Movement
This narrative account includes a parable. It is divided into two parts:
the conversation between a scholar of the law and Jesus concerning the
observance of the greatest commandment to inherit eternal life (vv. 25-28) and
the illustration of Jesus’ response through a parable (vv. 29-37).
3. Detailed Analysis
Vv. 25-28. A scholar of law questions Jesus to determine what he must do
to inherit eternal life. Luke notes that this question serves as a test, likely
because this scholar, being an expert in Mosaic law, is expected to know what
the laws stipulate regarding this inquiry. The accurate answer he provides when
Jesus redirects the question back to him confirms this. In his response, he
combines Dt 6:4-5 and Lv 19:18: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all
your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your
mind, and your neighbor as yourself” (v. 27).
The first greatest commandment addresses love for God, which engages the
whole person: heart, being, and mind. The Greek word for heart is kardia;
it can be understood as the seat of emotions or affections. Thus, loving God
with all one’s heart means nurturing one’s affection and emotional attachment
to him. The “being” or “soul” (see Mt 22:37) refers to one’s spiritual nature.
Therefore, to love God with all one’s being, or soul, is to pursue a personal
spiritual relationship with God. Strength (ischys) signifies power, might,
or physical force and energy. Hence, believers are called to love God by
employing their physical energy. The “mind” (in Greek, dianoia) represents an
intellectual endeavor. Thus, loving God with all one’s mind challenges
believers to seek to know God by utilizing not only their faith but also their
intellect.[1]
The second greatest commandment is to love one's neighbor as oneself. Loving
oneself serves as a model for loving one's neighbor.
Vv. 29-37. This expert in Mosaic law asks Jesus to define who can be
considered a neighbor. He expects Jesus to agree with him that loving only his
closest ones (his fellow Jews, and those who love him back) is alright. Through
a parable, Jesus clarifies who a neighbor is. In this parable, the man who fell
victim to robbers is identified as a Jew. The priest and a Levite, who passed
by without helping this victim, are also recognized as Jews. But the one who
took care of this victim is a Samaritan. Although Jews and Samaritans were
“enemies,” this Samaritan did not consider their enmity when it came to doing
an act of charity. Therefore, for Jesus, a neighbor is anyone (friends and
enemies, Jews and non-Jews) who is in need.
4. Synthesis
A scholar of the law tests Jesus with a question to determine what he
must do to inherit eternal life. When Jesus responds by asking what the Mosaic
law states, the man provides an exact answer, emphasizing love for God and love
for one's neighbor as oneself, as stated in Dt. 6:4-5 and Lv 19:18,
respectively. Jesus affirms this response and invites him to act on it to
inherit eternal life. The man then asks Jesus to define who can be considered a
neighbor, attempting to justify his belief that it is acceptable to love only
his fellow Jews and those who love him back. Through the parable of the Good
Samaritan, Jesus clarifies that a neighbor is anyone (Jews and non-Jews,
friends and enemies) who is in need.
B.
Pastoral
Implications
1. Liturgical Context
A covenant in the Bible is a sacred agreement between God and his people.
Our first reading refers to the covenant that God made with the people of
Israel through Moses on Mount Sinai. This covenant stated that God would
journey with them to their promised land, and in turn, they were required to
obey God’s commandments. In the New Testament, God established a New Covenant
with us through Jesus. God has fulfilled his part by redeeming us with the
blood of his Son. Saint Paul articulates this in our second reading, presenting
Jesus as the mediator of creation and redemption. Now, we need to fulfill our
responsibility by following God’s commandments, which today’s Gospel summarizes
as loving God and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves.
2. What the Church Teaches Us Today
The context of our first reading
is that Moses, along with his fellow Israelites, had nearly reached the end of
their forty-year journey toward the land God had promised them. Before passing
leadership to Joshua, Moses, at the age of one hundred and twenty, assembled
the people and asked them to renew their covenant and affirm their identity as
God’s chosen people. A fundamental act that testifies to their identity as
God’s people is to listen to the voice of God. This is why their essential
prayer called Shema (a Hebrew word meaning “hear”) begins with: “Hear, O
Israel: The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (see Dt 6:4). In our passage
reading, noticing how his people struggle to fulfill their part of the
covenant, Moses encourages them to turn to the Lord their God with all their
heart and with all their soul (Dt 30:10). He reassures them that God’s
commandment is not found up in the sky or far away beyond the sea, or in
heaven. It is, rather, very near to them, already in their mouths and hearts.
These expressions indicate that God’s commandments are not burdensome to
understand and follow.
In the New Testament, we, Christians, are under the New Covenant with God
through Jesus. Saint Paul expresses this in our second reading, when he speaks
of Jesus as the mediator of creation (Col 1:15-20a) and redemption (Col
1:18b-20). God has already accomplished his part of the responsibility in this
Covenant by redeeming and reconciling us with him through the Blood of his Son
Jesus on the Cross (see Col 1:20). In turn, we are called to fulfill our part
of the responsibility by obeying God’s commandments, which our Gospel summarizes
into loving God with all our heart, strength, and mind, and our neighbors as we
love ourselves (Lk 10:27). This is our Christian identity. People will know
that we are true Christians when we love God and our neighbors as we love
ourselves. By doing so, we will inherit eternal life (Lk 10:25b, 28) at the end
of our earthly journey.
We are called to love God by engaging our whole selves: heart, being, strength,
and mind. The Greek word for heart is kardia; it is the seat of emotions
and affections. The “being” or “soul” (see Mt 22:37) refers to one’s spiritual
nature. Strength denotes power, might, or physical force and energy. The mind (in
Greek, dianoia) represents an intellectual endeavor. Thus, we are called to
love God with all our affection (heart) and physical force (strength), pursuing
a personal spiritual relationship with him (being), and seeking to know him by
utilizing not only our faith but also our intellect (mind).
Next to loving God, today’s Gospel teaches us to love our neighbors as we
love ourselves. The scholar of the law, in our Gospel, attempts to justify
himself by asking Jesus to clarify who can be considered a neighbor. Through
his question, he aims to imply to Jesus that he loves his close ones (his
fellow Jews) who love him back, expecting Jesus to agree that he is acceptable
for doing so. Through a parable, Jesus reveals who a neighbor truly is. In this
parable, the man who fell victim to robbers is identified as a Jew. He was not
helped by his fellow Jews, the priest and Levite, who passed by, but by a
Samaritan. Although Jews and Samaritans were “enemies,” this Samaritan did not
allow their enmity to prevent him from performing an act of charity. Therefore,
for Jesus, a neighbor is anyone (friends and enemies, Jews and non-Jews) who is
in need. Let us love everyone, regardless of their skin color, social class, or
Church denomination.
Notice that in the commandment of loving our neighbor as ourselves,
“loving ourselves” serves as a model for the love of the neighbor. Thus, the
neighbor Jesus speaks about in his parable is also “myself” and “yourself.”
Here, the Church teaches us that we must first love ourselves before we can
genuinely love others.
May the
liturgy of this Mass enable us to love God and our neighbors as we love
ourselves on a daily basis, as part of our responsibility in the covenant we
have with God through Jesus, so that one day we may inherit eternal life at the
end of our earthly journey. Amen.
Fr. Leon Ngandu, SVD
Pastor of Holy Family Catholic Church, Jackson,
MS &
SVD USS Biblical Apostolate Coordinator
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