Eternal Life.

In Luke 10 a lawyer asks Jesus, "'Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?'" Luke 10:25 (NRSV)

Jesus in turn asks him, "'What is written in the law?'"  Luke 10:26 (NRSV)

The lawyer replies to love God and love your neighbor.

And Jesus says, "'do this, and you will live.'"  Luke 10:28 (NRSV)

My question is: how can the lawyer ask Jesus about eternal life if eternal life only began after Jesus' death and resurrection?

It must be that either the Jews had a tradition of eternal life after death (he was a lawyer) or these words have been put into Jesus' mouth by the Gospel writer to make a point.

My personal belief is that eternal life is not exclusive to Jesus and his followers.

Jesus as much as says so in this passage.

Could it be that people have always been raised after death?

Could members of other faiths be in other mansions?  


[Scripture quotations (marked NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A., and are used by permission.  All rights reserved.]


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