Luke10

Jesus commissions seventy disciples, sending them to preach, heal, and declare the Kingdom of God, warning of judgment for those who reject their message. Upon their joyful return, Jesus redirects their focus to rejoicing in their salvation rather than their power over spirits. He then teaches a lawyer about inheriting eternal life through the parable of the Good Samaritan, emphasizing active mercy. The chapter concludes with Jesus commending Mary for prioritizing spiritual devotion over Martha's worldly anxieties.

Jesus Commissions the Seventy

After this, the Lord appointed seventy other talmidim and sent them on ahead in pairs to every town and place where he himself was about to go.

He said to them, “To be sure, there is a large harvest. But there are few workers. Therefore, plead with the Lord of the Harvest that he speed workers out to gather in his harvest.

Get going now, but pay attention! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Don’t carry a money-belt or a pack, and don’t stop to shmoose with people on the road.

“Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘Shalom!’ to the household.

If a seeker of shalom is there, your ‘Shalom!’ will find its rest with him; and if there isn’t, it will return to you.

Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they offer, for a worker deserves his wages — don’t move about from house to house.

“Whenever you come into a town where they make you welcome, eat what is put in front of you.

Heal the sick there, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you.’

But whenever you enter a town and they don’t make you welcome, go out into its streets and say,

‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off as a sign against you! But understand this: the Kingdom of God is near!’

I tell you, it will be more tolerable on the Day of Judgment for S’dom than for that town.

Woes to Unrepentant Cities

“Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Beit-Tzaidah! For if the miracles done in you had been done in Tzor and Tzidon, they would long ago have put on sackcloth and ashes as evidence that they had changed their ways.

But at the Judgment it will be more bearable for Tzor and Tzidon than for you!

“And you, K’far-Nachum, will you be exalted to heaven? No, you will be brought down to Sh’ol!

“Whoever listens to you listens to me, also whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.”

The Seventy Return with Joy

The seventy came back jubilant. “Lord,” they said, “with your power, even the demons submit to us!”

Yeshua said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Remember, I have given you authority; so you can trample down snakes and scorpions, indeed, all the Enemy’s forces; and you will remain completely unharmed.

Nevertheless, don’t be glad that the spirits submit to you; be glad that your names have been recorded in heaven.”

At that moment he was filled with joy by the Ruach HaKodesh and said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I thank you because you concealed these things from the sophisticated and educated, yet revealed them to ordinary people. Yes, Father, I thank you that it pleased you to do this.

“My Father has handed over everything to me. Indeed, no one fully knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”

Then, turning to the talmidim, he said, privately, “How blessed are the eyes that see what you are seeing!

Indeed, I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see the things you are seeing but did not see them, and to hear the things you are hearing but did not hear them.”

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

An expert in Torah stood up to try and trap him by asking, “Rabbi, what should I do to obtain eternal life?”

But Yeshua said to him, “What is written in the Torah? How do you read it?”

He answered, “You are to love Adonai your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your understanding; and your neighbor as yourself.”

“That’s the right answer,” Yeshua said. “Do this, and you will have life.”

But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Yeshua, “And who is my ‘neighbor’?”

Taking up the question, Yeshua said: “A man was going down from Yerushalayim to Yericho when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him naked and beat him up, then went off, leaving him half dead.

By coincidence, a cohen was going down on that road; but when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

Likewise a Levi who reached the place and saw him also passed by on the other side.

“But a man from Shomron who was traveling came upon him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.

So he went up to him, put oil and wine on his wounds and bandaged them. Then he set him on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.

The next day, he took out two days’ wages, gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Look after him; and if you spend more than this, I’ll pay you back when I return.’

Of these three, which one seems to you to have become the ‘neighbor’ of the man who fell among robbers?”

He answered, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Yeshua said to him, “You go and do as he did.”

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

On their way Yeshua and his talmidim came to a village where a woman named Marta welcomed him into her home.

She had a sister called Miryam who also sat at the Lord’s feet and heard what he had to say.

But Marta was busy with all the work to be done; so, going up to him, she said, “Sir, don’t you care that my sister has been leaving me to do all the work by myself?”

However, the Lord answered her, “Marta, Marta, you are fretting and worrying about so many things!

But there is only one thing that is essential. Miryam has chosen the right thing, and it won’t be taken away from her.”

Study Notes for Luke 10

Verse 1

The appointment of the seventy (or seventy-two in some manuscripts) highlights the expanding scope of Jesus’ ministry beyond the initial twelve apostles. The number 70 often symbolized the nations of the world (Gen. 10), suggesting a mission to all peoples.

Verse 2

This verse underscores the urgency of the mission. The 'harvest' refers to the multitude of people ready to hear the message of the Kingdom, contrasting sharply with the limited number of available workers.

Verse 4

The instruction to travel without provisions (purse, bag, sandals) emphasizes radical reliance on God and the hospitality of those they minister to, signifying urgency and complete dependence on the mission.

Verse 5

'Peace' (Shalom) is more than a greeting; it is the comprehensive offer of God's well-being and the establishment of the Kingdom's presence in that home.

Verse 7

This establishes the principle that those dedicated entirely to preaching the Gospel are worthy of sustenance from the community they serve, allowing them to focus fully on their calling.

Verse 9

The ministry combined healing (demonstrating God's power) with the proclamation that 'the kingdom of God is come nigh,' signaling that Jesus’ rule was actively breaking into the present world.

Verse 11

Wiping the dust off their feet was a symbolic, dramatic gesture used by Jews when leaving Gentile territory, indicating complete separation and absolving themselves of responsibility for the city’s rejection.

Verse 12

Sodom represents the epitome of historical wickedness (Gen. 19). Jesus judges the rejection of the Kingdom’s message, delivered by his messengers, as a greater sin than that of Sodom, due to the light they had received.

Verse 13

Chorazin and Bethsaida were Galilean towns where Jesus performed many miracles. Their condemnation is based on the principle of accountability: greater spiritual privilege brings greater judgment when rejected.

Verse 15

Capernaum, Jesus' home base during his Galilean ministry, is condemned for its spiritual pride and ultimate rejection of the Messiah, despite being highly favored with his presence and works.

Verse 16

This verse grants the disciples divine authority. To receive or reject the messenger is to receive or reject the one who sent them (Jesus), and ultimately, the Father.

Verse 17

The disciples’ joy stems primarily from the manifestation of spiritual power, specifically the ability to overcome demonic forces through Jesus’ authority.

Verse 18

This statement is interpreted as Jesus witnessing the spiritual consequence of the disciples’ ministry—the active defeat and collapse of Satan’s dominion as the Gospel advanced.

Verse 19

Serpents and scorpions are metaphors for dangerous earthly and demonic powers. Jesus grants them authority over 'all the power of the enemy,' assuring them of protection in their spiritual warfare.

Verse 20

Jesus refocuses their joy from miraculous spiritual power (which is temporary) to eternal security. Salvation and adoption into God's family are the true and permanent cause for rejoicing.

Verse 21

Jesus thanks the Father for revealing divine truth not to the self-proclaimed intellectual elite ('wise and prudent'), but to the humble and receptive ('babes').

Verse 22

This high Christological claim asserts Jesus’ unique and exclusive knowledge of the Father, establishing him as the sole mediator of divine revelation.

Verse 24

The disciples are blessed because they are living in the fulfillment of promises sought by Old Testament figures. They are witnessing the Messiah and the dawning of the Kingdom firsthand.

Verse 25

A 'lawyer' (nomikos) was an expert in Mosaic Law. He 'tempted' (tested) Jesus, likely seeking to challenge his theological authority or to limit the scope of his teaching.

Verse 27

The lawyer correctly summarizes the two greatest commandments (Deut. 6:5 and Lev. 19:18), confirming that eternal life requires holistic love for God and active love for humanity.

Verse 29

The lawyer seeks to 'justify himself' by defining his neighbor narrowly, hoping to set boundaries on his responsibility and exclude those he did not wish to serve.

Verse 30

The road from Jerusalem to Jericho was notoriously dangerous, dropping 3,300 feet over 17 miles, making it a common route for robbery.

Verse 31

The priest and the Levite avoided the wounded man, perhaps fearing ritual defilement if the man was dead (Num. 19:11-13), prioritizing religious duty over immediate human need.

Verse 33

Samaritans were despised half-breeds to the Jews. Jesus deliberately makes the most hated social outsider the moral hero, shattering the lawyer’s ethnic and religious prejudice.

Verse 34

Oil and wine were common ancient remedies: oil soothed wounds, and wine served as an antiseptic. The Samaritan provides medical care, transport, and financial security.

Verse 37

Jesus reframes the question: the focus shifts from defining *who* one is obligated to love, to demonstrating the active mercy that makes one a neighbor to anyone in need. The lawyer cannot even bring himself to say 'Samaritan.'

Verse 38

This brief account follows the teaching on love and obedience, providing a practical example of prioritizing devotion to Christ within the demanding realities of daily life.

Verse 39

By sitting at Jesus' feet, Mary assumes the posture of a disciple (a student of a rabbi), a role typically reserved for men in first-century Jewish culture.

Verse 40

Martha represents the temptation to let necessary service and hospitality ('much serving') distract from the central focus of devotion and spiritual instruction.

Verse 42

Jesus affirms Mary's choice. While service is important, hearing and absorbing the Word of God is the 'one thing needful,' the superior and enduring priority that cannot be taken away.

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Luke10

Jesus Commissions the Seventy

Woes to Unrepentant Cities

The Seventy Return with Joy

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Jesus Visits Martha and Mary

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