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The Gospel of Luke Chapter Ten
Commentary by Timothy H. Burdick
Look with me at Chapter 10 of Luke,
Verse 1 - “After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others
and sent them two-by-two ahead of Him to every town and
place where He was about to go.” It is important to not
confuse the sending out of the apostles in Chapter 9, with
the sending out of the seventy-two here. These were two
different instances.
We can see here as-well-as in some
other places that Jesus’ following wasn’t limited to the
twelve apostles. It was broken-down in this way: first He
had quite a large group of people who followed Him. There
may have been hundreds in that group. Next there were the
twelve disciples/apostles. Finally, there was the inner
circle of Peter, James and John.
The seventy-two that were sent out
to make the arrangements were Jesus’ ambassadors, making
sure that everything was ready in each village where He was
to stop. In this way, their role was similar to John the
Baptist who made sure that everything was ready for the
ministry of Jesus Christ. Compare this first with Matthew
3:3 - “This is He who was spoken of through the prophet
Isaiah: a voice of one calling in the desert, prepare the
way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
We also learn from this verse that
if we can, it is helpful to go out two-by-two for support.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because
they have a good return for their work. If one falls down,
his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and
has no one to help him up.”
Luke goes on in the second verse of
Chapter 10 to say, “He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful,
but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest
therefore to send out workers into His harvest field.’” Here
Jesus admonishes His followers to tap into the power of
prayer. This is something we need to take note of. Too many
times we go out on a “mission for God” without first asking
the “Lord of the harvest” to go before us. Look at what
Jesus has to say about this in John 15:7-8 - “If you remain
in Me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and
it will be given you. This is to My Father’s glory, that you
bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”
Then Jesus said in Luke 10:3, “Go! I
am sending you out, like lambs among wolves.” Our lifestyle
is intended to be different from those around us. We are to
be gentle, not having a ravenous desire to walk on others in
order to achieve our goals. Jesus says in John 15:12-13, “My
command is this, love each other as I have loved you.
Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life
for his friends.”
Next in Luke 10:4-11, Jesus gave the
following instructions to seventy-two of His disciples: “do
not take a purse, or bag, or sandals, and do not greet
anyone on the road. When you enter a house, first say
‘peace’ to this house. If a man of peace is there, your
peace will rest on him. If not, it will return to you. Stay
in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you,
for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from
house-to-house. When you enter a town, and are welcomed, eat
whatever is set before you. Heal the sick who are there, and
tell them, ‘the kingdom of God is near you.’ But when you
enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and
say, “even the dust of our town that sticks to our feet, we
wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this, ‘the Kingdom of
God is near.’”
Jesus began in Verses 4-11 by giving
similar instructions to those that He gave to His apostles
in the last chapter. He made a point to the seventy-two He
addressed, that they should give a greeting of peace (or say
“shalom”) to each household where they would stay. Twice
Jesus mentions that the seventy-two must eat what was
provided for them. This is because what they were given was
to be their payment, and also in that culture, hospitality
was extremely important. Jesus didn’t want to offend these
hosts unnecessarily.
The mission of the seventy-two who
were sent-out by Jesus was three-fold as I see it. We have
already talked about the first mission - preparing the way
for Jesus. The second facet of their mission was one of
comfort. They were to “heal the sick” (Verse 9) and let them
know that “the Kingdom of God has come near.” We live in a
broken world, and like the seventy-two, we need to back up
what we say with our actions, but we also need words of
encouragement to accompany our actions. Read with me what
James has to say about putting our faith into action - ”Show
me your faith without your works, and I will show you my
faith by my works” (James 2:18).
But the power of words cannot be
dismissed either. There must be a balance between the two.
While this can be hard to achieve, we need to strive towards
saying the same thing in both word and action. Look with me
at Proverbs 25:11 - “A word aptly spoken is like apples of
gold in settings of silver.” Lastly, these people who went
before Jesus were to speak out in word and action. They were
not to compromise, and neither are we to water down the
message of the gospel. In this vein, Jesus said, “I tell you
it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that
town” (Verse 12). As stated in Verse 14, He is talking about
the day of judgment.
So that we have a clear
understanding of what Jesus is saying, let’s take a look and
see what the Scriptures have to say about Sodom. One example
would be found in Genesis13:13 - “Now the men of Sodom were
wicked and were sinning greatly against the Lord.”
Then Jesus continued, “Woe to you
Chorazin! Woe to you Bethsaida! For if the miracles that
were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon,
they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and
ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at
the judgment than for you. And you Capernaum, will you be
lifted up to the skies? No you will go down to the depths”
(Verses 13-15). Let’s take a brief look at each town listed.
Chorazin is now called Khirbet
Kerazeh. It is about two miles north of Capernaum and has a
view of the Sea of Galilee. While it was a thriving
commercial center, it wasn’t as close to the lake called
Galilee as some other towns that we will look at.
“Bethsaida” means “house of fishing.” It may have been the
fishing town adjoining Capernaum. Philip, Andrew and Peter
all lived there. See John 1:40-44 - “Andrew, Simon Peter’s
brother was one of the two who heard what John had said and
who had followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was to
find his brother Simon and tell him, ‘We have found the
Messiah’ (that is the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John.
You will be called Cephas’ which when translated is Peter.
The next day Jesus decided to leave for Galilee. Finding
Philip He said to him ‘Follow Me.’ Philip like Andrew and
Peter, was also from the town of Bethsaida.”
Now, let’s look at Tyre and Sidon,
which were ancient seaport cities. As you can see in places
like Verse 13 of Luke 10, the great seaport of Tyre was
often linked to Sidon, which was about 25-miles to the north
of Tyre. They both enjoyed immense prosperity and were both
very wicked places. Isn’t it interesting that prosperity so
often leads to evil lives?
Why then did Jesus say that Tyre and
Sidon would have it easier in the judgment than Chorazin and
Bethsaida? It was because they had seen the light of the
Gospel In Christ. See how Jesus set forth this principal in
Luke 12:48 - “But the one who does not know and does things
deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From
everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and
from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more
will be asked.”
A lot of people ask – “How can Jesus
be the only way to God?” There are so many differing
religions they might add. Note that God is just, and those
who have less understanding will be judged less strictly. So
we can emphatically say that “God is love” (1 John 4:8) and
Jesus is the only way to find Him (John 14:6).
Lastly on this list of cities named
by Jesus, we have Capernaum. This city was the headquarters
for Jesus’ earthly ministry. To see this, look with me at
Matthew 4:13, where it says, “Leaving Nazareth, He went and
lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of
Zebulon and Naphtali. Capernaum was a little town and as
Matthew just stated, it was situated on the shore of the
lake. When Jesus said in Verse 15 that Capernaum was
“exalted to heaven,” it means they were a proud and
stiff-necked people.
Then Jesus told His followers
something more that pertains to us today. Luke 10:16 says,
“He who listens to you listens to Me; he who rejects you
rejects Me; but he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”
Here we see a very specific chain of command. When people
reject us for following Christ, they are not rejecting us,
but Christ. And when they are rejecting Christ, they are
also rejecting the Father. So, if people reject you for your
faith, don’t take it personally. It’s between them and God.
Look at the seventy-two returning to
Jesus in Luke 10:17-20 - “The seventy-two returned with joy”
and said “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.”
He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I
have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions
and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will
harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to
you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” I
think that many times we are like the seventy-two. Many
times we rejoice over manifestations of God’s power in the
form of signs and wonders. It tells us here, however, that
real rejoicing should be because we have been accepted by
God and our names are written down in heaven.
Look with me now at Luke10:21-22 -
“At that time, Jesus full of joy through the Holy Spirit,
said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because You have hidden these things from the wise and
learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes Father,
for this was Your good pleasure. All things have been
committed to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is
except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except
the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.’”
Take a minute and compare Jesus’
response with Verses 20-22. What is different about the joy
that the seventy-two experienced, and that which Jesus had
for them? To find the answer, look at John 15:10-11 - “If
you obey My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I
have obeyed My Father’s commands and remain in His love. I
have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that
your joy may be complete.” The key to lasting joy is not the
victory of the moment, but it is to come to Jesus and remain
in His love.
These verses also speak about God’s
sovereignty. According to Verse 22 and its context, Jesus
has chosen to reveal Himself, not only to the disciples, but
also to you and me. You may ask, what about people who He
doesn’t reveal Himself to? Many Scriptures speak of the love
and justice of God. So when there are things that I don’t
understand I have to rely on the goodness, the justice and
love of God. We can TRUST Him. Isaiah 55:8 says about this
-” For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways My ways,” declares the Lord. He continues, “My ways are
higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts”
(Isaiah 55:9). He sees more than we do and He KNOWS more as
well. We can’t figure it all out because we aren’t smart
enough, and so we should reasonably TRUST in the Lord.
Jesus spoke to us in Verses 23-24,
though He was directly addressing the disciples at the
moment. “Then He turned to His disciples and said privately,
‘blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I tell you
that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but
did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear
it.’” What we see and hear in the words of Jesus should
amaze us, every minute of every day.
Next in Luke 10:25 and forward, we
see Jesus being cross-examined by someone who knew far less
than He did. Luke recorded the encounter this way - ”On one
occasion an expert in the Law stood up to test Jesus.
‘Teacher,’ he asked, ‘What must I do to inherit eternal
life?’ ‘What is written in the Law?’ He replied. ‘How do you
read it?’ He answered, ‘Love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and
with all your mind’ and love your neighbor as yourself.’”
The first quote about loving God is
taken from Deuteronomy 6:5, “Love the Lord your God with all
your heart and with all your soul and with all your
strength.” The second quote about loving people comes from
Leviticus 19:18 - “Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge
against one of your people, but love your neighbor as
yourself. I am the Lord.”
Notice that when Jesus answers the
man who is confronting Him, in Verse 26-28, He brings the
man back to reading and applying the Scriptures, the Word of
God. This is something that we need to remember when people
try to argue with us about spiritual matters. Don’t get into
philosophy. Stick to what it says in the Word.
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus
replied in Verse 28. “Do this and you will live.” Luke 10:29
goes on, “But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked
Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” The cross-examination by
this teacher of the Law continued. Notice that we have
NOTHING to teach God, but He has EVERYTHING to teach us.
Then Jesus continued by telling a
story, which we see in Luke 10:30-36 - “In reply Jesus said,
“A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he
fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his
clothes, beat him and went away leaving him half-dead. A
priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he
saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a
Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on
the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where
the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He
went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and
wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an
inn and took care of him. The next day he took out two
silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after
him,’ he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for
any extra expense you may have.’”
Jesus continued by asking in Verse
36, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the
man who fell into the hands of robbers?” Notice that Jesus
asked the man to answer the original question in their
conversation. Verses 37 and 38 tell us that the expert in
the Law replied, “the one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told
him, “Go and do likewise.” God doesn’t grade us on our
knowledge or cleverness. Rather He expects us to become
people who are merciful.
Next, we have the story of Mary and
Martha. We know that the village that Jesus entered was
Bethany from the account in the Book of John. John 11:1
says, “Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from
Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.” Now
that we have established this background where they were at
the moment, let’s take a look at the story found in Luke
10:38-42.
“As Jesus and His disciples were on
their way, He came to a village where a woman named Martha
opened her home to Him. She had a sister called Mary who sat
at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was
distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She
came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister
has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’
‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘You are worried and
upset about many things, but only one thing Is needed. Mary
has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away
from her.’”
This story used to trouble me. I
wondered why Jesus would react this way towards service
apparently being selflessly performed. As I thought more
about it, I began to see the answer. I knew that with all
that Jesus said about service, He wasn’t saying that Martha
shouldn’t serve. He wasn’t saying that Mary shouldn’t help
at all either. What He was saying was that Martha the person
was burdened down with many cares, some of which were
unnecessary. These cares were keeping her from the “better
part” which is listening to Jesus and learning from Him.
When she did try to listen, she was not able to focus. Her
mind wandered and she instead thought about the things she
had to get done.
I would ask you in conclusion, are
you ever like Martha? Do you let worries and cares get the
upper hand in your life? Is this keeping you from
fellowshipping at the feet of Jesus? If so, 1 Peter 5:7 has
this to say, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares
for you.” In the Law we read, “You shall have no other gods
before Me” (Deuteronomy 5:7). Your worries can become like
little so-called “gods” that become barriers between you and
the Lord.
Please join me next time for Luke
Chapter 11. Thank you for participating with me.
Friday Study Ministries
The First Church On The Net
www.FridayStudy.org
www.FirstChurchOnTheNet.org
"While
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8)
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