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Luke 10

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After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

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Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.

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Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

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Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.

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And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.

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And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.

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And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.

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And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:

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And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

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But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,

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Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.

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But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.

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Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

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But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.

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And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.

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He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

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And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.

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And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.

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Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

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Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.

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In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.

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All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.

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And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:

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For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

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And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

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He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

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And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

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And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.

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But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

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And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

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And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.

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And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

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But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,

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And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

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And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

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Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

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And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

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Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.

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And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

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But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.

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And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:

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But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

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Luke 10

The seventy-two sent out in pairs return with joy: even the demons submit to us in your name. Jesus' response interprets their victories as the visible outworking of Satan's cosmic fall like lightning. The claim to have given them authority over all the power of the enemy is followed by the corrective that grounds the greater joy in the registration of their names in heaven rather than the exercise of authority. The thunderbolt saying — all things have been committed to me by my Father; no one knows who the Son is except the Father — is Jesus' most explicit self-disclosure in the Synoptic travel narrative. The Good Samaritan parable inverts the lawyer's who-is-my-neighbor question into a who-became-a-neighbor question: the answer is the Samaritan who showed mercy, and the command is go and do likewise. The Mary-and-Martha scene closes the chapter with the same principle from a different angle: Mary who sits at the Lord's feet has chosen what is better — the one thing necessary — which will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10:14

But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you — the comparative judgment: the Gentile cities that did not receive the miracles receive lighter judgment than the Jewish cities that did. The principle is consistent: judgment is proportionate to the revelation received and rejected.

Luke 10:1

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 — the appointment of the seventy-two is unique to Luke — a mission beyond the twelve. Seventy-two (or seventy, in some manuscripts) may echo the seventy elders of Moses (Numbers 11:16–17) or the seventy nations of Genesis 10. Two by two echoes the twelve's mission. Ahead of him: the seventy-two are advance scouts preparing the way.

Luke 10:2

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 — the harvest is plentiful / workers are few: the commission is grounded in the missional reality — the need exceeds the available labor force. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers: the mission begins with prayer, not strategy. The Lord of the harvest (the Father) is the source of both the workers and their commissioning.

Luke 10:3

Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves — the go is the mission command that makes the appointment concrete. Lambs among wolves: the vulnerability of the sent ones communicates both the reality of opposition and the nature of the kingdom's advance — not by force but through the vulnerable proclamation of the gospel.

Luke 10:4

Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road — the minimal provisions instruction is more stringent than the twelve's commission: no purse, no bag, no sandals. Do not greet anyone on the road: the urgency of the mission prohibits the extended greetings of the ancient world that could consume significant time. The mission's urgency requires focus.

Luke 10:5

When you enter a house, first say, peace to this house — the greeting of peace (eirēnē) is the kingdom's first word to every household. The peace is not merely a social courtesy but the announcement of the kingdom's shalom — the comprehensive well-being of God's restored community offered to those who receive the messengers.

Luke 10:6

If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you — the person of peace (hyios eirēnēs, son of peace) is the receptive person within the household who will receive the kingdom's welcome. If no such person is there, the peace returns — it is not wasted but comes back. The kingdom's welcome is personal and responsive, not mechanical.

Luke 10:7

Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house — stay there: the same instruction as the twelve's commission — commit to the first household, don't shop for better accommodations. The worker deserves his wages: the financial support of the household for the kingdom messenger is a justice matter, not a charity matter.

Luke 10:8

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you — eat what is offered is the practical application of the defilement teaching of chapter 6 — the mission to all people requires the willingness to eat what is set before you without questioning its ritual status. The dietary flexibility enables the universal mission.

Luke 10:9

Heal the sick who are there and tell them, the kingdom of God has come near to you — heal the sick and announce the kingdom: the inseparable double action of the mission. The kingdom has come near (ēngiken): the same announcement as Jesus' programmatic declaration (Luke 4:43). The nearness is personal — come near to you (eph' hymas, upon you, to you specifically).

Luke 10:10

But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say — the response to unwelcome: go into the streets (the public space) and make the testimony public. The refusal of private hospitality does not prevent the public declaration.

Luke 10:11

Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: the kingdom of God has come near — the dust-wiping is the testimony against the unreceptive town. Yet the kingdom has come near even to the rejecting town: the nearness is not conditional on the reception — the kingdom has arrived whether the town receives it or not. The warning communicates that the rejection does not protect from the judgment of refusing what was genuinely offered.

Luke 10:12

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town — the Sodom comparison communicates the severity of the judgment on towns that reject the kingdom's direct proclamation. Sodom's sin was great; the sin of refusing the kingdom is greater because the revelation refused is greater.

Luke 10:13

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 — the woes on the Galilean cities that have witnessed the miracles and not repented continue the Sodom comparison. Tyre and Sidon (Gentile cities associated with pride and wickedness) would have repented if they had seen what Chorazin and Bethsaida saw. The greater the revelation, the greater the responsibility.

Luke 10:15

And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades — the rhetorical question to Capernaum — the city that was the ministry's home base, the city of the most miracles — communicates the depth of the coming judgment. Lifted to the heavens: the expectation that the city of miracles would receive special honor. No, you will go down to Hades: the expectation is precisely inverted — the privilege of the miracles makes the rejection more culpable.

Luke 10:16

Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me — the chain of representation: the seventy-two's reception is Jesus' reception; Jesus' reception is the Father's reception. Whoever rejects you rejects me: the authority of the sent ones is the authority of the sender. The rejection chain runs upward: rejecting the messenger = rejecting Jesus = rejecting the Father.

Luke 10:17

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name — the joy of the returning seventy-two is the joy of successful mission. Even the demons submit to us in your name: the unexpected authority over the demonic realm has been the most striking element of their experience. The in your name communicates the derivative character of the authority — it is Jesus' name, not their own power.

Luke 10:18

He replied, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven — the vision of Satan's fall is Jesus' eschatological perspective on the mission's success: the seventy-two's victories over demons are the local expressions of a cosmic defeat already accomplished. Like lightning communicates both the speed and the dramatic visibility of the fall. The mission's victories are the outworking of a battle already won at the spiritual level.

Luke 10:19

I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you — I have given you authority: the authority is given, not inherent. Trample on snakes and scorpions (the imagery of Psalm 91:13 applied to the mission context) communicates comprehensive protection. Nothing will harm you: the protection is not from all difficulty but from the mission-threatening harm that would prevent the kingdom's advance.

Luke 10:20

However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven — the corrective: the superior joy is not the authority over demons but the security of the names written in heaven. The authority is temporary and functional; the registration in heaven is permanent and relational. The joy of belonging exceeds the joy of power.

Luke 10:21

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 is what you were pleased to do — full of joy through the Holy Spirit is Luke's unique description of the Spirit-filled rejoicing. The thanksgiving addresses the pattern of revelation: hidden from the wise and learned (those confident in their own understanding), revealed to little children (the humble, the dependent). This is what you were pleased to do: the sovereignty of the Father in revelation is affirmed.

Luke 10:22

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 — the thunderbolt saying is the most explicit claim of divine mutual knowledge in the Synoptic Gospels: the Father and the Son know each other exclusively, and the Son reveals the Father to those he chooses. All things committed to me: the comprehensive authority of the Son. The mutual knowledge of Father and Son communicates the relational equality that grounds the authority.

Luke 10:23

Then he turned to his disciples and said privately: blessed are the eyes that see what you see — the private beatitude for the disciples' eyes communicates the privilege of their historical position: they see the fulfillment of what the prophets and kings longed to see. The blessed are the eyes connects the vision of the kingdom to the joy that the seventy-two's return has produced.

Luke 10:24

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 — the prophets who predicted and the kings who anticipated the messianic arrival did not see its fulfillment. The disciples see what the greatest figures of Israel's history longed to see but died without seeing. The privilege of the historical moment is the ground of the blessing.

Luke 10:25

On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. Teacher, he asked, what must I do to inherit eternal life? — the expert in the law's question is explicitly testing: he is not genuinely inquiring but seeking to trap or embarrass Jesus. What must I do to inherit eternal life: the question of ultimate salvation. The answer will become the occasion for the Good Samaritan parable.

Luke 10:26

What is written in the Law? he replied. How do you read it? — Jesus' counter-question returns the inquiry to the lawyer's own expertise: the Torah is your domain — what does it say? How do you read it communicates that interpretation matters, not merely recitation.

Luke 10:27

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 lawyer's answer is the correct answer: the double love command combining Deuteronomy 6:5 (love God) and Leviticus 19:18 (love neighbor). The expert cites the summary correctly.

Luke 10:28

You have answered correctly, Jesus replied. Do this and you will live — the commendation and the challenge: you have answered correctly (orthōs). Do this and you will live: the answer is right; the question is whether the lawyer does it. The challenge shifts from knowledge to practice.

Luke 10:29

But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, and who is my neighbor? — wanting to justify himself (thelōn dikaiosai heauton): the lawyer knows he does not fully obey the command, so he looks for a way to narrow its scope. Who is my neighbor: the definitional question that, if answered narrowly enough, makes the command manageable. The parable that follows will answer by expanding the category beyond any manageable limit.

Luke 10:30

In reply Jesus said: a man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead — the Jerusalem to Jericho road descends about 3,300 feet in seventeen miles through isolated wilderness terrain — notorious for bandits. The victim is stripped, beaten, and left half dead (hēmithanē) — robbed of everything and left at death's threshold.

Luke 10:31

A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side — the priest's passing by on the other side communicates deliberate avoidance: he saw (idōn) and changed direction. The reasons for his passing (fear of contamination by a possible corpse, concern about his own safety, uncertainty about the man's status) are not given — only the passing by.

Luke 10:32

So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side — the Levite repeats the priest's action: came to the place, saw him, passed by. The double religious-professional failure intensifies the parable's challenge — both the priest and the Levite, both representatives of Israel's covenant service, have passed by.

Luke 10:33

But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him — the Samaritan is the parable's scandal. The expected third character in the priest-Levite pattern would be an ordinary Israelite layman; the substitution of a Samaritan (despised enemy of the Jews) is the shocking reversal. When he saw him, he took pity (splagchnisthē, was moved in the bowels): the same visceral compassion as Jesus in the widow of Nain and the feeding of the five thousand.

Luke 10:34

He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him — the Samaritan's care is comprehensive and costly: bandaging wounds, oil and wine (the medical treatment), his own donkey (foregoing his own convenience), transport to an inn, and personal care throughout the night. Each action costs the Samaritan something.

Luke 10:35

The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. Look after him, he said, and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense — the two denarii (two days' wages) given to the innkeeper and the promise of more on return communicate ongoing commitment. The Samaritan does not abandon the injured man at the inn but takes financial responsibility for his ongoing care. When I return: the Samaritan will come back — the commitment is not a one-time payment but an ongoing relationship.

Luke 10:36

Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers? — the question reverses the lawyer's original question: who is my neighbor (which people must I love?) becomes which of these three was a neighbor (how do you become a neighbor?). The question reframes the entire issue: the neighbor is not a category of people you must include but a way of being — the one who shows mercy.

Luke 10:37

The expert in the law replied, the one who had mercy on him. Jesus told him, go and do likewise — the lawyer cannot bring himself to say the Samaritan — he says the one who had mercy. The recognition is the correct recognition; the go and do likewise is the application. The parable does not answer who is my neighbor in a way that limits the obligation — it answers by making the asker into the one who becomes a neighbor by showing mercy.

Luke 10:38

As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him — the Mary and Martha episode is unique to Luke. Martha opened her home (hypedexato, received as a guest) — the hospitality is Martha's initiative. The home belongs to Martha — she is the householder.

Luke 10:39

She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet listening to what he said — Mary's position at Jesus' feet is the disciple's posture — the same position as the sinful woman (7:38) and the healed demoniac (8:35). Listening to what he said: the active reception of the teaching. Mary has chosen the disciple's role.

Luke 10:40

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 was distracted (periespa, dragged around, distracted) by all the preparations: the hospitality work that welcomed Jesus is now competing with receiving Jesus. She came to him and asked: the complaint is addressed to Jesus, not to Mary. Don't you care is the exasperated host's question.

Luke 10:41

Martha, Martha, the Lord answered, you are worried and upset about many things — the double name (Martha, Martha) communicates gentle, personal address. You are worried (merimnais) and upset (thorybazē, troubled, anxious): the diagnosis is anxiety — the hospitality preparations have become a source of worry rather than joy.

Luke 10:42

But few things are needed — or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her — few things are needed (or only one): the radical simplification — the elaborate meal preparations are unnecessary; one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better: the comparative (tēn agathēn merida, the good portion) communicates that Mary's choice is not merely different but genuinely better. It will not be taken away: the learning at Jesus' feet is the investment that cannot be lost — unlike the elaborate meal that is consumed.