Luke 10

1 Now after these things, the Lord made selection of seventy others and sent them before him, two together, into every town and place where he himself was about to come.

2 And he said to them, There is much grain ready to be cut, but not enough workers: so make prayer to the Lord of the grain-fields that he will send workers to get in the grain.

3 Go on your way: see, I send you out like lambs among wolves.

4 Take no bag for money or for food, and no shoes; say no word to any man on the way.

5 And whenever you go into a house, first say, Peace be to this house.

6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will be with him: but if not, it will come back to you again.

7 And keep in that same house, taking what food and drink they give you: for the worker has a right to his reward. Do not go from house to house.

8 And into whatever town you go, if they take you in, take whatever food is given to you:

9 And make well those in it who are ill and say to them, The kingdom of God is near to you.

10 But if you go into a town where they will not have you, go out into the streets of it and say,

11 Even the dust of your town, which is on our feet, we put off as a witness against you; but be certain of this, that the kingdom of God is near.

12 I say to you, It will be better in that day for Sodom than for that town.

13 A curse is on you, Chorazin! A curse is on you, Beth-saida! For if such works of power had been done in Tyre and Sidon as have been done in you, they would have been turned from their sins, in days gone by, seated in the dust.

14 But it will be better for Tyre and Sidon, in the day of judging, than for you.

15 And you, Capernaum, were you not lifted up to heaven? you will go down to hell.

16 Whoever gives ear to you, gives ear to me; and whoever is against you, is against me; and whoever is against me, is against him who sent me.

17 And the seventy came back with joy, saying, Lord, even the evil spirits are under our power in your name.

18 And he said, I was watching for Satan, falling from heaven like a star.

19 See, I have given you power to put your feet on snakes and evil beasts, and over all the strength of him who is against you: and nothing will do you damage.

20 Do not be glad, however, because you have power over spirits, but because your names are recorded in heaven.

21 In that same hour he was full of joy in the Holy Spirit and said, I give praise to you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have kept these things secret from the wise and the men of learning, and have made them clear to little children: for so, O Father, it was pleasing in your eyes.

22 All things have been given to me by my Father: and no one has knowledge of the Son, but only the Father: and of the Father, but only the Son, and he to whom the Son will make it clear.

23 And, turning to the disciples, he said privately, Happy are the eyes which see the things you see:

24 For I say to you that numbers of prophets and kings have had a desire to see the things which you see, and have not seen them, and to have knowledge of the things which have come to your ears, and they had it not.

25 And a certain teacher of the law got up and put him to the test, saying, Master, what have I to do so that I may have eternal life?

26 And he said to him, What does the law say, in your reading of it?

27 And he, answering, said, Have love for the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and for your neighbour as for yourself.

28 And he said, You have given the right answer: do this and you will have life.

29 But he, desiring to put himself in the right, said to Jesus, And who is my neighbour?

30 And Jesus, answering him, said, A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he got into the hands of thieves, who took his clothing and gave him cruel blows, and when they went away, he was half dead.

31 And by chance a certain priest was going down that way: and when he saw him, he went by on the other side.

32 And in the same way, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, went by on the other side.

33 But a certain man of Samaria, journeying that way, came where he was, and when he saw him, he was moved with pity for him,

34 And came to him and put clean linen round his wounds, with oil and wine; and he put him on his beast and took him to a house and took care of him.

35 And the day after he took two pennies and gave them to the owner of the house and said, Take care of him; and if this money is not enough, when I come again I will give you whatever more is needed.

36 Which of these three men, in your opinion, was neighbour to the man who came into the hands of thieves?

37 And he said, The one who had mercy on him. And Jesus said, Go and do the same.

38 Now, while they were on their way, he came to a certain town; and a woman named Martha took him into her house.

39 And she had a sister, by name Mary, who took her seat at the Lord's feet and gave attention to his words.

40 But Martha had her hands full of the work of the house, and she came to him and said, Lord, is it nothing to you that my sister has let me do all the work? Say to her that she is to give me some help.

41 But the Lord, answering, said to her, Martha, Martha, you are full of care and troubled about such a number of things:

42 Little is needed, or even one thing only: for Mary has taken that good part, which will not be taken away from her.

Luke 10 Commentary

Chapter 10

Seventy disciples sent forth. (1-16) The blessedness of Christ's disciples. (17-24) The good Samaritan. (25-37) Jesus at the house of Martha and Mary. (38-42)

Verses 1-16 Christ sent the seventy disciples, two and two, that they might strengthen and encourage one another. The ministry of the gospel calls men to receive Christ as a Prince and a Saviour; and he will surely come in the power of his Spirit to all places whither he sends his faithful servants. But the doom of those who receive the grace of God in vain, will be very fearful Those who despise the faithful ministers of Christ, who think meanly of them, and look scornfully upon them, will be reckoned as despisers of God and Christ.

Verses 17-24 All our victories over Satan, are obtained by power derived from Jesus Christ, and he must have all the praise. But let us beware of spiritual pride, which has been the destruction of many. Our Lord rejoiced at the prospect of the salvation of many souls. It was fit that particular notice should be taken of that hour of joy; there were few such, for He was a man of sorrows: in that hour in which he saw Satan fall, and heard of the good success of his ministers, in that hour he rejoiced. He has ever resisted the proud, and given grace to the humble. The more simply dependent we are on the teaching, help, and blessing of the Son of God, the more we shall know both of the Father and of the Son; the more blessed we shall be in seeing the glory, and hearing the words of the Divine Saviour; and the more useful we shall be made in promoting his cause.

Verses 25-37 If we speak of eternal life, and the way to it, in a careless manner, we take the name of God in vain. No one will ever love God and his neighbour with any measure of pure, spiritual love, who is not made a partaker of converting grace. But the proud heart of man strives hard against these convictions. Christ gave an instance of a poor Jew in distress, relieved by a good Samaritan. This poor man fell among thieves, who left him about to die of his wounds. He was slighted by those who should have been his friends, and was cared for by a stranger, a Samaritan, of the nation which the Jews most despised and detested, and would have no dealings with. It is lamentable to observe how selfishness governs all ranks; how many excuses men will make to avoid trouble or expense in relieving others. But the true Christian has the law of love written in his heart. The Spirit of Christ dwells in him; Christ's image is renewed in his soul. The parable is a beautiful explanation of the law of loving our neighbour as ourselves, without regard to nation, party, or any other distinction. It also sets forth the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward sinful, miserable men. We were like this poor, distressed traveller. Satan, our enemy, has robbed us, and wounded us: such is the mischief sin has done us. The blessed Jesus had compassion on us. The believer considers that Jesus loved him, and gave his life for him, when an enemy and a rebel; and having shown him mercy, he bids him go and do likewise. It is the duty of us all , in our places, and according to our ability, to succour, help, and relieve all that are in distress and necessity.

Verses 38-42 A good sermon is not the worse for being preached in a house; and the visits of our friends should be so managed, as to make them turn to the good of their souls. Sitting at Christ's feet, signifies readiness to receive his word, and submission to the guidance of it. Martha was providing for the entertainment of Christ, and those that came with him. Here were respect to our Lord Jesus and right care of her household affairs. But there was something to be blamed. She was for much serving; plenty, variety, and exactness. Worldly business is a snare to us, when it hinders us from serving God, and getting good to our souls. What needless time is wasted, and expense often laid out, even in entertaining professors of the gospel! Though Martha was on this occasion faulty, yet she was a true believer, and in her general conduct did not neglect the one thing needful. The favour of God is needful to our happiness; the salvation of Christ is needful to our safety. Where this is attended to, all other things will be rightly pursued. Christ declared, Mary hath chosen the good part. For one thing is needful, this one thing that she has done, to give up herself to the guidance of Christ. The things of this life will be taken away from us, at the furthest, when we shall be taken away from them; but nothing shall separate from the love of Christ, and a part in that love. Men and devils cannot take it away from us, and God and Christ will not. Let us mind the one thing needful more diligently.