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Bible Commentaries
Luke 10

Brown's Commentary on the New TestamentBrown's Commentary

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Introduction

  1. Introduction
    READ: Isaiah 6:1-8
    1. Last week: Luk 9:51 And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem,
    2. And we learned that we, as disciples, have the privilege to choose Jesus over the world. We heard Jesus tell people to choose Him over the The Comforts of the World, they were choose Him over The Convenience of the World, and that following Him had priority over The Commitments of the World.
    3. Jesus has done so much for us – loves us infinitely, blesses us continually, and is making a home for us in heaven…it is natural for us to choose Him over a lost and dying world that only cares about itself.
    4. Today, we will see Jesus continuing towards Jerusalem – and sending out disciples ahead of Him to preach the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
    5. The bottom line of the message is that no matter what happens in ministry, we should be rejoicing that our names are written in Heaven!

Verses 1-24

  1. Laborers
    1. The Call
      Luk 10:1-3 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. 2 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. 3 Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
      1. Jesus is sending a new group out to minister and preach the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.
      2. He sends them out 2 by 2 – this lends itself to mutual encouragement to stay on task and be bold…and it also provides personal accountability for them in a moral sense. (Pretty girls)
      3. What He tells them to pray for is the heart He desires them to have…that the harvest is great: the fields are white and ready and we need to go out and bring in the harvest of souls.
      4. Just a side note: but the things Jesus tells us to do…do we do them? Do we pray for laborers to the harvest? We should!
    2. Ministry Rules
      Luk 10:4-9 Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. 5 And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. 6 And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. 7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. 8 And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: 9 And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
      1. Rule 1: Stay focused! Stay on task… Don’t let yourself get distracted! He started out by saying that they were to be lambs among wolves…understanding that the world wants nothing of Christianity unless the Holy Spirit is drawing them. And, that they will eat you if you’re not careful!
      2. Stay on task…by trusting the Lord for provision. Don’t take a purse, money, shoes…
      3. …and don’t salute anyone? Culturally, when people said, “How’s it going?”…they meant it! And consequently, the person you asked that of would tell you…they’d tell you about their family, their mom, their job, their animals…they’d invite you for a meal or maybe even to stay over for the night.
      4. Jesus says, “Stay on task” – “Keep the focus” – do what I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you!
      5. Rule #2: When you enter a house, because someone is kind and hospitable, stay there graciously. Follow the leading the Holy Spirit and not the menu. Don’t leave because they’re serving Hot dogs and the guy next door has steak!
      6. Rule #3: Heal the sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God is near. Simple instructions – get their attention by healing the sick and then preach Jesus to them.
    3. Rejection
      Luk 10:10-16 But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, 11 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. 12 But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. 13 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. 14 But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you. 15 And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell. 16 He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
      1. BUT…Jesus now tells them what to do if the people or towns won’t receive them…
      2. Wipe the dust off of your feet – a cultural symbolic action to say that they are rejected by you…
      3. Woe to those who do reject you – examples would be Chorazin & Bethsaida who rejected Jesus. Their condemnation will be worse than Sodom! It will also be better for Tyre and Sidon (the town from which Jezebel came) than for them.
      4. TRUTH: He who hears the one sharing is really hearing Jesus. But, if you, the teller, are rejected…the people are really rejecting both Jesus and the Father in Heaven.
      5. Joh 3:18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
    4. Power in Jesus’ Name
      Luk 10:17-20 And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 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. 20 Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
      1. The disciples were excited because they had discovered the power of Jesus’ name…we have the same power to thwart the wiles of the enemy by resisting the devil in Jesus’ name.
      2. Jas 4:7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
      3. And then, almost casually, Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning” –
      4. Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
      5. But, as cool as this power is…there is something more important. More important than spiritual gifts or power…it is that we know Jesus, that our names are written in heaven and that we know that we know that we are saved.
      6. Joh 6:29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. Joh 6:47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.
    5. Rejoice
      Luk 10:21-24 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. 22 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. 23 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 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.
      1. Jesus rejoices with the disciples…He’s excited that they are excited – I’m sure He feels the same way with us! When we get excited about what He cares about – He probably has great pleasure.
      2. Think about our response when our children are excited about things we’ve taught them or shown them is important. Think about the gladness and joy in our hearts when our kids get excited about Jesus, church and ministry! It’s awesome!
      3. Jesus’ natural response is to thank God for the opportunity for them to see His power and heart. Hopefully, our natural response is also to thank God for His goodness and not take it in vain…
      4. Psa 136:1-3 O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 O give thanks unto the God of gods: for his mercy endureth for ever. 3 O give thanks to the Lord of lords: for his mercy endureth for ever.
      5. 1Th 5:18 In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
      6. Psa 107:8-9 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men! 9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.
  2. Conclusion
    1. ​​​​​​​Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
    2. Joh 15:8-11 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. 9 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love. 11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Verses 25-37

  1. Introduction
    READ: Rev 2:1-5
    1. As we continue in Luke 10…we remember that Jesus is heading towards Jerusalem and is in His last 6 months before going to the cross on Calvary.
    2. As we seek to follow Jesus and learn more about Him that we might emulate His actions and seek to have His heart…we find a great example here in Luke 10:25.
    3. The illustration here given by Jesus of the good Samaritan shows us His heart, what His love looks like and should give us a clearer vision of the heart He desires to give us.
    4. Today, my prayer is that all of us will ask for more of God’s heart, more of His love and to be filled more completely with His Holy Spirit that we might glorify His name!
  2. The Good Samaritan
    1. ​​​​​​​The Test
      Luk 10:25-28 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 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. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
      1. A lawyer, in this sense, was one who was educated and skilled in interpreting and understanding and expressing the Mosaic law given to them in the Old Testament.
      2. The lawyer came to Jesus to tempt Him…literally in the Greek, to test Him thoroughly.
      3. He came with a question regarding the law but was not understanding that Jesus wrote the law, knew the law and was the incarnation of the Word of God.
      4. The question: “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” >> a fair question if he had a humble heart – but he was testing the Lord…
      5. Jesus answered the question with a question…what does the law say?
      6. The lawyer quoted back that we are to love God from Deut 6:8, and love our neighbor from Lev 19:18. This is the summation of the 10 commandments.
      7. Jesus – ok, do it and you’ll go to heaven.
      8. The problem with this is…none of us are perfect and therefore we can’t do it perfectly. We are selfish, prideful and arrogant creatures who are always looking out for #1 first, and then everyone else.
      9. Jesus is the only One who has loved perfectly because He IS perfect; and He demonstrated His perfect love by going to the cross to die while we were in our sin.
      10. Jesus loved us enough to forgive us despite our sin, our pride, our flesh and our selfishness. He is the only one to be perfectly selfless therefore demonstrating perfect love.
      11. Loving God with our heart, mind, soul and strength means we accept His Son as fully God and fully man – it means we accept the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf.
      12. Loving God means we confess our sin, our inability to keep the law and throw ourselves and the mercy of the perfect court – the God of the universe.
      13. When we humble ourselves, when we ask Jesus to be our Lord and Savior and forgive us and make us a new creation…then we find eternal life!
      14. In the Greek, John 14:6 says, “Jesus is the way (and the only way), the truth (and the only truth), and the life (and the only life) and NO man comes to the Father but by Him!”
    2. Justify Your Life
      Luk 10:29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
      1. Our pride – our human nature doesn’t like to be wrong…
      2. Jesus even told him he gave the right answer but in his heart there must have been conviction – and so, he felt the need to justify himself.
      3. How often do we try to justify our actions when they are contrary to God’s heart even when no one says anything? (Pro 28:1a The wicked flee when no man pursueth)
      4. Why? The Holy Spirit came to convict the world of sin, judgment and righteous and lead us into all truth. If we are feeling convicted…it is God trying to lead us away from sin into the truth!
    3. Our Neighbor
      Luk 10:30-37 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. 31 And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 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. 35 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. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
      1. A priest was one of the religious leaders…one who should “know better” and help! We COULD say hypocrite – yet, I know I fail and you may, too. We need to be quick to remove the beam from our own eyes before we point out the speck in someone else’s eye.
      2. A Levite was one who was in charge of the care of the Temple. He would be likened to a deacon in today’s world and he should know better, as well.
      3. Yet, the one who stopped was one who was hated by the Jews…the Samaritans were only partially Jewish and did not worship correctly according to the law. They also did not worship in Jerusalem but in Mt. Gerazim.
      4. Here we find Jesus speaking of an outcast who chose to show love…to demonstrate love through action to us. Love is an action and he showed both kindness and compassion.
      5. Kindness is defined as: The disposition to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, having tenderness or goodness of nature;
      6. Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
      7. Compassion is: suffering with another; painful sympathy; a sensation of sorrow because of the distress or misfortunes of another.
      8. (speaking of God) Psa 78:38a But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity,
      9. Regarding the Samaritan: Not only did he attend to the immediate needs of the person…but he also gave the inn keeper money to continue to care for him. He was looking out for the person’s welfare over his own convenience and expense!
      10. How often do we love in this way – when it isn’t convenient or it doesn’t fit in with our plan or selfish desires?
      11. This goes back to March’s memory verse: Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
      12. How do we succeed at this? Only through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit… (let’s read on…)

Verses 38-42

  1. One Thing
    Luk 10:38-42 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. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word. 40 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. 41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: 42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
    1. This little account of Mary and Martha is the answer to the question of “How do I love like Jesus?”
    2. Martha was busy doing good things without Jesus – Mary was busy sitting at His feet.
    3. Mary, at Jesus’ feet, was in a position of submission, a place of worship and adoration and positioned to hear and receive from Him. She had her whole being focused upon Him, and was allowing Him to speak into her life.
    4. This is the position we need to be in to allow God to first work in us – then to work through us in serving others.
    5. The position of Mary is showing us that we must love God first with our heart, mind, soul and strength and then reach out and love others.
    6. Serving without first receiving from Jesus gives us a grumbling heart, a heart with a “got to” attitude instead of a “get to” attitude.
    7. The illustration of the Samaritan is one that demonstrates God’s love for us – is the example of how Jesus’ heart pours out for us and is the goal for all of us…to love the way Jesus loves.
    8. In the mean time…we need to be patient with others…as they grow in grace and love – just as we need to be continually doing.
    9. That, too, is an example of loving the way Jesus loves…
  2. Conclusion
    1. >> Read 1Cor 13 <<
Bibliographical Information
Brown, Jim. "Commentary on Luke 10". "Brown's Commentary on the New Testament". https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/eng/bnc/luke-10.html. 2017.
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