Bible Commentaries
Luke 10

Verses 1-42

X1-24 Mission of the Seventy(-Two) —(cf.Matthew 9:3738; Matthew 10:7-16, Matthew 10:40; Matthew 11:21-23 for parallel ideas.) This is proper to Lk although many of the instructions are contained in Mt’s mission of the Twelve, a point that need surely cause no surprise. Jesus has therefore gathered round him a large number of disciples ’fit for the Kingdom of God’. In Acts 1:15 Lk shows us 120 disciples gathered at Jerusalem immediately after the Ascension. The disciples are sent out two and two like the Apostles in Mark 6:7, but with this difference that the Seventy-two are sent to prepare for the coming of Jesus himself. MSS differ about the reading seventytwo or seventy.

4b. The absorbing thought of the preacher must be his mission; he must have the appearance of a man on a most urgent journey, looking neither to right nor left; cf.Kg 4:29. Their message is urgent indeed: ’the Kingdom of God hath come near’, the proclamation with which Jesus begins his preaching in Mark 1:15; this is its first appearance in Lk. 12. ’In that day’; in the day of judgement’ in Mt’s parallel 10:15; understood of the great Messianic Day when God shall appear to vindicate his rights; cf.Daniel 7:13 ff. 13-15. The mention of the Cities of the Lake, after 9:51-52, seems out of place; the context is more natural in Matthew 11:21-23.

17-24 Return of the Seventy-two —There is a general feeling of joy in which Jesus notably shares, the reason being the subjection of the devils to his disciples, a sign that the Reign of God has begun; Satan’s power over men is broken by their power over him.

18 indicates that Jesus was acting through his disciples when they used his name. There is a common opinion that here he was warning them against the danger of pride, but that seems to be contradicted by

19, words echoing Psalms 90:13 and paralleled in Mark 16:17-18. DV’s translation of 18 is confusing; what Jesus says is: ’I was watching Satan falling like lightning-fromheaven’, referring to the swiftness of the collapse of Satan’s dominion over men brought about by the preaching of the disciples.

20. The disciples are not forbidden to rejoice over the subjection of the devils; here as in 21b we have the Semitic idiom of comparison: ’rejoice more that your names are written in heaven than that . . .’; ’I thank thee Father that thou hast revealed these things to little ones more than . . . 2. ’Names written in heaven’; cf.Exodus 32:32; Psalms 68:29; Isaiah 4:3, etc. Greek cities kept an exact written roll of those with right to citizenship. 21-23. Remarkable verbal parallels with Matthew 11:25-27 and 13:16-17.

There is a characteristic addition in 21 where the joy of Jesus, like the whole action of his Messianic career, is attributed to the Holy Ghost; cf. 4:1, 14, 18. For the rest see the commentary on Mt where the context is different and very suitable, i.e. after our Lord’s explanation of the purpose of the parables which hide the secret of the Kingdom from the unworthy; but to the disciples it is given to know the mystery of the Kingdom, and the very heart of that mystery is the truth of the Incarnation to which reference is here made. This clear affirmation of the divinity of Christ (and in Mt) is a source of great embarrassment for rationalist critics; some have maintained, without the least support from the MSS, that a later hand has added these words from the teaching of Jn. But, as more orthodox critics have said, the teaching of Lk and Mt here provides one of the closest links between the Synoptic and the Johannine teaching on the person of Jesus. Its affinities to the Fourth Gospel are obvious, yet it comes to us embedded in the earliest Palestinian document Q, probably the earliest of the evangelical sources. We may agree with this while awaiting better proofs of the existence of Q. Note especially that here Jesus is no longer ’the Son of Man’, but ’the Son’ absolutely.

25-37 Neighbourly Charity —This teaching concludes with the parable of the Good Samaritan, proper to Lk, but the incident which calls forth the parable finds a somewhat similar parallel in Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 22:34-40. Some hold that Mk’s and Mt’s incident is altogether different on account of the very obvious discrepancies. In Mk and Mt the Scribe poses a question, as though commencing a mere academic discussion, about the most important precept of the Mosaic Law; we are to remember that, as traditionally interpreted, the Law comprised some 300 positive precepts and some 300, negative ones. Lk’s Scribe begins with a more pleasing request: what was he to do to gain everlasting life? ’Tempting’ need not be taken in a bad sense; ??pe????e?? will easily stand the meaning of ’finding out by examination’. The mention of everlasting life, new in Lk, comes well after 20 and the recent echoes of Jn who harps on that note.

26. Jesus deals with the man in a friendly way, referring him to the Law of which as a Scribe he is an accredited master. What does the Law say, for the way to life depends on the Giver of that Law?

27. The Scribe replies as any Jew might have replied by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5, for these words are the beginning of the Shema, the ritual prayer required to be said by every Jew twice a day. ’But how many Jews would have added the words which echo Leviticus 19:18 about brotherly love? The Law, it is true, insisted on this point, but it drew little attention from the doctors of the Law. Such a combination of texts is nowhere found in the rabbinical writings; the prevailing Jewish attitude towards the non-Jew was one of bitter contempt; cf. Matthew 5:43.

29. Therefore it looks as if the question of the Scribe here was dictated by his discontent with the common view on this point. Lk seems to present us with another of those pious Jews who have more thoroughly penetrated the true spirit of the Old Law, hence a kindred soul with Jesus.

30-37 The Good Samaritan —Though proper to Lk cf. echoes thoroughly the teaching of his fellow Synoptists; cf.Matthew 5:43 ff.; 9:13; 12:7. The significance of the parable is tremendous when we recall the attitude of the Jews to the Samaritans; cf.Ecclus 50:25 ff.; John 4:9; John 8:48. Here the Jews, even priests and Levites, are not only compared unfavourably with a Samaritan, but a Scribe is bidden to sit at his feet and learn the true meaning of the Law. Remember that the Samaritans too followed the Pentateuch and looked on Moses as their teacher. The contrasts are strong: on the one hand the wounded Jew; the priest and the Levite who, as they lived on the offerings of the faithful, were the more obliged to the offices of neighbourliness. On the other hand a hated Samaritan, passing through an unfriendly country and therefore excusable if he hurried to get out of it; but not content merely to render first-aid and leave the victim, he carries him to the inn and undertakes all the charges, paying what was the equivalent of two days’ wages, Matthew 20:2, and promising to return in case there was more to pay.

36-37. If Jesus concludes. by turning the Scribe’s question around the other way it is for two reasons: first because the sense of the question was, how far does the obligation of neighbourly love extend? The answer (provided by the Samaritan) is: to everyone in need, Jew or non-Jew, friend or enemy. Secondly, by thus raising the Scribe’s question to the sphere of general principles regarding charity and mercy, there is no room left for rabbinical casuistry about Jews and non-Jews, Samaritans and Gentiles. Every man is my neighbour, more particularly the man in need. The parable has always been a common field for allegory: Christ as the Good Samaritan, the wounded man as the human race robbed and despoiled by the devil, oil and wine the Sacraments, the inn the Church, etc.

38-40 Martha and Mary —Proper to Lk. There is great divergence of opinion about the significance of the incident; some think that here Lk intends to show that works of charity are not sufficient: faith is also required; others that the recent parable illustrates the second part of the Scribe’s answer in 27, while this incident shows how God is to be loved and sought first of all by contemplation, and thus the contemplative life has a pre-eminence over the active, etc. 38. Lk as usual neglects topographical details, but John 11:1 ff. and 12:1 ff. show that the place is Bethany near Jerusalem. Doubtless the parable of the Good Samaritan was spoken on the way up from Jericho to Jerusalem which passes through Bethany. Martha is shown as the mistress of the house; Mary appears for the first time; cf. § 753g. The law of hospitality, much insisted on in the East, would require both sisters to be occupied with the care of providing a meal for the unexpected guests, and it may be taken for granted that Jesus was accompanied by his disciples.

40. Martha is distracted or preoccupied with attention to the preparation of the meal: Lk in no way suggests that she is indifferent to the teachings of Jesus. ’Much serving’ does not mean that the guests were already at table; our Lord is teaching. Mary too is distracted, torn away from the thought of the meal by absorption in the words of Jesus. The scene and the words of Martha indicate a situation of friendly familiarity, and it would be as false to interpret her complaint in too serious a manner as it would be to read a grave rebuke into the reply of our Lord. It would be very unlike him to rebuke a woman who, if she is busy, is busy for the sake of him and his friends. Moreover he was a guest; she was the hostess.

41. Note here again ’the Lord’ and in 39. ’Martha, Martha, thou art full of care and trouble about many things; but there is need of few things or of one (only)’. Such seems to be the preferable, as it is the more authoritative, reading of the Greek. The repetition of Martha’s name gives the reply an affectionate tone; the ’many things’ is an obvious reference to the ’much serving’ above, while the ’few things or one (only)’ is an equally obvious contrast. In fact the plain literal meaning in the circumstances must be that Jesus bids Martha not to go to such trouble for the sake of her unexpected guests; it is embarrassing for them to be the cause of it. One dish alone would satisfy their needs. He concludes with the almost humourous remark of 42b: ’for Mary hath chosen a good part and she shall not be deprived of it’ merely in order that she may join in all these preparations which are really unnecessary. It follows that Mary has really chosen well in preferring to listen to his words. The shorter reading of 42a, adopted by Vg and DV, favours the more common interpretation, viz. that Jesus is here teaching the severe lesson that solicitude about the needs of this life stands in the way of ’the one thing necessary’. Objections to that interpretation are that it would be out of place in the circumstances; secondly, what is ’the one thing necessary’ here? Listening to Jezus like Mary? But our Lord often warns that merely hearing his words is of no profit, and here it is Martha who is doing the work of ministering to the Lord. We may note in conclusion that until 1950 this passage was the Gospel of the Assumption of our Lady who, in the. fulfilment of her maternal office towards her Son, played the part of Martha as well as that of Mary. But like Mary, she ’kept all these things in her heart’, 2:19, 51.