Luke 10

Luke 10 is the tenth of the twenty-four chapters of the Gospel of Luke. In Luke 9, Jesus sent out the Twelve and steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem (9:51). This chapter belongs to the journey narrative that follows and opens with the sending of the seventy.

Outline

• Verses 1–12 Jesus sends the seventy ahead of Him two by two. He tells them to pray for laborers for the harvest and to carry neither purse nor shoes, and He instructs them to proclaim that the kingdom of God has come near. In towns that do not receive them, they are to shake the dust off their feet.
• Verses 13–16 Jesus rebukes Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, which saw His mighty works yet did not repent.
• Verses 17–20 The seventy return with joy, reporting that the demons were subject to them. Jesus tells them to rejoice rather that their names are written in heaven.
• Verses 21–24 Rejoicing in the Holy Spirit, Jesus gives thanks to the Father and declares that the disciples are blessed in what they see.
• Verses 25–37 A lawyer asks how to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells the parable of the Good Samaritan and then asks him which of the three proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among thieves.
• Verses 38–42 In the home where Jesus is welcomed, Martha is busy with much serving, while Mary sits at His feet and hears His word.

Key Verses

• Luke 10:2 "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few" — frequently cited in discussions of evangelism and missions.
• Luke 10:27 "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart … and thy neighbour as thyself" — a summary of the Law that joins passages from Deuteronomy 6 and Leviticus 19.
• Luke 10:37 "Go, and do thou likewise" — turns the question "Who is my neighbor?" into a demand to be a neighbor.

People and Places

• The seventy: those appointed and sent out in addition to the Twelve.
• The lawyer: an expert who interpreted and taught the Law.
• The priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan: the three travelers in the parable.
• Martha and Mary: the sisters who welcomed Jesus into their home.
• Chorazin and Bethsaida: villages near the Sea of Galilee.
• Tyre and Sidon: Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast.
• Sodom, Jerusalem, Jericho

Points for Reflection

• The number in verses 1 and 17 appears as seventy or seventy-two, depending on the manuscript. The Korean Revised Version renders it "seventy," while the New Korean Standard Version renders it "seventy-two."
• Verses 21–22 parallel Matthew 11:25–27, and verses 25–28 parallel Mark 12:28–34.
• Church Fathers such as Augustine sometimes read the parable of the Good Samaritan allegorically. In this reading, the man who fell among thieves represents humanity, and the Samaritan represents Christ. Many modern interpretations instead emphasize the lesson of love for one's neighbor.
• Luke does not name the village where Martha and Mary lived. It is John 11 that identifies them as residents of Bethany. Viewing the two sisters as a contrast between service and meditation on the Word, or between the active and the contemplative life, is a later interpretation.

In the Korean Church

The parable of the Good Samaritan is frequently used in Sunday school curricula and in sermons on love of neighbor and service. Verse 2 is commonly cited in worship services and gatherings that emphasize missions and evangelism. The story of Martha and Mary is often used as a sermon text on balancing service with listening to the Word.