Day 28 Lent 2023
The day is slipping away from me, and I still have this devotion to write. I also still have things I need to do today. I also have things I want to do today. By the time you read this, it will be late, if not evening. Okay, it will be evening or later.
1Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.
2And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.
3 "Go; behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Luke 10:1–3 (NASB95)
Thirty-five groups of people went out. Each group of two to a different "city and place." That's a lot of cities and places Jesus planned to go. Verses two and three are as valid today as they were two thousand years ago. Remember, we are commanded to come to the Kingdom of God as children, so essentially, Jesus is sending kids out into the world, and He knows it. He also knows God is watching out for th
em.
4 "Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.
5 "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house.'
6 "If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.
7 "Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house.
Luke 10:4–7 (NASB95)
We spoke before of the rules of hospitality. This is exactly what Jesus is talking about when He mentions eating whatever they put before you. It is also somewhat what He means about not "saluting" or "greeting" anyone along the way. The point is to get to the village or place and do the work of the Lord from there. Not moving from house to house was simply establishing a location from which to work but also keeping commonality of daily routine. Jesus knew all the needs of He and His people would be met. He had complete and total faith God would provide, and He did.
8 "Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you;
9and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'
Luke 10:8–9 (NASB95)
This was the work of the Kingdom of God, preaching the Gospel of repentance and forgiveness of sin through Jesus Christ. Jesus heralds the arrival of the Kingdom. He is the Lord. It remains only for Him to complete His task for that kingdom to be inaugurated. This was the message of that day. Our message today is faith in Jesus Christ, repentance of sin, and salvation through faith in the Risen Lord.
10 "But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say,
11'Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off in protest against you; yet be sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come near.'
12 "I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14 "But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you.
Luke 10:10–14 (NASB95)
This passage and the next one are more applicable for today if we look at them from the standpoint of conversations. Consider social media, commenting on people's posts, and the things we hear discussed out in the world. When we or someone else posts something on social media, it is as if they are speaking at the city's gates or in the public square. We don't know who will hear or read what we've said. Our friends don't know who will read what they've posted. But anyone who does see it is usually free to respond. If you choose to respond, keep these verses in mind. It is not for me and you to pass judgment on anyone in this life. That will be managed by a One greater than we. Our job here is only to deliver the message, and if it is not received, well, we move on with sadness in our hearts over those we leave behind.
15 "And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades!
16 "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."
Luke 10:15–16 (NASB95)
If you are walking God's path for your life, doing your best to listen to the Holy Spirit and proclaim Jesus Christ as your Risen Savior, you are His messenger. Do not puff up with pride over this; rail at your detractors when they argue with you or wage a finger at those who oppose your beliefs. Do your best to represent our Lord and Savior well, and if they hear you, excellent, but if not well, that's on them, not you or me.
17The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."
18And He said to them, "I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning.
19 "Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.
20 "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."
Luke 10:17–20 (NASB95)
More supernatural occurrences that can be believed or rejected. Note these are things Jesus said the seventy would do. To us, we can rejoice, for our names are written in heaven as well. Unless you receive specific guidance from God to "tread on serpents," I would not attempt that. But that one is between your faith and God, not me.
21At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight.
22 "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him."
23Turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see,
24for I say to you, that many prophets and kings wished to see the things which you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and did not hear them."
Luke 10:21–24 (NASB95)
Jesus was the physical manifestation of God on earth. It is the only way we, as human beings, could perceive God. Whatever Jesus actually looked like to His Disciples, they beheld God made flesh. Only some of them realized this, and only those Jesus wanted to see it saw it. He even declared as much to them.
12giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.
13For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
14in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
15He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
16For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.
17He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.
Colossians 1:12–18 (NASB95)
This is not the only place in scripture we are told Jesus is God in the flesh. John 1:1-14 reveals that, as does Philippians 2:6 and other places. God came to earth to complete His work as Jesus. That done, He returned to Heaven and rules the Kingdom of God from on high. We are His children and have a role in His work as much as we can participate through our fallen perception of His will.
25And a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?"
26And He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?"
Luke 10:25–26 (NASB95)
Jesus knows exactly what is coming. The lawyer thinks he has a clever trap. Jesus engages in this discussion for the listeners around Him, not for the lawyer.
27And he answered, "You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself."
28And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."
Luke 10:27–28 (NASB95)
Very simple, Old Testament answer to the question. Basic and to the point, and Jesus answers with an Old Testament answer. Do this, and you will live. In other words, be obedient to God's ways and live. The lawyer wasn't satisfied and sprang what he thought was the trap.
29But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
Luke 10:29 (NASB95)
Jesus' answer is a parable. Recall Jesus said some people won't understand His parables. This is a case of what you look for, you will find. Those who wanted to agree with the lawyer heard what they wanted to hear. Those who followed Jesus heard something else in this parable. What do you hear?
30Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead.
31 "And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32 "Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
33 "But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,
34and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him.
35 "On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, 'Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.'
36 "Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?"
Luke 10:30–36 (NASB95)
Remember from yesterday, Jesus recently went to Samaria and was rejected by them (Luke 9:52). In this parable, the person who showed kindness to the injured traveler was a Samaritan. The same people who just rejected Him. We now teach this lesson in church that the people known for their inhospitable nature were the hospitable ones, and the people who shout about their charity and kindness (the priest and the Levite) are the unkind ones.
37And he said, "The one who showed mercy toward him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."
Luke 10:37 (NASB95)
The lawyer has no alternative but to admit that the inhospitable one was the kindest, and those who people would think would be kind weren't. The hidden message here is that Jesus is calling out the priests and Levites and others around Him, knowing they were the ones that would crucify Him later, though they didn't realize this yet.
38Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
39She had a sister called Mary, who was seated at the Lord's feet, listening to His word.
40But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do all the serving alone? Then tell her to help me."
41But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and bothered about so many things;
42but only one thing is necessary, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."
Luke 10:38–42 (NASB95)
I willingly and readily admit I'm with Martha. If I were in this position, I'd want my sister to help me serve my guests rather than sit there listening to Jesus speak. The only thing I can think of here is that Martha was worried the guests weren't being tended to properly, and she wanted Mary to help her make sure all had a good impression of the household. I think Jesus is telling Martha not to worry about that, and that sitting at His feet learning is more important than worrying about whether or not the guests have a good impression of their hospitality.