Luke 10:1-12
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the way. And whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.' And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they provide; for the laborer is deserving of his wages. Do not move from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘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.' I say to you, it will be more tolerable on that day for Sodom than for that city."

† The sending of the seventy-two expanded the mission beyond the twelve.
† Their dependence on hospitality showed reliance on God's provision.
† The nearness of the kingdom demanded decision and brought judgment for rejection.

Luke 10:13-24
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that occurred in you had occurred in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be brought down to Hades! The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and the one who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me."

Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!" And He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven."

At that very time He rejoiced greatly in the Holy Spirit, and said, "I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, for doing so was well pleasing in Your sight. 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 determines to reveal Him." Turning to the disciples, He said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see the things you see; for I say to you, many prophets and kings wanted to see the things that you see, and did not see them, and to hear the things that you hear, and did not hear them."

† The unrepentant cities faced covenant judgment, fulfilled in AD 70.
† Satan's fall symbolized Christ's victory and authority over the powers of darkness.
† The disciples' privilege was greater than prophets and kings, for they saw fulfillment.

Luke 10:25-37
And behold, a lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, "Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" But He said to him, "What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?" And 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." And He said to him, "You have answered correctly; do this and you will live."

But wanting to justify himself, he said to Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" Jesus replied and said, "A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he encountered robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. And by coincidence a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion, and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 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.' Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers' hands?" And he said, "The one who showed compassion to him." Then Jesus said to him, "Go and do the same."

† The parable of the Good Samaritan shattered ethnic and religious barriers.
† True neighbor-love was shown through mercy, not status.
† Christ embodied the perfect neighbor who rescues the helpless.

Luke 10:38-42
Now as they were traveling along, He entered a village; and a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home. And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord's feet, and was listening to His word. But 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 the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me." But the Lord answered and said to her, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

† Mary's devotion to Christ's word outweighed Martha's busyness.
† The kingdom called for listening over distraction.
† True discipleship prioritized His word above all else.

How it applies to us today:
† Luke 10 reveals Christ's sending, His authority, His teaching on love, and His call to devotion. The fulfilled perspective reminds us that judgment came on unbelieving Israel, Satan was defeated, and the kingdom was revealed. For us today, this chapter calls us to proclaim His kingdom, live with mercy toward others, and prioritize devotion to His word above all else.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

Source Index
† Josephus, Antiquities 20.5.3
† Philo, On Dreams 1.215
† Tacitus, Histories 5.13
† Irenaeus, Against Heresies 3.17.4