Notes on Luke 10:3-19

Luke 10:3

send. The fundamental ministry of the apostles is one of mission. All disciples share in this same basic mission. lambs. Jesus's disciples are peaceable but they're enemies are not. The gospel mission is dangerous.

Luke 10:4

Similar to the instructions given to the apostles (9:3). The emphasis was on trusting God. no… sandals. The disciples would have been wearing sandals. This probably means take no extra pair. greet no one. Jesus did not forbid courtesy. He emphasized that this mission required urgency above extended formal greetings and informal socializing.

Luke 10:7-8

Jesus' disciples relied on God to provide for their needs through the hospitality of his people. When shown hospitality, they were to receive it gratefully. They should not move around seeking better food or more support. worthy of his wages. Quoted as Scripture in 1 Tim. 5:18. Those who labor for the gospel should be supported by God's peoples (1 Cor. 9:14; Gal. 6:6).

Luke 10:9

heal. A sign of the kingdom's presence (Luke 11:14-23). kingdom of God. The central message of Jesus and his disciples (see notes on 4:43; 9:2).

Luke 10:11

If the disciples were rejected (v. 10), they were to make a public condemnation of the town (9:51-56; Mark 6:1-6). Removing the dust signified separation from the defilement of the town (9:5; Acts 13:51; 18:6). kingdom . . . near. The arrival of God's kingdom is not dependent on the people's response. It came in Jesus and people will be judged for rejecting it (vv. 12-15).

Luke 10:12

Sodom. Infamous city for its experience of God's judgment (Gen. 19:24-28). It became a biblical symbol of God's judgment (Deut. 29:23; 32:32; Isa. 1:9-10; 13:19; Jer. 49:18; Amos 4:11). more tolerable. Those who knowingly reject God's kingdom will bear a greater judgment (Matt. 10:15).

Luke 10:13-14

Chorazin . . . Bethsaida. Cities near Capernaum (v. 15) in Galilee where Jesus and his disciples preached. Woe. See note on 6:20-26. Tyre and Sidon. Well-known Phoenician cities condemned by the Old Testament prophets for their idolatry (see Jer. 25:17-26; Joel 3:4). Even wicked Gentiles would experience less judgment than Jewish cities that had heard Jesus' message and rejected it.

Luke 10:15

Capernaum. A city where Jesus often ministered (4:23; 7:1-10). It would suffer the same fate as Chorazin and Bethsaida (v. 13) if it did not respond to Jesus' message. Hades. Also known as she'ol, it is the final residing place for the wicked dead (16:22-26).

Luke 10:17

seventy returned. The narrative moves forward to when the disciples returned from their mission (vv. 1-12). joy. The disciples rejoiced in the success they saw in ministry.

Luke 10:18-19

watching. This could have been an actual vision or simply an explanation of what success in mission means (v. 17; Isa. 14:12). Satan fall. The main idea is the defeat of Satan's reign over the lives of people. Spiritual blindness is removed as the gospel goes forward (11:20-22; Rev. 20:3). Serpents and scorpions . . . power. A picture for the spiritual victory Christ's disciples have over Satan, the ancient serpent (Ps. 91:13; see Gen. 3:1-15; Rom. 16:20; Rev. 12:9). Although, sometimes this protection is also literal (Acts 28:1-6).

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