Reflections on Luke 10 — Sending Disciples

Holly Neal, our TN Conference Lay Leader, has offered her thoughts on Luke 10.

Luke 10 – Interesting that Chapter 9 began with Jesus sending out the 12.  Now he has commissioned seventy-two others to go out in pairs to every city and place He was about to go. He warns them that I’m sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no wallet, no bag, and no sandals. Don’t even greet anyone along the way. He tells them “Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the spirits submit to you. Rejoice instead that your names are written in heaven.”
Loving your neighbor (I never get tired of this story) My desire is for it to be a way of life for me.

25 A legal expert (lawyer) stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he said, “what must I do to gain eternal life?”

26 Jesus replied, “How do you interpret the law?”

27 He responded, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself.”

28 Jesus said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.” That could have been the end of it – but like me many times he wanted to be right – 29 so he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Jesus followed with the familiar Good Samaritan Story. A priest and a Levite passed by on the other side of the road (had they just served in the temple? Coming down from this mountain top experience?) 33 A Samaritan, who was on a journey, came to where the man was. But when he saw him, he was moved with compassion. Sometimes I have been either in such a hurry to get to church or to get home from worship that I don’t take time to even look enough to be able to allow God to move me to compassion. I hear in each of these scenarios God asking “can I interrupt you?”

34 The Samaritan (responded “yes” Lord you can interrupt me) – and he took great care providing first aid and maybe the first ambulance ride (on his donkey), took him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 The next day, he took two full days’ worth of wages and gave them to the innkeeper with more promised if necessary. (Oh, yes extravagant generosity). 37 Then the legal expert said, “The one who demonstrated mercy toward him.”
Jesus told him, “GO AND DO LIKEWISE”.

Jesus visits Martha and Mary (I sure want to skip right over this, that sounds like a Martha doesn’t it?)

From my Bible Study readying this week -Mary and Martha is not a contrast between good and bad. It’s a contrast between good and better. Martha was a good woman. Jesus loved her and her sister Mary. Her joy and satisfaction however were sacrificed on the altar of self-appointed service. In Oswald Chambers MY Utmost for His Highest, he wrote: “The great enemy of the life of faith in God is not sin, but the good which is not good enough. The good is always the enemy of the best”.
Martha opened her home but Mary opened her heart. Martha’s hospitality brought Jesus to their home. Yes in all our busyness trying to make everything just right we miss the intimacy with the one in our midst, in this case Jesus. I believe we do this in our churches too.

Jesus answered Martha’s complaint about her sister not helping, identifying Martha’s real problem, she was worried and distracted by many things. Can ministry be a big distraction to the pursuit of true intimacy with God? I believe God‘s Word is saying that if we’re not careful, even our need-meeting, well-meaning ministries can distract us from what is most important. Have you heard the words “if Satan can’t make us bad, he’ll make us busy.”

There is something to be said about preparation – and I believe Martha was very good at this, yet she continued her duties when the time came to sit at Christ’s feet and listen. Lord help us to prepare so well that when the time comes to sit at Your feet that we will stop and listen.