The Gospel According to Luke Chapter 10
Originally posted Thursday, March 13, 2008
General Comments: Luke 10:1
serves up one of the interesting debates among those who study Greek
Biblical manuscripts and attempt to determine which of the various readings of
a word or verse is most likely to be closest to the original. Is it
seventy or seventy two? It almost sounds trivial but exactness of the text can
often be important in understanding the intent of the writer. This is not one
of those cases. But it is the kind of study of ancient manuscripts, the
comparing of one copy versus fifty other copies of the same text that leads to
the translation of the Greek into English (or any other language) so that
it retains its meaning. In the case of vs. 1 seventy is a number often used in
the Hebrew Old Testament. In exactly the same verses that appear in the Greek
Old Testament the number is seventy two. In the time frame in which all New
Testament writings were produced, the Greek Old Testament was universally the
one quoted. However, in some copies of the Gospels, for example, wherever a
seventy two appeared it was changed to a seventy to "normalize"
it to agree with the Hebrew text. Anyone with a good study Bible will have
footnotes which indicated any alternate readings. This can get complicated and
a little arcane, but words are important and if we are reading our bibles for
more than recreational enjoyment or as a devotional, we will want to know what
the writers are trying to convey to us across the centuries. As the late wordsmith,
John Ciardi, would say as he closed his NPR morning segment, "Good words
to you."
Luke Chapter 10:1-12 The Mission of the Seventy (Two) [Unique to Luke but see MT 10:5-15]
As noted in the
comments above, Jesus appoints seventy two "others," whom he sent out
in pairs (Deut. 19:15) to
all of the towns and villages to which he planned to go, much in the same way
John the Baptist was preparing the way for the coming Messiah. We are to
conclude that these seventy two are disciples other than the Twelve. We
also would not want to be too tied to the exactness of the number since the
number seventy two (and seventy) has more symbolic than real meaning, very
much like the number twelve, forty or seven in Jewish numerology (Or,
"I haven't seen you in a month of Sundays").
Think of the
missionary venture as comprised of a large number of disciples who are
commissioned to heal the sick and to proclaim that the Kingdom of God is near.
There is some debate about the timing of the sending. Is Luke reporting an event
that occurred in Jesus' time or is this a description of the early followers of
Jesus who, after he was no longer present, spread throughout Palestine to
heal and share with others the good news of the promised Kingdom? It is
altogether probable that it is both, the former being the model of the
latter. What we are reading is a methodology of evangelism. It is one
driven by the urgency of the Kingdom as near. It was used by the Apostles,
including Paul and Barnabas, and is used in our own time, albeit with
smaller numbers. It was with this method that both the preaching of the Kingdom
and the spreading of the oral tradition about Jesus was quickly carried
from Jerusalem to Damascus to Antioch, to Ephesus and to Rome in less than two
decades.
When we read John's
version of the Gospel we will note a number of affinities between John
and Luke. One of them is the harvest metaphor. The harvest is made up of
potential believers in the towns and villages and the laborers are the
evangelist pairs (the seventy two in this case). Harvest is also used in
Jesus' parables and by the Prophets (see Joel 3:13; Micah 4:11-13).
Many of the instructions to the pairs are similar to the sending of the
Twelve (vs. 9:3; MT
10:5-15): what to carry and not carry; what to do
when accepted or rejected; how long to stay in one place and to share in
hospitality, etc. Others are new. Expect resistance as lambs among wolves;
preach the Kingdom as near and warn those who reject the message of the
consequences. Even Sodom will fair better than those who reject the
Kingdom (Lam. 10:12; Ezk.
16:48,-50). In the Old Testament Prophets and in
Judaism, Sodom was sometimes paired with Gomorrah and was the archetype
for wickedness.
Luke Chapter 10:13-17 Woes to Unrepentant Cities [see MT 11:20-24]
Luke follows the
warning against any town or village that rejects the evangelists preaching of
the Kingdom with a set of woes to specific cities, in this case Chorazin,
Bethsaida and Capernaum, all villages close to each other on the northern
side of the Sea of Galilee. The passage seems out of place in view of its
placement before the return and report of the seventy two. We may be reading a
detached tradition about these locations that are not otherwise reported. Also,
including Capernaum among the three does not seem compatible with LK 4:23 where
Capernaum is cited as a village in which Jesus lived and where his
preaching and healing was accepted. However, since no Gospel version
contains a comprehensive history of Jesus' ministry, its successes and
failures, we cannot know what may have occurred in these villages. Another
possibility is that the rejections represent a later time when the
Apostles and other evangelists were traveling throughout Palestine and met
with a more organized Pharisaic opposition. It is also probable that as the war
with Rome was in its beginning stages, Jewish Christians, who were
advocates of Jesus' pacifist nonresistance stance did not
participate in the rebellion and were persecuted by Jews who saw them as
traitors and non-Christian Gentiles who saw them as Jews. It was a no win
situation.
Luke Chapter 10:17-24 The Return of the Seventy (Two)
Luke has arranged
this passage in three clusters: In vss 17-20 the seventy two report on
the success of the missionary journey; Jesus' rejoices with them, equating
their exorcisms with the defeat of Satan (power over snakes and scorpions,
metaphors for the power of evil). As such the triumph over demons is
understood as foreshadowing the ultimate Reign of God when, according to Jewish
and Christian apocalyptic thought, the realm of Satan will
be destroyed. Yet, as satisfied as they may be with their
success, the greater reason for rejoicing is their inclusion in God's Kingdom
(names written in heaven - Exod.
32:32; Isa. 4:2-3; Dan. 12:1).
In vss. 21-22 Jesus
offers a prayer of thanksgiving to God for the success of the missionaries. The
hiding/revealing (wise/infants) of the mysteries of God is found in the
Old Testament (Ps.
119:130; Isa. 29:14) and in Paul (1 Cor. 1:18-25). Vs. 22 is a
significant departure from typical Lukan Christology (titles/divinity). It is
found widely throughout John with whom Luke may have had a common source.
It is what scholars call a "High Christology," well beyond the
more Jewish rooted ideas of Messiah and son of Man. Here we read Luke's
spiritual center, his understanding of the unity of purpose and commonality of
Spirit that exists between Jesus and God. All things (mysteries) are given
to the Son by the Father; no one knows the Son (in His fullness) but the
Father; no one knows the Father (in His fullness) but the Son and anyone to
whom the Son chooses to reveal him. This is as close to the first threads that
will be woven into fourth century doctrine of the Trinity as we will
ever come in the Synoptic (first three) Gospels.
Such concepts as the
hidden knowledge of God and the shared purpose and intimacy between God
and Jesus would later be incorporated into the heretical theology of
Gnosticism, one of the greatest threats to the survival of Christianity in
the later second century and beyond.
In vss. 23-24 Jesus
turns back to the seventy (two) disciples and addresses them in the
Beatitude form, "Oh the happiness of" the eyes that have seen this
victory (albeit, incomplete) over the power of evil. They are blessed
because they have seen what the Prophets of the old age, and Kings whose power
is bound to this earth have not and cannot see nor hear. Since Jesus is greater
than the Prophets and more powerful than the Kings of this world, the disciples
who have seen and heard are more privileged than they are.
Luke Chapter 10:25-37 The Good Samaritan [unique to Luke]
This may be the best
known of all the parables of Jesus. It certainly must have been the
subject of at least one sermon preached by every Christian Minister (including
this one) in the entire world, maybe more than once. It is the
exemplar of parables, establishing a paradox which holds in tension two
mutually exclusive perspectives. A good parable creates a crisis of conscience
in the listener. It establishes a rift between one's notion of convention and
proposed behavior or understanding. This one does it all and superbly so.
To understand the
dynamics of this parable one must begin with the understanding that
Jews despise Samaritans, believe they are apostates from birth, ritually
unclean from birth, and otherwise totally beyond the pale. The feeling was
mutual. In a journey from Galilee to Judea or the reverse, one would cross the
Jordan River above Samaria and re-cross to the West, opposite Jericho to
continue on toward Jerusalem. To allow the shadow of Samaria (or a Samaritan)
to cross your path would subject you to ritual impurity.
The parable is
prefaced by a question addressed to Jesus by a Scribe. He wants to know how to
inherit eternal life. As a Scribe he is an expert in Torah and its
interpretation. Many Scribes were also Temple Priests. Important in his
question is that he recognizes Jesus as one who can offer eternal life and lead
him to its acceptance. Jesus asks the Scribe what the Law has to say on the
matter. The Scribe answers with a recitation of the Shema (Deut. 6:4-5),
the creedal statement of Jewish faith, recited each morning and evening by
observant Jews, the equivalent of our Apostles' Creed. The Scribe is also aware
that later Judaism added one more phrase to complete the fundamental duty of
every Jew, to love one's neighbor as oneself (Lev. 19:18). As Jesus
will say elsewhere, and which Holy men before and
Rabbis after him will say, this is the summation of the Law and the
Prophets (and all the rest is commentary).
Jesus congratulates
him on his right answer and commends him to the faithful practice of the
commands. To be faithfully obedient in the practice of loving God, neighbor and
self is to be in the Kingdom. But the Scribe is not satisfied. As a
student of the Law he adheres to the Rabbinical principle, "To study Torah
is more important than practicing Torah." In other words, definitions of
words are important. Even the letters of the words are important; every
jot and tittle is important. The Scribe asks a follow-up question -
precisely who is my neighbor? Jesus poses a parable. We do not need to trace
each line of the parable to understand the dynamic. A Jew traveling from
Jerusalem to Jericho is robbed, badly beaten and left for dead. Two fellow
Jews, of priestly rank and under obligation to assist a fellow Jew see the man
but keep on going (we may already have an image of our own at this point).
Along comes the hated Samaritan. He could have simply finished the job and
killed this man. But he does not. He cares for him in an extraordinarily
generous way. "Who among these three was this man's neighbor," Jesus
asks. There can be only one answer - the hated, apostate,
unclean Samaritan. "Go and do likewise."
Luke Chapter 10:38-42 Jesus Visits Mary and Martha (unique to
Luke but see John 11)
From John we learn
that Mary and Martha live in Bethany, a village at the foot of the Mount of
Olives near Jerusalem, where Jesus frequently stayed when he came to the city.
It must have been a restful place, away from the pressing crowds and the
endless demands on his time and strength. The two women have different
personalities. Martha is the consummate host, being sure everything is in
proper order for her guests. Mary, on the other hand, is a gregarious person
wanting to catch up on the latest news that Jesus may have brought of new
stories of his travels, or perhaps to simply sit near him and listen to his
teaching.
Many commentaries
take this scene much too seriously, pointing out all the Jewish
understandings of a woman's place in the home and the proper
etiquette of hospitality. It seems to be much simpler than that: Jesus has
come for a visit. Martha immediately gets busy taking care of
the details of the meal, seating arrangements, maybe a little dusting and
sweeping. Mary is, well, idle. Martha protests. Maybe Jesus just doesn't care
if she is slaving away at getting everything just right. She could use a little
help and there's Mary, well, just sitting there, she protests to
Jesus! Martha, Martha, he says. You seem so distracted by all these
preparations. I think it can wait a little longer, don't you? Come and sit
here with Mary. There are many good things you can do for me. But right
now Mary has chosen an important thing. Let me tell you about . . .and
the time goes on. Martha ultimately gets things ready and Mary helps her too.
Jesus has a restful evening before continuing his journey to Jerusalem.
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