RSV ~ Luke 10 Notes

Lk 10:1 | ISB Notes

appointed seventy: An episode only in Luke. It is the second missionary tour, since Jesus has sent out the Twelve with similar tasks (9:1-6).

• Jesus patterns his missionary effort on Moses, who commissioned 70 elders to be prophets in Israel (Num 11:24-25). The 71 members of the Jewish court, the Sanhedrin, had already modeled itself after this leadership structure of Moses and the 70 elders. At another level, this number alludes to Gen 10, which describes the origin of the 70 nations of the ancient world, not including Israel. The ministry of the 70 disciples thus anticipates the Church’s mission to the nations (24:47).

two by two: A missionary practice reflected in the early Church (Acts 8:14; 15:39-40).

Lk 10:2 | ISB Notes

The harvest: A picture of God’s people ready to be gathered into the kingdom (Mt 9:37; Jn 4:35).

• Similar imagery in Is 27:12-13 depicts the restoration of Israel from exile as the ingathering of a grain harvest.

Lk 10:4 | ISB Notes

no purse … bag … sandals: The disciples must travel light and unencumbered. Traditional hospitality, orchestrated by God’s providence, will supply their daily needs.

salute no one: The urgency of the mission allows for no distractions or delays, especially since customary greetings could be quite elaborate.

• Elisha gave similar instructions when sending his servant on a pressing mission (2 Kings 4:29).

Lk 10:7 | ISB Notes

deserves his wages: Ministers of the gospel should be supported by the believing community. This allows them to pursue apostolic work with undivided attention (1 Cor 9:14; 1 Tim 5:18).

• According to Catholic tradition and Canon Law (222 § 1), Christians are obligated to contribute to the Church from their earnings. These offerings help to support the clergy, provide for the necessities of liturgical worship, and equip the Church to minister to the needy (CCC 2043, 2122).

Lk 10:13 | ISB Notes

Chorazin … Bethsaida: Two Galilean towns that refused the message of Jesus.

Tyre and Sidon: Two Gentile towns north of Palestine on the Mediterranean coast. Unlike the people of Galilee, these cities had no direct opportunity to hear and believe in Jesus.

Lk 10:15 | ISB Notes

Capernaum: Jesus’ Galilean residence. The townspeople rejected Jesus despite ample opportunities to see his works and respond to his preaching. See note on Mt 11:23.

Lk 10:16 | ISB Notes

He who hears you hears me: The messengers of Jesus carry his authority wherever they go. To reject them is to reject both the Father and the Son (Jn 12:48-49; 13:20). Jesus confers an even greater share of his royal, priestly, and prophetic authority upon the apostles before his Ascension (Mt 28:1820) (CCC 87, 858).

Lk 10:18 | ISB Notes

I saw Satan fall: The rapid advance of God’s kingdom through the disciples’ preaching and exorcistic ministry is matched by the downfall and retreat of the devil (11:20; 13:16; Rev 12:7-9).

Lk 10:20 | ISB Notes

written in heaven: The saints are enrolled in God’s heavenly “book of life” (cf. Ex 32:32; Ps 69:28; Dan 12:1; Rev 3:5). Disciples should therefore rejoice more because of their sonship in God’s family than because of their successful missions.

Lk 10:22 | ISB Notes

Jesus is the divine Son of God and, so, the heir of God his Father’s authority and estate (Mt 28:18; Jn 3:35; 17:2).

• The Father, Son, and Spirit are equal in being, and no one of them possesses more of the divine life and knowledge than another. Since the Son is no less perfect than the Father, he is uniquely qualified to reveal the inner life of the Trinity to the world (Jn 1:18; 14:9) (CCC 253, 2603).

Lk 10:25 | ISB Notes

a lawyer: An expert interpreter of the Mosaic Law.

Lk 10:27 | ISB Notes

the Lord … your neighbor: A reference to Deut 6:5 and Lev 19:18, which Jesus calls the two greatest commandments of the OT (Mt 22:37-40; Mk 12:28-34).

Lk 10:30-37 | ISB Notes

The parable of the Good Samaritan presents both a moral and a theological lesson. Morally, Jesus teaches that love for our neighbor must accompany our love for God. These together, and not one without the other, are indispensable for living in God’s friendship. Theologically, Jesus illustrates that holiness as defined by the Old Covenant is now surpassed by the holiness of the New. The priest and the Levite adhere to Israel’s purity laws, which forbade them from touching the corpses of anyone other than family members (Lev 21:1-3). They therefore chose to preserve their legal purity and so passed by the half dead victim. The Samaritan exemplifies this new standard of holiness, where God no longer requires his people to separate from others, but calls them to extend mercy to everyone in need and exclude no one on the grounds of prejudice, dislike, or even legal uncleanness as defined by the Torah (CCC 1825, 2447). See note on Lk 6:36.

• The parable recalls a similar story in 2 Chron 28:8-15, where the people of Judah were ravaged and captured by a northern Israelite army. Instead of taking them as prisoners, four men of Samaria had compassion on the Jews. Among their works of mercy, they “anointed” them, put them upon their “donkeys”, and took them peacefully to “Jericho”.

• Allegorically (St. Augustine, De Quaest. Evang. 2, 19): the parable signifies Christ’s restoration of mankind. Adam is the man attacked by Satan and his legions; he is stripped of his immortality and left dead in sin. The priest and the Levite represent the Old Covenant and its inability to restore man to new life. Jesus Christ comes as the Good Samaritan to rescue man from death and brings him to the inn of the Church for refreshment and healing through the sacraments.

Lk 10:30 | ISB Notes

from Jerusalem to Jericho: A 17-mile journey eastward that descends nearly 3,200 feet. Its rough terrain made the roadway a target area for bandits and thieves.

Lk 10:35 | ISB Notes

two denarii: About two days’ wages. It would have paid for several days of lodging.

Lk 10:38 | ISB Notes

a village: Bethany, the home of Lazarus, near Jerusalem (Jn 11:1).

Lk 10:39 | ISB Notes

at the Lord’s feet: i.e., like a disciple before his master (8:35; Acts 22:3).

Lk 10:42 | ISB Notes

one thing is needful: Martha was preoccupied with hospitality, while Mary gave her full attention to the guest himself. Her quiet devotion displayed greater reverence for Jesus than Martha’s anxious toil.

• Mystically (St. Gregory the Great, Moralia 2, 6): the two women signify two dimensions of the spiritual life. Martha signifies the active life as she busily labors to honor Christ through her work. Mary exemplifies the contemplative life as she sits attentively to listen and learn from Christ. While both activities are essential to Christian living, the latter is greater than the former. For in heaven the active life terminates, while the contemplative life reaches its perfection.