Wednesday evening bible study notes -Luke 10 - 4-14-21

 

Luke 10

In chapter 9 verse 51 we are told that Jesus set his face steadfastly to go to Jerusalem.. From this point forward to chapter 19 it is a travel log , if you will, of Jesus on his way to Jerusalem . this is Luke outlining and expanding on what Jesus did and said as he makes his way toward the cross..This verse is a turning point in the gospel of Luke.. Up to that point Jesus’s ministry has been centred in galilee and Luke has decided , by the spirit of God, to focus on the works of Jesus..whereas in chapter 10 he is going to focus on the words of Jesus . From the works to words ..From the miracles that Jesus performed to the messages that Jesus spoke…And why is that? Well since he’s on his way to Jerusalem he has little time left. And in that time while he is on the road his men, with his 12 learners , his disciples , those who were apostles the ones to be sent out.. so he is preparing them…He is getting them ready ..and he is using this time to teach… so from his words we will see the journey of Christ to the cross..

Lets stop there…

Lord we are thankful this evening for our study of Luke 10, for the scriptures in general. We ask that tonight that each member here will receive the messages that are intended for them. Those who can hear let them hear… We are thankful for the words of Christ and the wisdom that has opened up to us thus far.. We ask for your blessings upon this bible study tonight and we ask that all who thirst after your word find their way to us.

We ask these things in Jesus’ name

Amen

From his teachings he will prepare the 12 for what is to come. What is expected of them…so if you want to back up just a bit to follow it this way..Luke in chapters 1,2 and 3 give us the advent of Jesus Christ , his coming into this world..And then from chapter 4 onward we get the activities of Jesus Christ. But now because he is on the way to the cross we are going to see the antagonism toward Jesus Christ ..He’s training HIS APOSITLES ..It s from the miracles to the messages ..from the words to the works..but there is also an underlying ,growing antagonism toward Jesus..So another way to look at it is we turn from the revelation of Christ to the rejection of Jesus Christ , an it will culminate at the cross..

Now in chapter 10 it begins “After these things the Lord appointed 70 others also and sent them 2 by 2 before his face into every city where he himself was about to go…Do you remember in the last chapter..chapter 9 at the beginning of the chapter Jesus sent out 12? He sent out his men He sent them out and they came back , and now Luke is the only one who gives us this information.. Now he sends out 70 others like he sent out the 12..why is that.. why did he do this? I can give you my opinion on this..The number 70 is important to us when we read through the bible..We come to 70 after Jethro , the father-in –law of Moses, ..He said you know Moses you are over worked ..Your doing this work alone..You need helpers..That is exidos chapter 18 ..So by the time we read a few chapters on we see that Moses has 70 other elders that he picked out , leaders among men,.. who would be captains over hunderds and thousands .. 70 of them….Those 70 ruling elders would eventually be known in New testament times as the Sanhedrin.. the Jewish Sanhedrin ..It was the ruling council of the Jews centred in Jerusalem…However, there is something else, In Numbers ,the 10th chapter, (this is after the flood) , there are 70 names that are given that represent 70 nations that were developed around the world after the flood..And these were the heads of those families that became 70 nations…Its called, incidentally, “The Table of Nations”..in Genesis chapter 10 you will find “the table of Nations”… 70 Nations are mentioned ..When Jesus sent out the twelve I believe that corresponds to the 12 tribes of Israel..Its interesting that Jesus chose only 12 who would be the closest to him…And then he sent them out in chapter 9 , he gave them a very narrow instructions…Jesus said, and this is Matthew’s account.. we have to kind of go back and forth in the gospels to get the whole conversation. He said..” do not go to the Gentiles ..Do not go to the Samaritans but go rather only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel….In other words these 12 were on a specific mission to the Jews only…Now he sends 70 others out also to all of the places where Jesus is about to go…I believe that Jesus sending out the 12 correspondence to the 12 tribes of Israel ..To the Jew first then the 70 is represented of the gospel going out to the gentiles also…

Jesus is on his way from the north down toward the south , including some Gentile areas..It seems that Luke is drawing this correspondence that we might see this kind of foreshadowed form.. the universality of the gospel message of Jesus Christ that it’s for the whole world…and it brings hope to us because we are from the other side of the planet and the gospel came to us…

So 70 now go out and notice the instructions ..”and then he said to them ..”the harvest truly is great but the labourers are few ; therefore complain that we need more labours.. haha’..It doesn’t say that right ???…I don’t know why so many people do then…They feel that the answer is to complain….We need more missionaries ..more workers..more helpers, more active church members, more fellowship….

Okay if we do then pray to the Lord of the harvest….God has to call a person and God has to send people…So when we feel that we need more help.. more workers to do all of the things on our agendas then pray to the one who sends out the workers.. It’s his work.. therefore pray to the Lord of the Harvest to send out labourers… We pray to the one who can help…. It was true for Moses and it’s true for us today…

Then Jesus says..”Go your way behold I send you our as lambs among wolves.. Pray now..go your way…This will often happen.. When you start praying, if you take the harvest seriously , you may find that the Lord will answer your prayer in an unusually and unforeseen way…. He will send your answer…

But he says behold I send you out as lambs among wolves… that’s enough to stop most of us in our tracks…If you know anything about wolves..But Jesus says “ I will send you out as lambs among wolves”.

I had a friend once that had a German Shepard .. He was a Shepard at least in part.. He was also part wolf… He was a beautiful dog and a mix breed of this sort was not uncommon in upstate New York. It was still intriguing to have a dog part wolf.. He was big and beautiful.. Almost white.. One morning Shultz came home with blood all over his mouth and paws…They found out that he was going out at night looking for a fresh kill..He also would not eat dog food anymore…He had become wild again…They took him back to the one they bought him from and they had to give him back because they say once a dog does this it’s very difficult to re-domesticate him… He was a big safety issue for the family…

Now this is a graphic illustration of what believers face in the world..During the days of Christ and now around the world where an anti Christian movement is afoot…In certain parts of the world Christians are actually being slaughtered at will without protection… Unbelievers don’t like us, if you haven’t figured that out yet…They don’t want to hear our message even though we are compelled to offer it as we are able… Now..We know its good news.. It’s that Jesus could save them from their sin but they have to admit that they are sinners and it’s an offensive message to them..And have you noticed already how reactionary the world is to those who bear the gospel…You’ve seen ..You’ve experienced it that harshness..that rejection….Thats why in another place Jesus advised be wise as serpents and harmless as doves..Seek to do no harm but be aware, be discrete, be wise….I know people who have got this one backwards…. I’m sure you do also…But although we need to be wise we also need to be gentle and do no harm…So there seems to be an appropriateness with which you and I are to interface with nonbelievers…I love the example of Jesus when they ask him about paying tax..And he potentially could have alienated everyone because there were a couple groups of people.. One thought you should not have to pay taxes to Rome and one who thought that you should ..You know what politics are like and most politicians like to straddle the fence.. If Jesus had done so the entire group would have been against him ..But listen to what Jesus said..”Render to Ceaser that which is Ceaser’s and to God that which is God’s… That is being wise as a serpent and harmless as a dove…


Then he says carry neither money, bag, knapsack nor sandals and greet no one along the road…But what ever house you enter first say “Shalom “ ( Peace to this house”) .. If a son of peace is there your peace will rest on it.. If not it will return leave and shake of the dust ..do not go house to house etc….Eat such things as are set before you….Heal the sick and say to them the kingdom of God has come here to you….Then it say to warn them the consequences of rejecting their message… This is part of our message…

peace,' says the Lord, 'unto the wicked, ' " well then the fireworks start. " 'But,' " Jesus

said in verse 12, " 'I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin!' "---is a little down on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee. " 'Woe to you Bethsaida!' "---another little town on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee.

" 'For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable forTyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum' "---another city on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. That's where Jesus had his headquarters---" 'who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down [to hell] to Hades. He who hears you hears me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.' " There's three cities in Jesus' day that are compared to three ancient cities from the past. The ancient cities were Tyre, Sidon, and the city of Sodom. The modern cities in Jesus' day were Capernaum, Chorazin, and Bethsaida.

Bethsaida we know about, a couple of the disciples lived and grew up there, and Jesus visited

there and taught there, etcetera. Capernaum, we know a lot about Capernaum. A lot of miracles

happened in Capernaum. More miracles happened in Capernaum and more teachings of Jesus happened in Capernaum than any other place recorded in Scripture: the healing of Jairus' daughter,

the healing of the nobleman's son, Peter's mother-in-law being healed, the demoniac being delivered, the man being lowered through the rooftop in the house that Jesus touched, the woman with the issue of blood---several of them.

"But these are written that . . . you might have life believing in his name." The sin of Chorazin is not that they were against Jesus, the sin of Capernaum isn't that they were against Jesus, the sin of Bethsaida isn't that they were against Jesus or that they ever attacked Jesus---it's that they ignored Jesus. We must be careful of this…It is a great offense when God makes an offer of peace to the world and shows up and a message is given, his message, like he did in these places, and miracles are wrought, for people to say,

"Okay, Jesus is in town, cool, but my favorite show's on tonight," or, "Nice that Jesus does

what he does, but I'm kind of into my thing. And it's not like I'm against him, but does it matter all that much in my everyday life?" They just apathetically ignored him. Heavy,heavy lesson.

" 'And you, Capernaum, exalted to heaven, shall be brought down to Hades. And he who hears you hears me, he who rejects you rejects me, and he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.' " This is one of the greatest verses..

So when a king sends out an ambassador or emissary, to reject that ambassador is to reject the King. "They reject you, they reject me. If they reject me, they're rejecting my Father in heaven."

Remember that when people say, "I believe in God, but I just don't---I just---I don't

hold Jesus in the same esteem you do. I'm into Jesus, I'm into God generically. I like the concept of God, but not Jesus." You can't have one without the other. If you reject Jesus, you don't know God, you reject God. First John, chapter 2, if you acknowledge the Son, you have the Father also; if you reject the Son, you also reject the Father."

It's a package deal. "Then," verse 17, "the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.' " These seventy guys had never ever been out before doing something like this. It was a short-term mission to them. And just as Jesus promised, they saw, they experienced power.

Now, I just can only imagine the sheer joy when they came back and they're comparing stories.

There is nothing like being used by God.

So these seventy come back and it's like, "It worked! It really worked." And then Jesus said something interesting to them. He said, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven."

You see, they're all excited about the battles that they won. Jesus is stepping back and saying, "Let me tell you about the whole war. I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.

You saw some infantrymen go down; I saw the commander in chief go down. I was there when he fell from heaven." " 'I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, be rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.' "

When it comes to the Devil---and I don't really like to think much about him nor do I like



to speak much about him. I certainly don't talk to him at all. But when he comes up in the Scripture, we have to ask ourselves a couple of questions, the questions that anybody would ask. Most important question, most obvious question is: Why would God ever create the Devil? Short answer: He didn't. He created a beautiful spiritual being that fell, and in falling from heaven he became our adversary. There are two important Scriptures, you can look them up later: one is Ezekiel 28 and the other is Isaiah 14.In Ezekiel 28 Satan is called "the anointed cherub that covers."It seems to describe a being, because it says God created this being, and that this being was in the garden of Eden, and was "the anointed cherub who covers," "perfect in beauty" from the day he was created. So it's as if he had this special place of guarding the throne of God, standing sentry at the throne of God.

He was the "anointed cherub who covers, to the anointed cherub who covets. He coveted the throne. He saw God on the throne. He was standing sentry and guarding that throne and covering it, so to speak, but watching all of the worship go toward God, and he wanted some to go to him. He was---he was numero uno, minus uno. And it was that minus uno that really bothered him. So when we get over to Isaiah 14, it says, "How are you fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, [or morning star], son of the morning! For you said in your heart, 'I will exalt myself above the stars of God. I will be like the Most High.' " Five times in that little chapter, in that little section, five times he says, "I will . . . ," "I will . . . ," "I will. . . ." And when he said that in his heart, that turned him. Up until that point there was one will in the universe. Up until that point all was harmonious. There was one perfect will, and that was God's will, and everybody, every being acquiesced to that. But when he said in his heart, "I want that, some of that worship. I want to be like the Most High," and he pushed for status, that's when he fell. He was cast down, the Bible says, by God himself, cast down out of heaven. And Jesus said, "I remember the day that happened." "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning." I love verse 20 where Jesus tells them who saw a great victory, spiritually speaking, "Don't rejoice that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." There's something greater. There's a greater level of joy than even serving the Lord. And don't get me wrong, I love serving the Lord. I thanked the Lord this morning,"Lord, thank you for the great privilege that I get to handle your Word that I get to speak your words to people." What a privilege, but there's something better than the joy of service is the joy of salvation . I mean, do you ever just stop and think---and if you don't, please start doing this from now on---you're saved. As bad as your life may get, as tumultuous as the trials get, guess what? You're not going to hell. That should be able to get you through so much, because it could be a lot worse. "I can't believe I have all these troubles and trials." Everybody on earth that I've ever met says that---but you're saved. It's going to get better for you. " 'Rejoice that your names are written in heaven.' In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and the prudent and revealed them to babes'… " those who are humble when it comes to their spiritual sophistication. First Corinthians, chapter 1, "You see your Calling, brethren, now not many mighty, noble, after the flesh are called. But God has chosenthe foolish things of this world to confound the wise." " 'Thank you, Father that you've revealed it to babes. For even so, Father, it seemed good in your sight. All things have been delivered 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 the one to whom the Son wills to reveal him.' " You see how they both are together, Son and the Father? Jesus said, "You believe in God, believe also in me."



So somebody will say, "All roads lead to God." Well, they do in one sense, they all lead to the judgment hall of God. All of us will stand before God one day. But there's only one path, one way, one person, one name that gets you in God's presence---saved---and that is, Jesus. The Son and the Father, package deal, they go together. "Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, 'Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see;for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear when you hear, and have not heard it.' "

Think of Jeremiah, think of Isaiah, think of Daniel, predicting the coming of Messiah, longing for that day, but not being able to see it. " He is saying you guys, you see it. You've heard what they only dreamed about."

Then a lawyer stood…"Behold, a certain lawyer stood up"---now this is not like a modern-day lawyer. This would be an expert in the laws of Moses. This is a religious---like a scribe, but somebody who has studied the laws of Moses. And these guys loved to talk and discuss and deliberate and write oral law about what you'd do in a certain case. So it reads…"A certain lawyer stood up, tested him, saying, 'Teacher what shall I do to inherit eternal life?' " It's a good question. It's a good question, but it's the wrong motivation. It's a bad motivation, because he didn't say it because he really wanted to know, he said it because he wanted to test him. "I'm going to test him. I want to see if he can come up with an answer to this."So it wasn't like he really wanted deeply to know the answer; he just wanted to see if Jesus could answer it.

So, good question, bad motivation. And also, it was the wrong presupposition. He says,"What must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What do I need to do to earn favour?" It's interesting, "[Jesus] said to him, 'What is written in the law?' " "Implying , you're an expert of the law. You're a lawyer. You study the laws of Moses." " 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?' " So please note that Jesus in dealing with a guy who's all about the Old Testament law, Jesus doesn't say, "Oh, put away your Old Testament. Let me tell you something fresh." He sends him right back to the Old Testament. Right?Because that's the language he's used to. Just like Paul when he stood in Athens on the Areopagus, he spoke the language that the Greeks would be familiar with.He quotes a couple of their writers that aren't believers at all that were ancient philosophers.He quotes them in there and he's reaching them at a level that would be helpful to the Greek mind even as Jesus, knowing this would be helpful to this scribe, this law-of-Moses guy. So he says, " 'What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?' So he answered and said, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, with all your mind.' "I'm sure he even said it in such a way." 'And your neighbor as yourself.' " he knew the answer to this question. He had studied this and recited this from youth. "And [Jesus] he said to him, 'You've answered rightly'..

" Ta-da! You get an 'A' on the test. Now watch---" 'Do this and you will live.' "That's what this lawyer believed and Jesus said to him, "Good, do that and you will live.



What do you need to do to inherit eternal life? Do all of that and live." Now, this is a hypothetical. When he sends him back to the law and he says, "Okay, good. You said it right. Now go do that and live," it's a hypothetical. Because let me ask you a question: Have you ever in your life met someone who did that? Have you ever met someone who has kept the law and all of the time did all of that? I've never met someone. I am not that person. I have never met a person who's done it. Listen, I read the Ten Commandments and I don't go, "Oh, hallelujah!" I go, "Uh-oh, it says don't do that; I did that. And then it says don't do that; I've done that. And then . . . yeah, in my heart I did that."And then it says if you think, "Well, I never did that. I've never killed anyone," then it says, "Don't covet." Oops, now that's internal. You've done that. So he takes him back to the law and he says, "What does it say?" "Well, it says this." "Right on. Go do that." That's the law. The law says, "Do this and you will live."

it should have caused the man to be honest and then humble, and say, "Well, that's the problem, Lord, there's been times when I've done one of those things, but I have not consistently through a lifestyle of my own accomplished these things.

"I am hopeless and helpless and I need forgiveness." That's what the law is intended to do, by the way. You know that. What did Paul say in Romans chapter 3 verse 20, that "By the deeds of the law no flesh shall be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." The sin was never meant to cleanse you---it was meant to convict you. Your reading of it should make you go, "Oh, Lord, man, I'm toast. Oh, Lord, I---oh!" That's what it means to be poor in spirit and then to mourn. You're asking God to forgive you. "But he," this clever lawyer, "wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, 'And who is my neighbor?'

" It's funny, because rabbis actually had these questions. They would deliberate over this and have long discussions---"Yeah, but technically who is any neighbor?" So Jesus is going to answer for him. And, by the way, Luke is the only one who records this. "Jesus answered and said to him: 'A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.' "Mostly dead. "'Now by chance a certain priest came down that road.' "A priest would be a Jewish clergyman." 'And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.' " "Because technically that's not my neighbor. It's a Samaritan---I mean, it's a man who is half dead, but I don't know if he's a Gentile or a Jew. And if he is fully dead and I go near him and touch him, I'll be defiled." So the priest went on the other side.. So, religious guy didn't help him out. " 'Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at that place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan' "---I smile because Jesus make the most hated person among the Jews of that day the hero of the story. "But there was this Samaritan guy . . . ," which made the lawyer go, "Ugh!" ---" 'as he journeyed came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him, bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, "Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you." So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among thieves?'"And he said, 'He who showed mercy on him.' " Did you see how he answers the question? He won't even call him a Samaritan. Jesus did in the story. He said "priest," "Levite,"

and a "Samaritan." "So of those three guys, who's the---who's the guy that did the right thing?" "He who showed mercy on him." He wouldn't even say the word. That's how much they were despised. I'll tell you why in a minute. "And then Jesus said to him, 'Go and [do that, go] do likewise.' "You want to know who your neighbor is? That's your neighbor---anybody who is in need. So you're telling me that you love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength? Because this stuff happens all the time And if you love your neighbor and you're wondering who that is, find somebody who has a need and help that person. That's your neighbor. What a powerful day. Now, question: Why were Samaritans so hated? First of all It's in the West Bank and a place you would want to avoid even today... So as much as in Jesus' day they avoided Samaria, to this day they avoid Samaria.

If you go all the way back in the Old Testament to the year 722 BC when the Assyrian Empire swept in and conquered the northern part of Israel, the ten northern tribes, including Samaria, took them captive. After that happened in 722, took them all captive, it was the practice of the Assyrians to repopulate conquered countries with other conquered peoples from other nations in the world. And so all these other Gentiles were dumped into the northern part of Israel. You follow? So those Jews who were left in that land over time married some of those gals, and those gals married some of those guys. And so there was a mixture of bloodline and a mixture of worship systems. It was paganized over time. Okay? So 586 BC the Babylonians take the southern kingdom captive. Dates aren't important. But eventually seventy years later they come back to rebuild the temple. You know that part. They come back to rebuild the temple. When they come back under Nehemiah, some of those in the north, some of the Samaritans want to help the Jews rebuild the temple, and the Jews in the south say, "I'm sorry, you can't do that. You're not a part of us. You've worshiped other gods, false gods, etcetera." So they wouldn't allow them to do that, so the rift became stronger and greater. Because those down south, the Jews around the temple… saw the northerners, the Samaritan peoples and the northerners as pagan worshipers, syncretists, and that they brought different worship elements into their worship of even God. So what happen after that whole time of Ezra, Nehemiah rejecting them, in 330 BC the Samaritans built their own temple for worship almost identical to the one in Jerusalem on their mountain, Mount Gerizim. And they believed and taught the people that that's where Abraham almost sacrificed his son Isaac, not Mount Moriah, not Jerusalem, but Samaria. That's what they taught. So there's this rivalry going on. By the way, to this day there are Samaritans that still are in existence. There's about 700 of them left on earth and they even have a priest. Just a couple years ago their high priest died and I think someone else succeed him. But they're---it's a dwindling group, but they're still in existence. So when in John 4 it says Jesus "needed to go through Samaria," it's because he wanted to meet that Samaritan woman and extend grace and love to her. So making a Samaritan the hero of the story was like, you know, bad juju to this guy. And so he just---"Jesus said, 'Go and do likewise.' "

Lord we are grateful tonight for our fellowship and for your word. We thank you for prayers answered and we ask for a deeper understanding of your word and your ways. We are grateful for the peace that has been shown us and that portion which has been given to us. This evening we would appeal to you as the Lord of Harvest that our number would increase , our fellowship would deepen . we have learned through the words of Jesus to ask for these things ..to pray on these things and not to just complain among ourselves. We are aware that we are nothing but for your grace and all that we have and all that we are because of your compassion and your love and your generous spirit..



We acknowledge all things and ask all in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and saviour…

Amen