Luke 10

In verse 51 of Luke 9, Jesus sets himself towards Jerusalem (and his death.) Everything from here on propels him to his destiny.

 

Jesus now sends out a larger group. Notice they never work alone and travel light. They are preparing the way for Jesus. That is our job today; to prepare lives for Jesus to enter into. The disciples he sends out are the equivalent of Jesus.

 

The disciples have great results. Jesus reminds then not to get too excited about their own power. Get excited about being faithful! "Snakes," "scorpions," "nothing will harm you" are probably not literal but are intended to add emphasis do to their exaggeration. Trampling pests has nothing to do with Jesus' mission.

 

Jesus tells a story about a despised person (Samaritan) doing the work of God. He uses it to illustrate what "loving your neighbor" really means. Jesus goes out of his way in the story to have the religious people NOT be neighborly. In other words, religious people are too busy and self-absorbed to do God's work. Only the outsider was faithful.

 

The Mary and Martha story show that heeding Jesus is more important sometimes than even necessary tasks. Jesus wants us to slow down and make time for him. Do you?