Canonical Reading Plan for Oct 28, Luk 10-11

Today's readings are Luk 10-11

In Luk 10:1-8, Jesus sends seventy-two of His followers ahead of Him to every town and place He is going to go. He gives them the authority to heal and cast out demons. Their job is to prepare the way for Jesus to arrive. The signs affirm Jesus as the Christ and are there to point to Him. Notice that the healings mentioned in the gospels always are linked to a proclamation of the gospel and are never intended for ministry within the church alone. They are designed to demonstrate that Jesus is the kingdom of God (Luk 10:9), a truth those in the church already know. As in Jesus’s personal ministry, the signs and wonders always accompany a teaching and provoke a decision on who Christ is (Luk 10:10-16).

For those who bemoan the lack of signs and wonders among those in the church today, it would be wise to pay attention to the conditions under which those disciples were sent. They were to take nothing with them. Instead, they were to rely on the Lord daily and on the goodwill of those to whom they ministered. Implicit in this is an understanding that those who follow Jesus will support those who minister in His name. Equally true, however, is that those who minister will not accumulate personal belongings but live in day-to-day reliance on the Lord. 

There is risk involved in this ministry as well. Those who minister are being sent out "as lambs in the midst of wolves" (Luk 10:3). They will look like dinner to those opposed to the gospel. Some of them may become that dinner! 

Furthermore, Lk 10:10-11 makes it clear that those who are sent are not responsible for making people believe. Their job is merely to relate the gospel. Those who reject it are left behind. Believing faith will come by the hand of the Holy Spirit, not by the efforts of the ministers. The consequences of refusing the gospel are grave (Lk 10:16-20).

When the seventy-two return (Luk 10:17-20), Jesus tells them not to get overly excited about the signs and wonders. Instead, they are to be excited about being saved. In other words, they are to be excited about the impact of the gospel on their personal lives. He reveals that they have been profoundly touched by the truth, not by anyone's efforts or even their own decisions, but by the will of the Father (Luk 10:21-24).

In the Tale of the Good Samaritan (Luk 10:25-37), we learn that the heart is the evidence of a godly spirit, not birthright or position. An unlikely man, a Samaritan, displays holy compassion and personal sacrifice while the ones most expected to do so pass by. They pass by for good reasons. They have religious/ceremonial concerns about touching dead or dirty bodies. But the way they practice their religious beliefs interferes with ministering the gospel and they lose the blessing of God. 

Martha has a similar problem (Luk 10:38-42). Her desire to do good works, a form of personal piety, interferes with the fuller blessing of drawing near to Jesus and His teachings. Mary gets it.

The Lord's prayer (Luk 11:1-4), far from being a list of requests, is an exaltation of God and His will in the life of a believer, asking merely for enough to sustain us in a holy lifestyle one day at a time. The prayer Jesus prescribes is, in every way, a daily prayer. It is focused on God as our Father and our total dependence upon Him. We depend on Him for our ongoing sanctification, our sustenance and our protection.

The prayer is followed by the encouragement to see what Jesus brings as the good things of God (Luk 11:5-13). This is timely as the Pharisees are accusing Jesus of being evil (Luk 14-23). Jesus says that it is they who are evil and have been for some time. The Pharisees are so angry and self-righteous that they are blind to their own dark hearts and are missing the redemption they sorely need. Instead of their hearts being filled with Christ, they are prone to sin (Luk 11:24-26). The way to avoid being oppressed by evil spirits is to focus on Christ and strive to live like He did.

Jesus mentions the signs (Luk 11:29-32) as we see in Matthew (Mat 11). This is part of a pattern established in each of the gospels. First, we see the light (Jesus), then signs (miracles) as proof that He is the light, then judgment upon those who refuse to believe (those who reject Him are condemned). The light comes, signs are presented, people who do not repent bring judgment down on themselves. People who do repent receive eternal life. Even an ancient and evil city like Nineveh repented when they heard the truth. Jesus will present the ultimate sign of resurrection and the evil generation He speaks of will not repent.

Meanwhile, the Pharisees are getting aggravated. Jesus has dinner with them but refuses to wash prior (Luk 11:37-53). He refuses to perform meaningless rituals, all of which are designed to point to Him and His arrival. Now that He's here, there is no need for these symbolic ceremonies and actions. However, they’re missing it. The separation between the reality of His presence and the emptiness of their rituals is growing. They are offended, and we are reminded of Jesus’s words in Mt 11:6 "Blessed is the one who is not offended by Me."