This commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
4Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
5And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
6And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
8And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
10But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
12But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
13Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
16He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
“Wise and prudent”vs“babes”
There are two groups in this verse and throughout scripture we are told to humble ourselves and that God is not interested in revealing truth to the prideful person. Jesus tell us we must become like little children, babes (Matthew 18:3). This teaches us that the truth can be revealed if the person humbles themself (James 4:10):
“the wise and prudent”= proud, self-reliant, hardened
God resists the proud
James 4:6 “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
See also Proverbs 3:34, Luke 18:9–14
“babes”= humble, teachable, receptive
God looks to the humble
Isaiah 66:2 ”but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”
See also 1 Peter:5:5, James 4:6, Matthew 18:3–4
The “hiding” is judicial, not arbitrary
This is crucial. God “hides” truth after people reject it and He gives them up, exactly as happened with Israel and was prophesied (Psalm 81:11–12; Ezekiel 3:7–9; Zechariah 7:11–12):
Hear — Matthew 13:15, Acts 28:27 — they closed their eyes and shut their ears
Refuse — Zechariah 7:11–12 — they refused to hear and hardened their hearts
Judgment — John 12:37–40 — they first refused to believe, then in judgment could not believe
Hidden — Matthew 13:13 — the truth is hidden in parables
We see the same exact pattern here in the context of Luke 10. Jesus rebukes the cities Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernuam because “they repented not” (Matthew 11:20). So the sequence is yet again:
They hear — through His works and the sending of the seventy-two (Luke 10:1–16, Matthew 11:20-21)
They refuse — reject the message and harden their hearts (Luke 10:13;16, Matthew 11:14-15;2)
Judgment is pronounced — woes to the cities (Luke 10:13–15, Matthew 11:21–24)
Truth is hidden — Jesus speaks of things being hidden. (Luke 10:21, Matthew 11:25–26)
The cause comes before hiding, not the other way around. God commands hearing, some refuse, and only then does He judicially allow blindness.
We see Paul state the same principle: it seemed good or it pleased God to save people by what the world considers foolish, preaching. This is received only by those who are humble, lowly, and often poor, already in a heart of humility:
1 Corinthians 1:19–21 “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
22All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Jesus tells us that “no man knoweth...who the Father is”.
In order for a person to know the Father they must go through the Son:
John 14:6 ”Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The Son will reveal him, the Father, to those who are humble.
In Matthew 13:11–13; 34–35 we read that Jesus chose not to reveal the Father fully, speaking in parables instead. This judicial hiding arose from the people’s initial refusal and hardness of heart, stemming from pride and lack of humility (cf. Acts 28:27; Isaiah 6:9–10; Psalm 81:11–12; Zechariah 7:11–12; John 12:37–40). But even so, we read in Acts 2 that those who had killed their Messiah were given a chance to believe and repent.
In context, Luke 10:21 (also see Matthew 11:25–26) shows Jesus thanking the Father for hiding truth from the “wise and prudent” but revealing it to “babes”, those with humble, teachable hearts. Jesus commands people to listen (Matthew 11:15) and gives them a choice to receive: “And if ye will receive it” (Matthew 11:14). But because they did not repent, they missed the opportunity expressed in “he to whom the Son will reveal him” Repentance, and thus receiving revelation of the Father, is conditioned on humility, hearing, and willing response, not on arbitrary selection.
John 6:45 says ”Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me”
Therefore, if you listen to the word that the Father has sent throughout time, you come to Jesus because they both have the same voice (John 10:30; 12:49–50; 14:10; Deuteronomy 18:18–19). When you come to Him, He will reveal the Father to you (John 14:6).
23And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
24For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He stood up and “tempted” Jesus, this is the key to the whole passage. This man wasn’t seeking eternal life or to know the true God. As we read later in verse 29 he wanted to “justify himself”. This is a prideful heart, a self-righteous invididual.
The rich young ruler in Luke 18:18 asked Jesus the same thing “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Again, like in Matthew 19:17, Jesus pointed to the law “but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Galatians 3:24 says “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ”. Jesus is using the law with this man just like He did with the rich young ruler to humble him.
27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
This guy new the law and what to do. He is just like the man Jesus described who trusted in himself and his law keeping in Luke 18-9-14. Notice the text below says “which trusted in themselves”:
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Jesus answered this man according to His divine wisdom and knowledge of the man’s heart. He could have easily just have said what He says in John 6:47 “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life”. But this man needed to be humbled, see his need for mercy and stop trusting in himself.
29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
As stated above this interaction is quite similar to the conversation Jesus had with the rich young ruler. Both of these men were prideful law keepers. Jesus knows the thoughts of men as Luke 5:22 tells us “Jesus perceived their thoughts”. The text here says this man wanted to“justify himself”. He was a self-righteous man, so much so, he skipped over the first commandant about loving God fully, something everyone falls short of. Jesus knowing his heart answered him according to his pride.
Just like in the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:13-14 the man that seeks to “justify himself” will not inherit eternal life but rather he that sees his need for mercy and trust in God “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
James 2:10 tells us that if you mess up one time you are guilty of breaking all of the law. Jesus knows there is no possible way for a man to keep the law to inherit eternal life.
30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Only the Lord knows how to best reach people. Perhaps the final words of Jesus here, telling the man to show mercy, will soften his heart towards others so he like the publican in Luke 18:13 can cry out seeing his own need “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
10
Luke 10 — Forever Word commentary
King James VersionThis commentary is a work in progress and may be revised as study continues. If you have a question, spot an error, or want to discuss a passage, please reach out.
1After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
2Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
3Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
4Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
5And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
6And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
7And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
8And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
9And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
10But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
11Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
12But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
13Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
14But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
16He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
19Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
“Wise and prudent” vs “babes”
There are two groups in this verse and throughout scripture we are told to humble ourselves and that God is not interested in revealing truth to the prideful person. Jesus tell us we must become like little children, babes (Matthew 18:3). This teaches us that the truth can be revealed if the person humbles themself (James 4:10):
“the wise and prudent” = proud, self-reliant, hardened
God resists the proud
James 4:6 “God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.”
See also Proverbs 3:34, Luke 18:9–14
“babes” = humble, teachable, receptive
God looks to the humble
Isaiah 66:2 ”but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word”
See also 1 Peter:5:5, James 4:6, Matthew 18:3–4
The “hiding” is judicial, not arbitrary
This is crucial. God “hides” truth after people reject it and He gives them up, exactly as happened with Israel and was prophesied (Psalm 81:11–12; Ezekiel 3:7–9; Zechariah 7:11–12):
Hear — Matthew 13:15, Acts 28:27 — they closed their eyes and shut their ears
Refuse — Zechariah 7:11–12 — they refused to hear and hardened their hearts
Judgment — John 12:37–40 — they first refused to believe, then in judgment could not believe
Hidden — Matthew 13:13 — the truth is hidden in parables
We see the same exact pattern here in the context of Luke 10. Jesus rebukes the cities Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernuam because “they repented not” (Matthew 11:20). So the sequence is yet again:
They hear — through His works and the sending of the seventy-two (Luke 10:1–16, Matthew 11:20-21)
They refuse — reject the message and harden their hearts (Luke 10:13;16, Matthew 11:14-15;2)
Judgment is pronounced — woes to the cities (Luke 10:13–15, Matthew 11:21–24)
Truth is hidden — Jesus speaks of things being hidden. (Luke 10:21, Matthew 11:25–26)
The cause comes before hiding, not the other way around. God commands hearing, some refuse, and only then does He judicially allow blindness.
We see Paul state the same principle: it seemed good or it pleased God to save people by what the world considers foolish, preaching. This is received only by those who are humble, lowly, and often poor, already in a heart of humility:
1 Corinthians 1:19–21 “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.”
22All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
Jesus tells us that “no man knoweth...who the Father is”.
In order for a person to know the Father they must go through the Son:
John 14:6 ”Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
The Son will reveal him, the Father, to those who are humble.
In Matthew 13:11–13; 34–35 we read that Jesus chose not to reveal the Father fully, speaking in parables instead. This judicial hiding arose from the people’s initial refusal and hardness of heart, stemming from pride and lack of humility (cf. Acts 28:27; Isaiah 6:9–10; Psalm 81:11–12; Zechariah 7:11–12; John 12:37–40). But even so, we read in Acts 2 that those who had killed their Messiah were given a chance to believe and repent.
In context, Luke 10:21 (also see Matthew 11:25–26) shows Jesus thanking the Father for hiding truth from the “wise and prudent” but revealing it to “babes”, those with humble, teachable hearts. Jesus commands people to listen (Matthew 11:15) and gives them a choice to receive: “And if ye will receive it” (Matthew 11:14). But because they did not repent, they missed the opportunity expressed in “he to whom the Son will reveal him” Repentance, and thus receiving revelation of the Father, is conditioned on humility, hearing, and willing response, not on arbitrary selection.
John 6:45 says ”Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me”
Therefore, if you listen to the word that the Father has sent throughout time, you come to Jesus because they both have the same voice (John 10:30; 12:49–50; 14:10; Deuteronomy 18:18–19). When you come to Him, He will reveal the Father to you (John 14:6).
23And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
24For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
25And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
He stood up and “tempted” Jesus, this is the key to the whole passage. This man wasn’t seeking eternal life or to know the true God. As we read later in verse 29 he wanted to “justify himself”. This is a prideful heart, a self-righteous invididual.
The rich young ruler in Luke 18:18 asked Jesus the same thing “And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
Again, like in Matthew 19:17, Jesus pointed to the law “but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.”
Galatians 3:24 says “the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ”. Jesus is using the law with this man just like He did with the rich young ruler to humble him.
27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
This guy new the law and what to do. He is just like the man Jesus described who trusted in himself and his law keeping in Luke 18-9-14. Notice the text below says “which trusted in themselves”:
9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
28And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Jesus answered this man according to His divine wisdom and knowledge of the man’s heart. He could have easily just have said what He says in John 6:47 “He that believeth on me hath everlasting life”. But this man needed to be humbled, see his need for mercy and stop trusting in himself.
29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
As stated above this interaction is quite similar to the conversation Jesus had with the rich young ruler. Both of these men were prideful law keepers. Jesus knows the thoughts of men as Luke 5:22 tells us “Jesus perceived their thoughts”. The text here says this man wanted to “justify himself”. He was a self-righteous man, so much so, he skipped over the first commandant about loving God fully, something everyone falls short of. Jesus knowing his heart answered him according to his pride.
Just like in the parable Jesus told in Luke 18:13-14 the man that seeks to “justify himself” will not inherit eternal life but rather he that sees his need for mercy and trust in God “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”
James 2:10 tells us that if you mess up one time you are guilty of breaking all of the law. Jesus knows there is no possible way for a man to keep the law to inherit eternal life.
30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
31And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
34And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
35And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
36Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
37And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Only the Lord knows how to best reach people. Perhaps the final words of Jesus here, telling the man to show mercy, will soften his heart towards others so he like the publican in Luke 18:13 can cry out seeing his own need “And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.”
38Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
40But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
41And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
42But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.