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Lesson 11: Jesus’s Journey To Jerusalem, Part 1 (Luke 9:51-10:37)
Jesus spent considerable time and effort in the region of Galilee. However, the time of focused work in this region had now come to a close. Luke is unique among the gospel authors in the length of this next section and many of the details given therein (Luke 9:51-19:27).
Jesus Starts His Journey To Jerusalem (Luke 9:51-62)
9:51-56. Jesus knew His time on earth was coming to a close and He would be taken into Heaven. Knowing what was about to happen in Jerusalem (Luke 9:21-22, 30-31, 44-45), Jesus still determined to walk into Jerusalem and accomplish the Father’s will! This journey would take Jesus through the region of the Samaritans (who the Jews had no dealings with, John 4:9). Jesus sent messengers ahead of Him. One of the villages, however, did not welcome Jesus (perhaps because they perceived Jesus as using them as a shortcut to Jerusalem and rejecting their worship, John 4:20). James and John asked Jesus if He wanted them to call fire down from Heaven to consume them (perhaps attempting to be like Elijah in 2 Kings 1:1-18). But, Jesus rebuked them, as He had not come at this time for condemnation and destruction but to provide a way of salvation (John 3:16-17; John 12:47-48). So they traveled to another village.
9:57-62. At some point during their travels (perhaps at different points, Matthew 8:18-22), three men had the opportunity to follow Jesus. The first (a scribe, Matthew 8:19) expressed his commitment to following Jesus anywhere he would go. Though a commendable statement, Jesus wanted him to realize the sacrifices involved in following Him. The second was called to follow Jesus but wanted to first bury his father (perhaps his father was soon going to die). Though nothing was inherently sinful in this action, the situation called for the man to choose at that moment. The spiritually dead could take care of the physically dead, but he needed to go and preach the kingdom of God. The third said he would follow Jesus but wanted to first say goodbye to those at his house (perhaps a lengthy goodbye process). Jesus again saw this as a situation in which the man needed to make a choice. So, Jesus taught that no one who starts to follow Him and looks back (like putting the hand to the plow but not focusing on the task) is fit for the kingdom of God (Philippians 3:12-14)!
Jesus Sends Out The 72 (Luke 10:1-16)
10:1-9. Jesus sent 72 (some manuscripts read “70”) into the regions He was about to travel (likely Judea, Perea, and surrounding regions He had not spent much time). They were sent in pairs to prepare people for Jesus’s arrival. Still, despite the number, there was more work to accomplish than laborers and prayer should be offered to God for more laborers (Matthew 9:35-38)! Then, Jesus gave instructions as He sent them out as lambs among wolves. First, they were not to carry extra money or provisions (allowing them to leave urgently and trust God to provide, Luke 9:3). Second, they were not to greet others on the way (allowing them to urgently get where they needed to go). Third, they were to enter a house with a greeting of peace (a blessing from God) and stay there if someone was willing to receive them (and they would receive the blessing; if they did not, the blessing would return). Fourth, they were to continue receiving the hospitality of that home, not moving from house to house (as a worker worthy of his wages, 1 Timothy 5:17-18; 1 Corinthians 9:4-18), and receive what that town provided. Fifth, they were to heal the sick and proclaim the nearness of God’s kingdom (as the Messiah was on earth and His reign would soon be fully established).
10:10-16. Sixth, they were to publicly proclaim the wiping away of dust from their feet as a witness (Deuteronomy 19:15) against any town that rejected them. It would be more tolerable for Sodom (destroyed in Genesis 18-19) than for the town that rejected them in this time of the nearness of God’s kingdom! Jesus pronounced similar woes of warning to the Galilean towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida, which had rejected Jesus and did not repent. It will not go well for any who saw the miracles done by Jesus and His followers like they did and refused to repent. Tyre and Sidon (which God promised to destroy in Ezekiel 26-28; Amos 1:9-10) would also receive more toleration on Judgment Day than these who rejected the Messiah. Then, Capernaum (where Jesus had spent much time and performed many miracles) would be punished rather than exalted. Anyone who would accept/reject Jesus’s messengers would accept/reject Him!
The 72 Return (Luke 10:17-24)
10:17-20. After their work was completed, the 72 returned with joy, having even seen demons submit to them in the authority of Jesus’s name! Jesus saw Satan’s defeat like lighting falling from Heaven (perhaps when the demons were cast out). The greatest joy of all, though, was their names being written in Heaven (in the Book of Life, Revelation 20:15; 21:27).
10:21-24. Jesus praised God for the way He had revealed the things about the kingdom of God to those who were like infants (humble, trusting) and hidden them from the wise (proud, self-righteous, 1 Corinthians 1:18-25). This had all been according to God’s plan and had been now entrusted to Jesus in revealing the Father (John 1:18). Jesus’s disciples were truly blessed for seeing and hearing the things they did about the Messiah and His kingdom, as many before them desired to understand this but could not (1 Peter 1:10-12; Ephesians 3:3-7)!
The Parable Of The Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37)
10:25-29. An expert in the Jewish law tested Jesus by asking Him about inheriting eternal life. The man correctly summarized the law as loving the Lord God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind and loving your neighbor as yourself (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:36-40). Jesus indicated that keeping these would result in living. However, the man wanted to justify himself and asked about the identity of his neighbor (perhaps wanting to limit its application, Matthew 5:43).
10:30-37. Jesus taught a parable about a man who traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho (about 17 miles of dangerous road). This man was attacked by robbers and left in a half-dead condition. As two Jewish men (a priest and a Levite, who should have known God’s law) came by in successive moments, they each saw the wounded stranger and passed him by on the other side without offering help. However, a Samaritan (despised among Jews, John 4:9) did help – tending to his immediate needs and taking him for additional help. Jesus concluded by asking which of the three men proved to love this neighbor. Upon answering that it was the merciful Samaritan, Jesus instructed the man to go and show this same love for his neighbors.
Conclusion
Jesus’s preaching work has now shifted its focus away from the region around Galilee and pointed more toward Jerusalem. He has sent others into the work to prepare the towns for His arrival. Furthermore, Jesus has taught a tremendous lesson about love for one’s neighbors.