Some MSS read, seventy-two. (So in v. 17.) The Savior appointed seventy disciples to share His ministry, even as Moses appointed seventy elders to share his burden, as God had charged him to do (Num. 11:16-17; Exo. 24:1, 9).

As witnesses (Deut. 17:6; 19:15; Matt. 18:16).

See note Matt. 9:38¹.

See note Matt. 9:38³.

See note Matt. 10:9¹.

The Lord sent the disciples to preach the gospel by going to every city and place and visiting people in their homes. This may serve to confirm our preaching of the gospel today by knocking on doors and visiting people from door to door. The Lord sent the disciples as lambs entering into the midst of wolves (v. 3). However, among the wolves there were sons of peace, that is, sheep that the Lord was concerned about (Matt. 9:36) and the harvest that He desired to reap (v. 2; Matt. 9:37-38). Because these sheep and the harvest, both of which belonged to the Lord, were scattered and mixed with the wolves, it was necessary for the Lord's disciples to go into the midst of the wolves to seek them out house by house and to reap them. It is the same today. Preaching the gospel by going out to every place to visit people in their homes is ordained by God. It is absolutely different from today's religious way of holding large gatherings to carry out gospel campaigns.

Or, him.

See note Luke 4:43^1a.

See note Matt. 10:15¹.

See note Matt. 11:23^1d.

At the time of his rebellion against God, before the creation of man, Satan was judged and sentenced to be cast into Sheol (Hades), to the recesses (the deepest part) of the pit (Isa. 14:15; Ezek. 28:17). Then God began to execute the sentence He had imposed on him. He has executed, and will execute, this sentence on different occasions and to different degrees, such as through the seventy disciples in this chapter, through Christ on the cross (Heb. 2:14; John 12:31), through the man-child and Michael before the great tribulation, when Satan will be cast down to the earth (Rev. 12:5, 7-10, 13), and through the angel before the millennium, when Satan will be cast into the abyss, the bottomless pit (Rev. 20:1-3). Finally, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to suffer the punishment of eternal fire after the millennium (Rev. 20:10) for eternity.

What the Lord gave to the disciples was authority; what the enemy had was power. Authority subdues power.

Serpents may signify Satan and his angels (Eph. 2:2; 6:11-12); scorpions may signify the demons (vv. 17, 20). By the authority of the Lord the disciples subdued their evil power.

For vv. 21-22, see notes in Matt. 11:25-27.

See note Matt. 4:7².

Lit., having done what, may I inherit eternal life?

See note Matt. 19:29³ and note Matt. 19:17^3b.

Lit., in.

He must have been one of the self-justified Pharisees (Luke 16:14-15; 18:9-10).

This is one of the parables narrated only by Luke. It conveys the principle of high morality in the Savior's full salvation. The Savior intended the "certain man" to be a figure of the self-justified lawyer (v. 29) as a sinner who had fallen from the foundation of peace (Jerusalem) to the condition of curse (Jericho).

Indicating a fall from the city of the foundation of peace to the city of curse.

Jerusalem means foundation of peace (cf. Heb. 7:2); Jericho was a city of curse (Josh. 6:26; 1 Kings 16:34).

Signifying the legalistic teachers of the Judaic law (John 10:1), who used the law (1 Cor. 15:56) to rob lawkeepers such as the self-justified lawyer.

Signifying the stripping caused by the Judaistic teachers' misuse of the law.

Lit., laid blows upon; signifying the killing by the law (Rom. 7:9-10).

Signifying that the Judaistic teachers left the lawkeeper in a dead condition (Rom. 7:11, 13).

The one who should have cared for God's people by teaching them the law of God (Deut. 33:10; 2 Chron. 15:3) was going down on the same road and was thus unable to render any help to the beaten one.

One of those who helped God's people in their worship to God (Num. 1:50; 3:6-7; 8:19) was coming to the same place, and he too was unable to render any help to the dying one.

Signifying the Man-Savior, who apparently was a layman of low estate. He was despised and slandered as a low and mean Samaritan (John 8:48; 4:9 and note 1) by the self-exalted and self-justified Pharisees, including the one to whom He was speaking here (vv. 25, 29). Such a Man-Savior, in His lost-one-seeking and sinner-saving ministry journey (19:10), came down to the place where the wounded victim of the Judaistic robbers lay in his miserable and dying condition. When He saw him, He was moved with compassion in His humanity with His divinity and rendered him tender healing and saving care, fully meeting his urgent need (vv. 34-35).

In vv. 34-35 all the aspects of the good Samaritan's care for the dying one portray the Man-Savior in His merciful, tender, and bountiful care, in His humanity with His divinity, for a sinner condemned under law, showing to the uttermost His high standard of morality in His saving grace:
1) He bound up his wounds — healing him;
2) He poured oil and wine on his wounds — giving him the Holy Spirit and the divine life (Matt. 9:17 and note 1; John 2:9 and note 1);
3) He placed him on his own beast (a donkey) — carrying him by lowly means in a lowly way (Zech. 9:9);
4) He brought him to an inn — bringing him to the church;
5) He took care of him — taking care of him through the church;
6) He paid the inn for him — blessing the church on his behalf;
7) He said that he would repay at his return whatever the inn spent — declaring that whatever the church spends in this age on one who is saved by the Lord will be repaid at the Savior's coming back.

See note John 6:7¹.

The self-justified lawyer thought that he could love another as his neighbor (v. 29), not knowing, under the blindness of self-justification, that he himself needed a neighbor, the Man-Savior, to love him.

Or, The one who dealt mercifully with him. The self-justified one was helped to know that he needed a loving neighbor (such as the good Samaritan, who was a figure of the Man-Savior) to love him, not a neighbor for him to love. The Savior intended to unveil to him through this story

Bethany (John 12:1 and note 1; Mark 11:1; Matt. 21:17 and note 1).

Probably from Aramaic, meaning she was rebellious.

Gk. Maria for Heb. Miriam, meaning their rebellion (Num. 12:1, 10-15). The meaning of Martha and Mary conveys the thought of rebellion, perhaps pointing to the natural life of Martha and Mary. The Lord's salvation can transform the rebellious into the submissive, as portrayed in this story. One like the rebellious Miriam in the Old Testament becomes one like the submissive Mary in the New Testament.

Meaning to be drawn around in different directions.

The Lord prefers that His saved ones who love Him listen to Him (v. 39) that they may know His desire, rather than do things for Him without knowing His will (cf. 1 Sam. 15:22; Eccl. 5:1).

It is quite significant that this story of Martha and Mary immediately follows the parable of the good Samaritan. The parable shows the compassion and love of the Savior, who is a man and becomes the sinners' neighbor; the story of Martha and Mary unveils the desire and preference of the Lord, who is God and becomes the believers' Master. The Savior gives us His compassion and love so that we can be saved by Him; the Lord expresses His desire and preference so that we can serve Him. After receiving salvation from the Savior, we should render service to the Lord. For our salvation we need to realize the Savior's compassion and love; for our service we need to know the Lord's desire and preference.