Luke 10 1-7 Exegesis Final Nts 5110b

Historical Analysis (Purpose) When one looks at the synoptic Gospel of Luke, certain characteristics come to mind that are specific to this Gospel. One may think of certain parables or stories that are unique to Luke such as the Lost Coin, Lost Sheep, or the Lost Son. Maybe a reader of this Gospel would be able to pick out the specific details that can be found due to his practice as a physician or possibly his apparent concern for all people. Luke’s Gospel shows an evident and intentional love for “those who were social outcasts—the poor, women, and those who were known as sinners.1 These particulars tend to stand out but for what purpose? To what end is the author of Luke trying to express these tendencies to his readers? There is a philosophical concept known as Kalam’s Cosmological Argument that is used as an apologetic defense for the creation of the universe that could be utilized to answer these questions. In its briefest and simplest terms, Kalam’s concept states “anything that begins to exist must have a cause that brings it into being.”2 In applying the concept to this topic suggests that the writer of Luke must have had a specific purpose when including each detail in his work. The specifics and unique characteristics began to exist when they were recorded by Luke by inspiration of the Holy Spirit and are present for a function and understanding. Luke, the author of the synoptic Gospel which shares his name, was not writing a work of fiction. Rather in his prologue, he asserted that he was writing as a historian. With his declaration of writing from the view of a historian, restraints were placed on him by way of the 1

Frank E. Gaebelein, ed., The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, vol. 8, Matthew, Mark, Luke by Walter L. Liefeld (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984) , 798 2

William Lane Craig, Reasonable Faith (Wheaton: Crossway books, 1994), 92 1

2 sources of information he could use to compose his Gospel. What Luke would have already known is that “since his readers were already familiar with these traditions, [he] was under even greater restraint”3 but no matter what it took, Luke was concerned to write a Gospel. Luke saw it important to compose a presentation of the ministry of Jesus Christ in its saving significance, but to do so in the context of a two-part work which would go on to present the story of the early church, thus demonstrating how the message of the gospel spread, in accordance with prophecy and God’s command, to the ends of the earth. Luke’s Gospel speaks greatly on the “theme and theology of salvation and the frequent proclamation of the Good News [which] makes the evangelization of non-Christians”4 central to the purpose of Luke. Everything created was created for a purpose. Luke was written to show the urgency and need for evangelism to the lost, especially to the needy. Luke’s purpose of evangelism is apparent in the focus of the passage selected for this paper. In Luke 10 “the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go”5 with the seventy being symbolic for every nation. The Gospel of Luke was written for a purpose, the grand purpose of telling its readers to go into all the nations proclaiming the love of Jesus Christ and proving that “the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.”6

3

Robert Stein, Luke, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman Press,

1992) , 35 4

(Gaebelein 1984, 800)

5

Luke 10:1 NKJV (All scripture references will be from NKJV unless noted)

6

Luke 19:10

3 Lexical Analysis The word “appointed” that is found in Luke 10:1 is derived from the Greek word ανεδειξεν

which means “to proclaim any one as elected to an office, to announce as

appointed.”7 This word means to “show forth, display and hence make public and proclaim.”8 The use of this word by Luke is to show that disciples must count the cost and should be commissioned or elected by Christ for His work. This act of Jesus appointing these seventy disciples in Luke 10 was done to “assign or commission”9 or give a sense of duty or mission for them to go out to every city and place. This next concept seems to be so simple at first glance but in light of Luke 10 there is great meaning and significance. The phrase “two by two” comes from the Greek ανα δυο and simply means “two by two” 10 or sending one person with another in pairs. This concept of pairs in sending the disciples in Luke 10 out two by two served multiple functions such as providing “companionship, protection, and the [added effect of a] double witness.”11 This concept of sending pairs of two was not “merely to provide mutual comfort and help, but also to give attested, binding testimony which indicates that their task was a mission, rather than the

7

Joseph H. Thayer, Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979) , 36 8

Alfred Plummer, The Gospel According to St. Luke, The International Critical Commentary (New York: Edinburgh, 1951) , 271 9

J. Reiling and J.L. Swellengrebel, A Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of Luke (London: The United Bible Societies, 1971) , 401 10

Ibid.,

11

(Gaebelein 1984, 937)

arranging of hospitality.”12 Two as an isolated word does not carry much significance but in this text it proves valuable and important. It is sometimes hard to know exactly what Scripture means if only the English versions are consulted and compared. In this case, this word occurs in different forms in the Greek, but is translated into just one word in English. In Luke 10:1 and 3 the words “sent” and “send” are used which are the past and present of the same work. Both words come from the Greek word αποστελλω which means “sent ones.”13 This word originally was “used to refer to a ship or a group of ships”14 but in the New Testament, this word evolved to refer to people. The ships were used to carry or relay information or objects, and the same concept evolved to people who performed the same function. These people were individuals that were “sent with commission, or things intended for someone.”15 The term apostle comes from this Greek word and was used in 3 different ways in the New Testament “first, it referred to the Twelve that traveled and learned with Jesus. The second broad use of apostle was a person authorized by a local congregation for safe delivery of special gifts to other churches and finally apostle referred to those whom Jesus sent.”16 In the previous paragraph, the word “send” was discussed but now due to translation the word “send” is going to now be discussed but it has a different meaning. These words look the same in English but are different in the Greek. The word “send” here derives from the Greek 12

Howard Marshall, The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text, The New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Eerdman’s Publishing Company, 1978) , 415-416 13

(Stein 1992 , 305)

14

Steve Bond, “Apostle,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003

15

(Thayer 1979, 642)

16

Steve Bond, “Apostle,” in Holman Illustrated Bible dictionary, 2003 4

5 word εκβαλη where previously in this passage the word sent came from the Greek word αποστελλω. The Greek word εκβαλη means “to cast out; to drive out; to send out with the included notion of more or less violence.”17 Although in the English these words appear the same, the Greek gives a connotation that here in this context “send” implies a force has to be exerted in order for something to happen. This verb “expresses either a pressing need, or the directness with which [someone is to be] sent to their destination.”18 Rather than being sent because they possess something valuable for another as discussed earlier in this section, this verb calls for people to be sent out in order to do something such as “reap the fields.”19 This next term served as a metaphor that would have been very popular and easy to identify with during the times of the New Testament. A majority of the people during the New Testament were involved or benefited from the “harvest.” The picture of this common occurrence served as a great teaching example. The term harvest comes from the Greek word θερισμος which means “process of harvesting, or its result harvest, crop.”20 In several verses in Scripture, this term for harvest is best understood as a theological metaphor for the brining in of those who are destined to enter the kingdom of God. Jesus often spoke of the harvest with “connection with the harvesting of souls (Matt 9:37; Mark 4:29; John 4:35).21 This harvest term was an element that all people during this time knew as a way of life. Due to its relevance to so many people during the New Testament, it could be thought that this mentioning of harvest in theological terms could identify the time of year these words were being spoken. However, 17

(Thayer 1979, 192)

18

(Plummer 1951, 272)

19

(J. Reiling and J.L. Swellengrebel 1971, 402)

20

Ibid., 401

21

Gary Hardin, “Harvest,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 2003

6 since the harvest was so common “[it could have been] used at any season22 and still had been understood its meaning. This harvest term carried with it not only hard work but also “carries with it a sense of urgency for the harvest will not await the pleasure of the harvesters.”23 Structural Analysis After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. When looking at the text from a visual point of view, it is really easy to see the flow of the mission on which these seventy disciples were commissioned to go. From the context immediately before this missionary discourse found in Luke 10:1-7, Luke describes individuals who give excuses and reasons not to go out “into every city and place where [Christ] was about 22

(Plummer 1951, 272)

23

Ibid., 272

7 to go”24 but these seventy were willing and ready to depart to spread the gospel, they had counted the cost. Looking at the structural diagram one can see the individuals who are going out, the place where they are going to, what they are to expect when they get there, the items they are permitted to take, and, finally, directions for what houses to enter and how to act in those houses. It is a complete flow of this mission in which these seventy are appointed to participate and is a model to follow for modern day evangelism. The harvest has not changed from the New Testament to modern day. Luke here is clearly describing who, what, when, where, and how to do the work of the Lord. This can be seen in the text as a whole but even more so when the text is broken down into a structure that reveals its main ideas. Contextual Analysis The gospel writers are often referred to as evangelists and Luke certainly earns this title when he writes as he did in Luke 10. In this chapter, Luke is writing of seventy disciples who were commissioned which lies in the context after “a similar mission of sending the Twelve told in Luke 9:1-6”25 by Jesus Christ and these seventy were sent out among all the world to share the good news. However, there were some who would not adhere to this calling. The immediate context to these verses concerning the seventy in chapter 10 was discourse of Jesus teaching what true discipleship was and what it took to be a disciple worthy of sharing and distributing the good news as recorded in chapter 9. For example, Jesus charged, “if anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me”26 and also the discussion of the disciples wondering who was the greatest. Luke 9 ends with a discussion of 3 24

Luke 10:1

25

(Stein 1992 , 303)

26

Luke 9:23

8 individuals, one who in fact was personally “called by Jesus”27 but did not meet the conditions that Jesus laid down in order to be disciples for “the demands of the kingdom are urgent.”28 After the seventy disciples being sent out to be: ambassadors to represent Christ in this world (Luke 10:1-24), Luke continues, proclaiming that these ambassadors are also to be neighbors, looking for opportunities to show mercy in the name of Christ (Luke 10:25-37) and finally at the heart of the matter, Luke in chapter 10 concludes with worship. At the heart of the ministry of all disciples should be a devotion to Christ where the disciples are to be worshippers who take time to listen and commune with God (Luke 10:38-42).29 Luke in the immediate context is viewed as an author that placed a great deal on the importance of evangelism and love for the lost and needy but that concept is not only found in the immediate context surrounding Luke 10:1-7, but also in the book as a whole. Luke writes as a historian being careful to capture correct stories and details of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ from birth until resurrection because God’ redemptive plan would come through Jesus Christ. In Luke 19:10, Luke writes that Jesus came to earth to “seek and to save that which was lost”30, and gives evidence of his writing and purpose. This overall theme fits when viewing Luke 10:1-7 in the context of this entire work, while also one can see this theme due to its location in the cannon. Luke wrote the verses found in Luke 10:1-7 at a time when they were culturally needed and can be interpreted not just in the immediate or broader context of Scripture but also through the context of that culture at that time. The Gospels were written books telling the story of the

27

Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1, Matthew-Galatians (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992) , 209 28

Leon Morris, Luke: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992) , 197 29

(Wiersbe 1992, 209)

30

Luke 19:10

9 life and teachings of Jesus Christ. It was the teachings of Jesus Christ that brought knowledge of saving grace and salvation, but these teachings of Christ were not immediately written down after Christ’s ascension. It would be 30 years before the Gospels would be written down to be read and to circulate among the churches. The delay came from the early apostles’ urgency in other matters. These disciples of Christ lived with an urgency to share the gospel and tell everyone the good news because they did not know when Christ was going to come back. Jesus Christ had come for a specific mission. Luke through his writings reveals Christ’s mission and teachings as an example for all to follow even today. Meaning Analysis The heart of this text written by Luke is evangelism, but not just the evangelism of one city or place but “every city and place where [Jesus] was about to go.”31 In Luke 10:1, Luke describes the sending out of seventy disciples which clearly refers to seventy disciples outside of the original twelve. But why seventy? The meaning behind seventy could have a symbolic significance. There is a “textual problem with respect to the number [whether] it was seventy disciples or seventy two disciples.”32 Commentators argue for either because evidence can be provided for both sides, but most choose “seventy because it coincides with the image of Jesus as the prophet like Moses which is so important thematically for Luke. Moses picked seventy elders (Num 11:16-17) to share his work with the people.”33 Other symbols are also present and should be noted. With the longing of sharing the good news heavy on the heart of Luke, a possible reason for the seventy disciples could represent a means to reach the nations. The 31

Luke 10:1

32

(Stein 1992 , 304)

33

Luke Johnson, Sacra Pagina Series, vol. 3, The Gospel of Luke (Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991), 167

10 number “appears to be symbolic of the nations of the world, a view the Jews based on Genesis 10 where there are 70 names in the Hebrew text and 72 in the LXX [but whatever the number] the gospel appears to be for the whole world.”34 The text proclaims that the seventy should depart in pairs to go to every city and place where Jesus was about to go, “but it is inconceivable that Jesus Himself could follow up all the visits of 36 pairs of missionaries.”35 So why did He say that? Luke here is talking about the duties of the present disciples and that alludes to the future mission of the church. What this text means for man today is that “whatever the truth behind these conjectures, Jesus sent the disciples ahead of him in pairs. Such a large group of forerunners shows that he has a busy itinerary” and agenda for the church to go out into the harvest. The commands that Jesus gives to these seventy “were meant for the moment and forever.”36 Although this text describes seventy disciples that went out, Jesus proclaims that “the harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.”37 Some have come forth but many more are needed. The picture of a harvest is the perfect metaphor for what the Lord is asking of His workers. The harvest included times of strenuous labor and obedience to the owners of the fields to work before it was too late. The crop during the harvest came to maturity at a certain time and had to be extracted or taken up at a certain time. This same labor and time restriction is to be applied to the harvesting of souls. The imagery carries on that “the workers are in the employment of the farmer, but have

34

(Morris 1992, 198)

35

(Marshall 1978, 416)

36

John Kilgallen, “Sermon on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20,” The Expository Times 118; 445;

(2007): 2. 37

Luke 10:2

11 not been deployed as harvesters to this point. The present low number of workers and the verb here for “send out” which normally carries overtone of force, may suggest reluctance on the part of the potential harvesters.”38 There is a great work to be done, and the laborers are in demand due to sin and denial of this urgency to share the good news of Jesus Christ. But this work should not be taken lightly and should not be done without counting the cost. After explaining the great need for workers to go out and share the good news of Christ, Jesus warns them that these laborers who do go out and are obedient are being sent out as “lambs among wolves.” This imagery was to make it known that the Lord’s work is not easy. The portrayal of the “image of a lamb among wolves was proverbial for defenselessness.”39 This mission that these seventy were to partake in is not to be thought of as a simple task to be done in their own strength. Rather, this passage should show a sense of “danger and helplessness being held at the mercy of the world” where they find themselves not relying on their own strength but in God’s.”40 For these seventy and for Christians today, it must be remembered that this is the Lord’s work, and He will be the one to see it to completion. It is the Lord’s harvest and He will find the workers to go out and declare His name to all nations. The Lord’s work should be done in the Lord’s strength, not depending on the things of this world. After setting the right attitude of the mission at hand, Luke 10:4 forbids the possession of several articles. These items seem necessary, but only if they were working in their own strength. Luke 10:4 reads “carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one

38

John Nolland, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 35B, Luke 9:21-18:34 (Dallas: Word Books Publisher, 1993), 551 39

Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 216 40

(Morris 1992, 199)

12 along road” and implies that these and those in the future should go “just as they are.”41 This lack of materials forces God’s laborers to be “single-minded even to the extent of not becoming involved in time-consuming greetings”42 of the task at hand in order to see it to completion. These disciples “were to be a striking example of faith in God to supply their needs.”43 The command to greet no one is not an encouragement to rudeness. Jewish traditions were long and involved, but these seventy were on a mission. There was no time to waste; the Lord’s work had to be done. For Christians today, this need of relying totally on God for our needs, for giving us good judgment, and the words to say when witnessing should be remembered. Sharing the gospel with all nations is what God wants to be accomplished, but He uses man as his vehicle to see it to completion. God is in control not just where we go, what we say but also what the recipients are going to say and how they will react. After these seventy are sent out, told what to expect and what to take with them, they are told what to do when they encounter certain people. For these disciples this “evangelistic contact is at the same time a search for hospitality and a base of operations.”44 These disciples were to encounter the people in their homes and if “a son of peace is there”45 who was “a person who was open to or ready for salvation that these disciples and other followers of Jesus were bringing”46 the home would be welcome to them. But if not, the peace would return back to the disciple to be told to another person in another place. 41

Ibid.,

42

(Gaebelein 1984, 937)

43

(Marshall 1978, 418)

44

(Nolland 1993, 553)

45

Luke 10:5

46

(Nolland 1993, 552)

13 It was Jewish custom to take care and provide for those along the road. If the peace was accepted, the disciple would have been allowed to enter into the home and that would be the base of operations for his continuing ministry in that location. If peace was established and the gospel had been shared and accepted in that home, the disciple “was to be sustain there as one of the household. He was to receive this provision as God’s payment to his harvest worker, and he is not to seek to better his circumstances by trying out other possible havens of hospitality.”47 Like it has always been for these disciples, there was urgency to their mission of working in the harvest. This custom of staying and becoming one of the household was to establish “if the laborer was worth his wages he was not worth more. The disciples were not to go from house to house for this would mean engaging in a social round and being entertained long after they had done their work. There is urgency about their mission, they must press on.” Like the rest, this deems applicable to Christians today. This sense of urgency should not be lost or cast to the side. There will come a time when it is too late, but right now there is time to please God and to do His will. Evangelism and missions is the very heartbeat of God, and these verses show Jesus’ teachings on the matter. Evangelism was present during this time and is still here today but “some Christians imagine that the task of sharing the gospel is harder than it is”48 and refuse to obey. Christ’s teachings still ring true today and the harvest is still His! Let all Christians go out for “the harvest is great but the laborers are few.”49 May God’s will be done.

47

Ibid.,

48

2002. COMMENT & REPORTS - Good News - Natural Evangelism. The Christian Century. 119, no. 24: 5. 49

Luke 10:2

14 1

Works Cited 2002. COMMENT & REPORTS - Good News - Natural Evangelism. The Christian Century. 119, no. 24: 5. Craig, William Lane. Reasonable Faith. Wheaton: Crossway Books, 1994. Gaebelein, Frank E., ed. The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Vol . 8, Matthew, Mark, Luke by Walter L. Liefeld. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984 Johnson, Luke. Sacra Pagina Series. Vol. 3, The Gospel of Luke. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1991. Kilgallen, John. “Sermon on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.” The Expository Times 118; 445; (2007): 1-3 Keener, Craig. The IVP Bible Background Commentary New Testament. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993 Marshall, Howard. The Gospel of Luke: A Commentary on the Greek Text. The New International Greek Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978 Morris, Leon. Luke: An Introduction and Commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1992 Nolland, John. Word Biblical Commentary. Vol. 35B, Luke 9:21-18:34. Dallas: Word Books Publisher, 1993 Plummer, Alfred. The Gospel According to St. Luke. The International Critical Commentary. New York: Edinburgh, 1951. Reiling, J., and J.L. Swellengrebel. A Translator’s Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. London: The United Bible Societies, 1971. Stein, Robert. Luke. The New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992. Thayer, Joseph H. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon Of The New Testament. Nashville: Baker Book House, 1979. Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Commentary. Vol 1, Matthew-Galatians. Wheaton: Victor Books, 1992.

15

THE HARVEST HAS NOT CHANGED-GO OUT TWO BY TWO BEFORE HIS FACE INTO EVERY CITY AND EVERY PLACE Luke 10:1-7

A Term Paper Presented to Professor David Beck in partial fulfillment of the requirements for NTS 5110B New Testament Intro: Jesus and the Gospels

John Sanders Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Thursday, October 30 2008