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Daily Scripture: Luke 10:1 Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him[a] into every city and place, where he was about to come. 2 Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way. 5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house. 8 Into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are therein, and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ 10 But into whatever city you enter, and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. 15 You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.[b] 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”
18 He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 In that same hour Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”
22 Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”
23 Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.”
25 Behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind;[c] and your neighbor as yourself.”[d]
28 He said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this, and you will live.”
29 But he, desiring to justify himself, asked Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?”
30 Jesus answered, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who both stripped him and beat him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 By chance a certain priest was going down that way. When he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 In the same way a Levite also, when he came to the place, and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came where he was. When he saw him, he was moved with compassion, 34 came to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the host, and said to him, ‘Take care of him. Whatever you spend beyond that, I will repay you when I return.’ 36 Now which of these three do you think seemed to be a neighbor to him who fell among the robbers?”
37 He said, “He who showed mercy on him.”
Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
38 As they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her therefore to help me.”
41 Jesus answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
Footnotes:
a. Luke 10:1 literally, “before his face”
b. Luke 10:15 Hades is the lower realm of the dead, or Hell.
c. Luke 10:27 Deuteronomy 6:5
d. Luke 10:27 Leviticus 19:18
Reflection Questions:
After choosing the Twelve, Jesus laid out his "platform," to use a modern political analogy. These are the principles of life in his Kingdom. Luke used much (but not all) of the material from "The Sermon on the Mount" (cf. Matthew 5-7) in this passage. That is not a conflict, however—most scholars believe these ideas were likely the core of most of Jesus' sermons as he proclaimed "the good news of the Kingdom of God" (Luke 4:43).
•Jesus spoke here about "status inversion." Like Mary's song in Luke 1:46-55, this sermon offered God's favor and comfort to people we typically see as unfortunate, while warning those we see as particularly elevated. For us, in a rich community in the richest country on earth, Jesus' words can be disturbing. Which parts of his sermon most challenge our culture's wisdom on how to "succeed"? Which of Jesus' promises in this sermon mean the most to you?
•From Francis of Assisi to his namesake Pope Francis, from Martin Luther King, Jr. to Mother Teresa, many Christ followers have stood with the poor and oppressed. In The Message, Luke 6:46 says, "Why are you…always saying 'Yes, sir,' and 'That's right, sir,' but never doing a thing I tell you? These….are words to build a life on." How are you building your life on Jesus' values, as so many of his followers through the centuries have done?
Today's Prayer:
Lord God, I want to build a life with you that can stand firm no matter how fierce life's storms become. Guide me as I seek to put your words into practice daily. Amen.
Insight from Shawn Simpson
Shawn Simpson serves as the Director of Technical Arts and Operations at The Church of the Resurrection’s West campus in Olathe, KS.
I read the accounts of Jesus telling people the basic tenets of his ministry, and I’m struck by how often I hear this same stuff (paraphrased, of course) when we’re trying to teach our own children. It’s astounding to me how profound a few verses from Luke can be, and how apparent it is that God, through Jesus, saw us as his children. These are lessons to live by, not just good suggestions to help us get along.
One phrase that always stands out to me is the one about the speck of dust versus the plank in your eye. The Message translation uses the term a smudge on your brother’s face that you want to clean while you have a disgusted sneer on your own. How can you fixate on their smudge while you have such an ugly look on your own face?
Many years ago I had a coach who said, “Breaking that guy’s leg won’t make you any faster.” That’s always stuck with me and made me TRY to always get better myself rather than tearing someone else down. Granted, it took a few years before that lesson sank in. It was only really clear when I was faced with people so gifted in their craft that I would never WANT to tear it down. Seeing someone performing with such beautiful, masterful artistry is awesome, in the classical sense. Destroying their ability would not give me that gift.
Now I find myself, as a father, dealing with the angst of an adolescent son who is fiercely competitive, but also insanely tenderhearted. He has a serious internal conflict in every game he plays because he wants to see everyone around him doing well and being happy, but he also loves to see his name at or near the top of the stats sheet. I can relate, because the Proud Dad in me feels the same way. I have to remind myself that he may not have a career in professional sports in his future, but there is always a place for a good man who cares more about everyone else than his own success; with the ambition to succeed and the desire to take everyone else with him.
It’s difficult to grasp that the wealth we achieve in our daily lives is of very little value in God’s eyes, yet we continue to work diligently toward it. For me, it’s about motive and intent. There are worldly comforts I enjoy and work hard for, but those things are not the goal of my work. My goal is to provide a foundation for my boys to grow, where they can always amaze me with their hearts and minds, while pursuing God and seeking to be servants to God’s kingdom.
"Words To Build A Life On by Mike Crawford
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine
Blessed are the poor
Blessed are the weak
Blessed are the ones
Who can barely speak
Blessed in your hurt
Blessed in your pain
Blessed when your teardrops
Are falling down like rain
Blessed when you’re broken
Blessed when you’re blind
Blessed when you’re fragile
When you have lost your mind
Blessed when you’re desperate
Blessed when you’re scared
Blessed when you’re lonely
Blessed when you’ve failed
Blessed when you’re beat up
Blessed when you’re bruised
Blessed when you’re tore down
Blessed when you’re used
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine
Blessed when you’re heartbroke
Blessed when you’re fired
Blessed when you’re choked up
Blessed when you’re tired
Blessed when the plans
That you so carefully laid
End up in the junkyard
With all the trash you made
Blessed when you feel like
Giving up the ghost
Blessed when your loved ones
Are the ones who hurt you most
Blessed when you lose your
Own identity
Then blessed when you find it
And it has been redeemed
Blessed when you see what
Your friends can never be
Blessed with your eyes closed
Then Blessed you see Me
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine
Blessed when you’re hungry
Blessed when you thirst
Cause that’s when you will eat of
The bread that matters most
Blessed when you’re put down
Because of me you’re dissed
Because of me you’re kicked out
They take you off their list
You know you’re on the mark
You know you’ve got it right
You are to be my salt
You are to be my light
So bring out all the flavour
In the feast of this My world
And light up all the colours
Let the banners be unfurled
Shout it from the rooftops
Let the trumpets ring
Sing your freaking lungs out
Tell them Jesus Christ is King!
Jesus is my Saviour
Jesus is divine
Jesus is my answer
Jesus is my life
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words how can they be mine
These are words to build a life on
These are Your words I want them to be mine
Give us ears that we may hear them
voice that we may sing them
life that we may live them
hope that we may give them
hearts that we can feel them
eyes that we can see them
thoughts that we may think them
tongues that we may speak Your words
Your words
These are Your words
I want them to be mine
Be mine
Be mine
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