v1: The disciples had been prepared by Christ's example (ch 8), by Christ's teaching (ch 9); now they are sent out, by Christ's command. The servant of the Lord is one appointed by the Lord.

There is a strategy and organisation here, but Christian service is not just human strategy.

v2: The work is great, the labourers are few; therefore pray! The Lord's command has not changed!

v3: The work is potentially hard; enemies and dangers are common. One pack of wolves can decimate a flock of sheep, so lambs sent amongst wolves are extremely vulnerable. The Lord did not understate the problems His disciples would face. The promise is clear; the work is difficult.

v4: Trusting God to meet our needs, and setting our face to see the work completed, even as Christ set His face to go to Jerusalem.

v5-8: The servant was to be supported by a "man of peace", someone at least sympathetic with the work. In practice, this meant a place to stay, and food to eat.

Verse 7 is quoted in 1 Tim 5.17, giving the gospel a date before 60 A.D. It is quoted with equal authority with O.T. scriptures. It seems clear that the early church soon had copies of at least one gospel. It may have been that Paul, who was accompanied by Luke, distributed copies of this gospel.

v9: The message of the kingdom (see 9.2), accompanied by signs and miracles. The call is clear; accept the message for blessing, reject the message for judgment.

v10-12: Some towns would reject the message and the messengers. They would be cursed. Even the presence of a disciple of Christ will be crucial. His authority and power was delegated to His disciples; they were appointed to do His work.

v13-15: Some towns had already rejected Christ, and He would not return there. They were already condemned. When the disciples met similar unbelief the precedent had been set, see also 9.5. They need not worry about the command to wipe off the dust from their feet, for Christ had already done that.

The phrase "more bearable" (Matt 11.20-24) indicates that there is a fairness in God's judgment. Whatever suffering that would follow would be restrained for Tyre and Sidon compared to that for the towns in which Christ had preached and healed. These towns had seen a greater light, but had still rejected.

v16: The disciple was Christ's representative, having authority and power. Any rejection need therefore not be taken as a personal attack, but as a rejection of Christ Himself.

v17: The seventy two returned with joy. They had seen victory over demons, see 9.1, contrast Matt 17.19-21. Christ's power was demonstrated through His disciples. This experience continued in Acts. 'Jesus viewed the triumph of these seventy-two as being symptomatic of ever so many victories over Satan through the course of the new dispensation.' (David Devenish, Demolishing Strongholds)

v18-19: Christ's victory was shared by His disciples. His words here may be His explanation of their work; they only partly understood what they were doing. His words here give greater confidence in Him; Matt 10.28-31, we need not fear whatever the enemy and his work against us.

'Jesus viewed the triumph of these seventy-two as being symptomatic of ever so many victories over Satan through the course of the new dispensation; triumphs accomplished through the works of thousands of other missionaries. He was looking far ino the future. He saw the ultimate discomfiture of the ugly dragon and all his minions.' (William Hendrikson, New Testament Commentary, quoted in Demolishing Strongholds ,by David Devenish.)

v20: We are right to rejoice when we see encouragement and fruit for our labour. But we must be careful, lest, in pride, we attribute such 'success' to our personal godliness or wisdom. Our joy must be in Christ, who has raised us into the Heavenly places. 'in other words, they were to rejoice in the work of God's grace in saving them , rather than in anything they themselves had achieved in terms of warfare victory.' (David Devenish, Demolishing Strongholds)

v21: Jesus expressed His own joy;

declaring the pleasure of the Godhead;

seeing the power of God manifested on earth;

we share in His joy. We can enter the joy of the Lord (Matt 25.1, 23 RAV).

God's ways are not our ways. He reveals wonderful spiritual truths to infants, hiding them from those who claim human wisdom.

v22: Jesus Christ was God's only Son. We can only know the Father through the Son. The Father had committed all things into His Son's hands.

v23-24: Special privileges were enjoyed by the Twelve; things which prophets and kings did not see, and which angels desire to look into. They were the "little children" of v21. Jesus' words here are not grounds for pride, but for gratitude at His grace in revealing Himself to them.

v25: The lawyer came with the wrong attitude; he came to test Jesus, and wanting to justify himself (v29). The Lord sees all, and in particular, the attitude behind the question.

v26: The lawyer would have known much of the Law, and Jesus referred him back to it. Jesus' words here followed normal Jewish practice.

v27: The quotation here was the standard Jewish summary of the law. See Matt 22.34-40, where Jesus quotes the same. On these things hang all the law and the prophets. But Jesus came to reveal something more.

v28: Jesus quoted Lev 18.15, where God promised life to those who kept the law.

Yet the deeper purpose of the law is to expose sins; its standard is so high, and once we see that we cannot fulfil its demands, we flee to God for His mercy.

v29: "Who is my neighbour?" The unspiritual man hopes for a narrow answer. The spiritual man realises that anyone in need is a neighbour; and therefore we are commanded to show mercy, even at personal cost. This includes showing kindness to others, Heb 13.2. It is wrong to withhold good from others, Prov 3.27; James 4.17. Such service is no less part of Christian service than evangelism and worship.

v30: The incident about a certain man. This was likely to have been a real event, perhaps something recent, and not just a story. It is different from other parables in that its lesson lies not in symbols, but in examples.

v31-32: The priest and Levite, men of religion, knowing doctrine, and having some devotion for God. But their religion was lacking the practical concern, which was demonstrated by the Samaritan. Like the lawyer himself, their religion was deficient.

v33-35: The Samaritan had compassion, a real concern. He had no thought for his own safety, nor of recompense or reward (Philm 18). He points us to Christ, who gave Himself for the eternal good of others. He came where we are, and had pity on us.

It may be said that Jesus does not condemn all Levites and priests, nor condone as compassionate all Samaritans. The characters in the parable illustrate His main point, that of our duty to our neighbour.

William Booth comments: "The man who went down to Jericho and fell among thieves was probably a very improvident, reckless individual, who ought to have known better than to go roaming alone through defiles haunted by bandits, whom he even led into temptation by the careless way in which he exposed himself and his goods to their avaricious gaze. It was, no doubt, largely his own fault that he lay there bruised and senseless and ready to perish, just as it is largely the fault of those whom we seek to help that they lie in the helpless plight in which we find them. But for all that, let us bind up their wounds with such balm as we procure." (In Darkest England, p271)

v36-37: The answer to Jesus' question was obvious, and the lawyer could not miss it. However, the application was the challenge. He had wanted to avoid such responsibility; Jesus said, 'If you want to truly keep the law, you must do more than you are doing.'

v38-42: An incident placed carefully after the Good Samaritan to provide balance:

• we must not neglect personal devotion in favour of practical works;
• we must not regard practical works as the sole proof of salvation;
• the uncaring devotion of some does not infer that all devotion is essentially selfish or self-centred.

Thus there is a necessary balance between worship of God and service of others. The good part, what is "better" is to sit at Jesus' feet and learn from Him.

Notice also the healthy relationships of single men and women. Here is sensitivity and emotion and interaction.within genuine and close relationships.