The Gospel According to Luke (NAS)

Summary: In this chapter, Jesus significantly expands the missionary workforce. This “second wave” of messengers—sent out like a herald’s advance team—must navigate the tension between the hospitality of “sons of peace” and the hostility of “wolves,” all while carrying the urgent news that the Kingdom is now within arm’s reach. The outward success of the disciples’ mission leads to an inward moment of divine celebration. Jesus connects their authority over evil to a cosmic victory, yet redirects their joy toward their citizenship in heaven. This atmosphere of revelation then transitions into a sharp legal dialogue that sets the stage for one of history’s most famous parables. In response to the legal expert’s attempt to narrow the definition of “neighbor,” Jesus tells a story that moves the conversation from legal theory to the visceral reality of human suffering. He subverts the social and religious expectations of His audience by making a hated outsider the hero of the narrative. Finally, Luke provides a domestic counterpart to the Parable of the Good Samaritan. While the previous story emphasized “doing” mercy, this encounter explores the necessity of “listening” to the Word. It features a rare moment where Jesus redefines traditional social expectations for women in the household.

“Appointed” (anedeixen): This verb often carries the nuance of a public commission or a formal designation for office. It’s the same word used for “appointing” a successor or an official.

“Thrust out” (ekbalē): Often translated “send out,” this is actually the same verb used for “casting out” demons. It implies a forceful, urgent expulsion. The harvest is so ripe that laborers must be “pushed” into the field.

“Money-bag” (ballantion): This refers specifically to a purse for coins. Coupled with the lack of extra sandals (hypodēmata), Jesus is stripping the messengers of all financial and physical backup to ensure total reliance on God’s providence.

“Do not greet anyone along the road” (v. 4): This isn’t a command to be rude. In the ancient Near East, greetings were long, formal social rituals involving significant time. Jesus is emphasizing the extreme urgency of the mission—there is no time for “small talk” on the way to the harvest.

“Son of peace” (huios eirēnēs): A Semitic idiom referring to a person whose character is defined by peace or who is receptive to the message of peace.

“Rest upon” (epanapaēsetai): A beautiful verb meaning to “settle” or “rest upon.” If the recipient is ready, the blessing “lands” on them; if not, it “turns back” (anakampsei) to the sender like a boomerang.

“Wide streets” (plateias): This refers to the main thoroughfares or public squares. The rejection of the message is to be as public as the offer of peace was.

“Wipe off” (apomassometha): This is a vivid, physical verb. They aren’t just “shaking” the dust; they are “wiping it away” as a clean break and a testimony of the city’s self-exclusion from the Kingdom.

“Miracles” (dynameis): Literally “powers.” Jesus points out that the cities of Galilee have seen “power” that even the notoriously pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon never witnessed.

“Rejects” (athetōn): This means to set aside, nullify, or treat as invalid. To reject the messenger is to treat the King who sent them as irrelevant.

“Are subject to us” (hypotassetai hēmin): This is a military term for being placed in a rank beneath someone. The disciples are shocked to find that the demonic hierarchy recognizes the authority of the “Name.”

“I was watching” (etheōroun): This is in the imperfect tense, suggesting a continuous vision. As the disciples were working on earth, Jesus was perceiving the simultaneous collapse of Satan’s power in the spiritual realm.

“Exulted” (ēgalliasato): This is a much stronger word than “rejoice.” It refers to demonstrative, leaping joy. Luke highlights that this joy is specifically anchored “in the Holy Spirit.”

“I praise You” (exomologoumai soi): While often translated “thank,” this word carries the sense of public acknowledgment or “confessing out loud” the greatness of God.

“Infants” (nēpiois): This refers to those who are literally “non-speakers” or very young children. Jesus contrasts the “wise” (the self-reliant intellectuals) with those who have the simple, receptive dependency of a toddler.

“Expert in the law” (nomikos): This wasn’t a lawyer in the modern sense, but a theologian specialized in the Mosaic Law. His “standing up” was a formal move to initiate a rabbinic debate.

“To test Him” (ekpeirazōn): This is the same root used for the temptations of Jesus in the wilderness. It suggests a hostile or trap-setting intent rather than a sincere inquiry.

“How do you read it?” (v. 26): Jesus responds like a master teacher. He doesn’t just ask “what” the law says, but “how” the expert interprets it.

“To justify himself” (dikaiōsai heauton): The expert realizes that “loving your neighbor” is an impossibly broad command if “neighbor” means everyone. He asks “Who is my neighbor?” to create a legal boundary or “loophole” that would limit his responsibility.

“Took up the question” (hypolabōn): This is a specific verb meaning to “take up” or “catch up” a conversation. It implies that Jesus isn’t just starting a story, but is directly engaging with the expert’s legal challenge to dismantle it.

“Going down” (katebainen): This is geographically accurate. Jerusalem is about 2,500 feet above sea level, while Jericho is near the Dead Sea at about 800 feet below sea level. It was a steep, winding, and notoriously dangerous road known as the “Pass of Blood” because of the frequency of robberies.

“Half-dead” (hēmithanē): This is a rare word that emphasizes the ambiguity of the situation. To a priest or Levite concerned with ritual purity, a “half-dead” man was a legal gamble—touching a corpse would disqualify them from their temple duties for a week.

“By chance” (kata synkyrian): This is the only time this phrase appears in the New Testament. It suggests a “coincidence” or a “happening upon,” setting the stage for a test of character rather than a planned religious duty.

“Passed by on the opposite side” (antiparēlthen): A compound verb found only in this parable (v. 31, 32). The prefix anti- (against/opposite) plus para- (beside) suggests a deliberate choice to move to the other side of the road to avoid contact.

“Moved with deep compassion” (esplanchnisthē): As we saw in the healing at Nain (7:13), this is the strongest Greek word for mercy. The Samaritan’s reaction is not one of duty, but a gut-level emotional response.

“His own animal” (idion ktēnos): By putting the victim on his own beast of burden, the Samaritan had to walk. This detail highlights the personal inconvenience and physical labor involved in his mercy.

“Two denarii” (dyo dēnalia): A denarius was roughly a day’s wage for a laborer. This was enough to cover room and board for the injured man for several weeks, showing the Samaritan’s commitment to the man’s full recovery, not just his survival.

“Became a neighbor” (plēsion gegonenai): Notice the shift in Jesus’ question in verse 36. The legal expert asked, “Who is my neighbor?” (who is the object of my duty?). Jesus asks, “Who became a neighbor?” (who acted as the subject of love?).

“The one who showed mercy”: The expert in the law is so repulsed by Samaritans that he cannot even bring himself to say the word “Samaritan.” He refers to him by his actions instead.

“Welcomed Him” (hypedexato auton): This verb implies receiving someone as a guest with hospitality. In the context of the previous verses, Martha is acting as the “son of peace” who provides the “house” for the traveling King.

“Sat down at the Lord’s feet” (parakathestheisa pros tous podas): This is the technical posture of a disciple. In the first century, for a woman to assume this position was highly unusual, as formal study with a Rabbi was generally reserved for men. Jesus’ acceptance of her here is a radical validation of women as theological students.

“Kept listening” (ēkouen): This is in the imperfect tense, suggesting a continuous, focused action. While the kitchen was busy, Mary was in a state of sustained absorption in Jesus’ teaching.

“Was being pulled away” (periespato): This is a vivid Greek word. It literally means to be “dragged around” or “distracted.” It depicts Martha not just as busy, but as mentally fragmented, her attention being pulled in different directions by the demands of hospitality.

“Much serving” (pollēn diakonian): Ironically, Martha is doing exactly what Jesus praised earlier—diakonia (service/ministry). The issue Jesus addresses is not her work, but the anxiety that has accompanied it.

“Stepped up to Him” (epistasa): This verb often implies a sudden appearance or even a “bursting in.” It captures Martha’s frustration as she interrupts the teaching session to voice her complaint.

“Give me a hand” (synantilabētai): A wonderful, bulky compound verb. It means “to take hold of something with someone else on the other side.” She is asking for a partner to share the physical weight of the chores.

“Troubled” (thorybazē): This word is related to thorybos (a noisy gathering or uproar). Martha’s internal state is like a “noisy crowd”; she is mentally “tossed about” by her to-do list.

“The good portion” (tēn agathēn merida): This uses dining language. In a multi-course meal, the meris was the choice portion or the “best dish.” Jesus tells Martha that while she is worried about many “dishes,” Mary has selected the only “portion” that has eternal nutritional value.