November 2, 2008

Bible Study, Chapter 10

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Chapter 10 of Luke includes one of the most well known short stories of all time: The Good Samaritan. You’ll learn something about the kind of people Jesus expects us to be in this chapter.

Read through chapter 10 and then peruse the appropriate verses as you study each section.

Verses 1 – 24

This is the second time we know of that Jesus sent his followers on a mission. The first occasion was in chapter 9 and that time only the 12 apostles were sent. This time, Jesus commissions and sends 72 of his followers. On this occasion, we’re told that Jesus sent them ‘on ahead’ (v. 1). We were told in 9:51 that Jesus was now on a ‘resolute’ journey (his last) to Jerusalem where he knew his death would occur. Therefore, these teams have been sent ahead to kind of infiltrate the towns & villages through which he will pass on this final journey. This is typical of the way God operates. God is always very careful to provide plenty of warning, and lots of time to prepare, when He is about to do some grand act.

- Imagine that you are one of the 72 being sent. Read through verses 1-16 several times. Each time you read these instructions from Jesus, imagine that you are taking notes about what it is you are expected to do on this mission. Write down every piece of instruction you can find. Try hard to catch every little hint and every bit of advice Jesus gives you.

- You should know that Jesus is sending you on this mission not only so that other people get helped, but also so that you can learn how to do Jesus’ ministry when he is gone. So, take a look at the list you made about Jesus instructions to you. What things do you think Jesus wants you to learn?

- Are there any things that Jesus wanted you to learn that are still important for you today?

- In verses 17-24 you can read about Jesus’ response to this mission. Summarize what Jesus says, and how he feels, about the results of this mission.

Verses 25 – 37

The story of the Good Samaritan is one of the most well known stories from the Bible. Take note of the circumstances of the telling of this story. A ‘religious lawyer’ (an expert in the Jewish religious law) was attempting to gain a reputation by testing—and hopefully confusing—Jesus. It will probably help you here and elsewhere to have a basic understanding of the Jewish Law. In the Old Testament you read about how God formed the Jewish people. (This is the story that is told from Genesis through Deuteronomy.) When God saved the Jewish slaves from their Egyptian bondage, he brought them to Mt. Sinai where he entered into a covenant relationship with them. God promised to be their God if they (the Jews) promised to be faithful to Him. As part of this covenant, God gave the Jews laws that they were expected to obey, starting with the 10 Commandments. In total, there were about 613 laws that were intended to guide the Jews in every area of life. This is a remarkably simple law code when you consider that just our tax laws alone number in the 1000’s! This law code was often called the “Law of Moses.” Over many years, the Jewish people added to and greatly expanded this law code. When the Bible speaks of the ‘law’ it is generally referring to only the original law that is included in the Old Testament. However, it can sometimes be quite confusing because the typical Jewish ‘religious lawyer’ did not differentiate between the law that was in the Bible and those thousands of man-made laws that were added. This is the cause of so much trouble between Jesus and the religious leaders. Jesus clearly indicated that he intended to fully obey God’s law but that the man-made additions were just that: man-made and often faulty. Now, any religious legal scholar knew very well that the whole law code in the Bible could be summarized in 2 simple statements: Love God and love others. (See verse 27.) In fact, it was understood that every law in the Bible was an explanation about how to love God, love others, or both! Your Bible might have footnotes showing that this religious legal scholar was quoting from the Old Testament law in Deuteronomy and Leviticus.

- Obviously, this religious legal scholar knew the law. Verse 29 says that this man wanted to ‘justify his actions’ so he asked the question about the neighbor. What do you think that means… ‘he wanted to justify his actions?’

- Please remember the background to this story: This scholar has quoted the law, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Then, he asks, “And who is my neighbor?” In other words, he is asking, “Who am I required to love?” Why do you think someone would ask that question? Now, with that in mind, read through the story of the Good Samaritan in verses 30-37.

- You will need to understand that Samaritans were ‘racial cousins’ of the Jews. However, the Jews and the Samaritans had hated each other for centuries. Therefore, it would have been an embarrassing thing for this Jewish religious scholar to hear a story in which a Samaritan helps out a Jew and is the hero of Jesus’ story. Why do you think Jesus told this story with a Samaritan as the hero? What does it add to the story that two Jewish religious leaders walked by the beaten man and only a despised non-Jew stops to help? (Keep in mind that it is a Jewish religious leader who is debating Jesus here!)

- Remember, the religious legal scholar has asked, “Who is my neighbor?” However, Jesus answers that question in a very unusual way. In verse 36 Jesus forces the man to answer the question, “Who acted like a neighbor?” Why do you think Jesus answered the man’s question by forcing him to answer another question?

- When Jesus concludes the story by saying, “Go and do the same,” what is he telling this man to do? Therefore, if you go back to the man’s original question (“Who is my neighbor?”), what do you think is the answer to that question?

- What do you learn about loving God and loving others in this story?

Verses 38 – 42

Mary and Martha were very good friends of Jesus. They also had a brother named Lazarus who once had a “life-changing” experience with Jesus! (See John 11 if you’d like to take a peak at what happened.) It is interesting that Luke follows the story of the Good Samaritan with a very different story. The message of the Good Samaritan could be summarized, “Go and do.” Now, this story could be summarized, “Sit and listen.”

- There is a book of Wisdom in our Bibles named Ecclesiastes in which there is a beautiful section that talks about a “time for everything.” You might find it interesting to find and read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. Do you think it is safe to say that there is a time to “Sit and listen” and a time to “Go and do?”

- What is it that you gain when you take time to “Sit and listen?”
- What is it that you gain when you “Go and do?”

- Do you think that you are generally stronger in one of these 2 areas? Which one needs some attention from you right now? What are you going to do about it?

Summary

What are some of the big ideas you’ve learned in chapter 10?

In light of what you’ve learned, is there any God-business you need to take care of in the immediate future?