41. Martha, Martha—emphatically redoubling upon the name. careful and cumbered—the one word expressing the inward worrying anxiety that her preparations should be worthy of her Lord; the other, the outward bustle of those preparations. many things—"much service" (Luke 10:40); too elaborate preparation, which so engrossed her attention that she missed her Lord's teaching. read more
The lawyer’s question and Jesus’ answer 10:25-29The incident that Mark recorded in Mark 12:28-34 is quite similar to this one, but the differences in the accounts point to two separate situations. In view of the question at stake it is easy to see how people might have asked it of Jesus many different times. Furthermore this particular question was of great concern to the scribes, who studied the law professionally. The fact that the Holy Spirit recorded the same lesson twice in Scripture is a... read more
1. The relation of disciples to their neighbors 10:25-37The question that a lawyer put to Jesus provided the opportunity for this lesson. Jesus answered it but then followed up His answer with a parable that was the climax of His teaching on the subject. The parable amplified the second great commandment (Luke 10:27). The teaching that followed the parable (Luke 10:38 to Luke 11:13), while not addressed to the lawyer, expounded the first great commandment (Luke 10:27). The present section also... read more
The lawyer realized that the only way he could possibly fulfill the law’s demand was to limit its demand. He should have acknowledged his inability to keep these commands and asked Jesus what He should do. Instead he tried to "justify" himself (i.e., to declare himself righteous) by limiting (redefining) the demand of the law and then showing that he had fulfilled that limited demand.His question set up a distinction between neighbors and non-neighbors. The word "neighbor" (Gr. plesion) means... read more
The man in view may have been a real person and the incident Jesus described could have really happened. Yet the fact that Jesus told this story as He did, similar to other parables, has led most students of the passage to conclude that He invented it to teach a lesson.Jesus left the man’s race and occupation unspecified, though His hearers would have assumed that he was a Jew. The 17-mile desert road that descended about 3,300 feet from Jerusalem to Jericho was treacherous, winding, and a... read more
The parable of the good Samaritan 10:30-37Jesus told this parable to correct the lawyer’s false understanding of who his neighbor was and to clarify his duty to his neighbor. read more
Jesus described the priest as happening to take the journey that brought him into contact with the unfortunate victim. This fact in no way excused the priest’s failure to show love, but it may suggest that from the priest’s viewpoint his discovery was accidental. Jesus simply recorded the priest’s unloving act without complicating the story with his motivation. For whatever reason, and the reason is unimportant, the priest failed to act in love even though common courtesy demanded that he stop... read more
The Levite repeated the priest’s act. He was a less likely person to offer help since his duty, assuming he fulfilled it, involved just assisting the priests in the mundane affairs involved in worship. By omitting his motives Jesus again focused attention on the man’s unloving act. read more
The Samaritan was the least likely of the three travelers to offer help, yet he did so (cf. Luke 9:52). By placing "Samaritan" in the emphatic first position in the Greek sentence Jesus stressed the contrast between him and the other two travelers. The compassion that he felt overcame his racial prejudice against Jews. Jesus explained his attitude but not his other motives that were again irrelevant. The Samaritan’s compassion contrasts with the callousness of the priest and the Levite toward... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Luke 10:40
40. cumbered—"distracted." came to him—"presented herself before Him," as from another apartment, in which her sister had "left her to serve (or make preparation) alone." carest thou not . . . my sister, c.—"Lord, here am I with everything to do, and this sister of mine will not lay a hand to anything thus I miss something from Thy lips, and Thou from our hands." bid her, &c.—She presumes not to stop Christ's teaching by calling her sister away, and thus leaving Him without His one auditor,... read more