1. What stood out to me from this chapter?
Luke 9 and 10 talk a lot about the costs of discipleship and Jesus teaching the disciples. When I think of the word, discipleship, I think it could most simply be described as following Jesus. Not just literally walking around with human Jesus, but letting Jesus lead you in every facet of your life. Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship and that sometimes we are called to give up things we thought we would have or want, or do things that are out of our comfort zone. He tells us to give up ties to our worldly possessions and trust that God will provide for our needs. He encourages the disciples to pray for God to send workers into the harvest field. One of my favorite shirts I own has the words, "Following Jesus" on it, and I love the simplicity of it.
2. How does this relate to any other Scripture I know?
The last few verses of chapter 10 talk about Mary and Martha. In this instance, Mary is committed to being with Jesus, while Martha is distracted by the chores and preparations. So often, Martha gets sort of a bad reputation as being a busy-body. But there is another place where we see both Mary and Martha together. In John 11, Mary and Martha's brother Lazarus has just died, and in a conversation with Jesus, Martha is the first to declare that Jesus would receive whatever he asked of God. She stated her faith in the resurrection. And she declared that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. So Martha really is a woman of incredible faith, despite a temptation towards being just plain busy.
3. What does this mean for my life?
The parable of the Good Samaritan really struck me as I read it this time. The question is asked of Jesus, "Who is my neighbor," hoping to narrow it down and love in the most minimal way. But Jesus "answers his question", I suppose, by saying that instead of figuring out who our neighbor is, we should instead invest our energy into being a good neighbor to others.
4. What questions do I have about this passage?
I wonder if James and John thought they could call down fire from heaven to destroy Samaria. It's ironic that even though they had a strong pull against the Samaritans, Jesus rebukes them and tells a parable where the Samaritan is the hero.
Those are my thoughts for this chapter. I'd love to hear yours. God's blessings to you and KEEP DIGGING IN!
In Christ,
Dan
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I wonder about chapter 10 verse 6. What does it mean that the blessing will fall back on the disciples if the home they bless is not worthy? What constitutes an unworthy home?
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