Luke 10

Jesus sent out the Seventy, with similar instructions as He did previously with the Twelve.  “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field." (vs 2)   They were to expect that some will receive but others will reject.  But, Jesus summarized saying “Whoever listens to you listens to Me; whoever rejects you rejects Me; but whoever rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.” (vs 16).  When the Seventy returned, they were joyful with the added unexpected authority they experienced over demons; but Jesus warned them to rejoice more in their salvation (what God has done for them) rather than in what they were able to do, with a reminder of Satan's fall, which was caused by pride. 

As Jesus rejoiced over those whose "names are written in heaven", He once again exemplified prayer by breaking out in a prayer of thanksgiving and praise. 

The parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates what Jesus was just telling His disciples, that they were blessed because of what God has revealed to them.   In contrast, the expert of the law did not recognize that he fell short of keeping the whole Law, which is summarized by the two greatest commandments:  'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'  (vs 27).  Through the parable, Jesus also showed that rather than asking "who is my neighbor?", we should be asking how we can be a neighbor to others through showing love and compassion.

From the visit with Martha and Mary, we are reminded that the most important priority is to sit at the Lord's feet and listen; for, even serving can become a distraction when we let it worry and upset us.

The parable of the Good Samaritan and the story of Martha and Mary are two of those passages in the Gospels that are so familiar to us that it is easy to just pull from what we have already know about them.   But, what was new to me this time in studying these, I was able to see the connection to what Jesus had just prayed and talked to His disciples about - that there are some things hidden to the "learned" but revealed to "little children", representing the humble as mentioned in the last chapter.  I also did not fully realize that the expert in the Law missed the point that he fell short; and that Jesus gave a different perspective by focusing on our responsibility to show love and compassion to others.  Then, with the story of Martha and Mary, it is really a matter of priorities, and not letting distractions get in the way of what's most important, which was to LOVE GOD.