October 25 - Rejoicing in the Father’s Revelation
SCRIPTURE READING:
Luke 10
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 10
¹ After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.
² Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest.
³ Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.
⁴ Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way.
⁵ And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house.
⁶ And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again.
⁷ And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
⁸ And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
⁹ And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
¹⁰ But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say,
¹¹ Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
¹² But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.
¹³ Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
¹⁴ But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
¹⁵ And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.
¹⁶ He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.
¹⁷ And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.
¹⁸ And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
¹⁹ Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
²⁰ Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
²¹ In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight.
²² All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.
²³ And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see:
²⁴ For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
²⁵ And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?
²⁶ He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?
²⁷ And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
²⁸ And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
²⁹ But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
³⁰ And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.
³¹ And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.
³² And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
³³ But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
³⁴ And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
³⁵ And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
³⁶ Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?
³⁷ And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
³⁸ Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house.
³⁹ And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet, and heard his word.
⁴⁰ But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me.
⁴¹ And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:
⁴² But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.
DEVOTIONAL:
Luke 10 begins with mission. Jesus appoints seventy others and sends them ahead in pairs, teaching them to pray because the harvest is great and laborers are few. They go as lambs among wolves, dependent on hospitality, carrying peace and announcing that the kingdom of God has come near. Mission in this chapter is neither conquest nor self-promotion. It is vulnerable witness under the authority of the Lord of the harvest. The workers do not own the field or the message. They are sent into what belongs to God.
When the seventy return rejoicing that demons are subject through Jesus' name, Christ redirects their joy. Authority over evil is real, but the deeper ground of rejoicing is that their names are written in heaven. Ministry success is unstable as an identity. Seasons change, gifts differ, visible results vary, and human recognition disappears. Salvation is the steadier joy. Jesus Himself rejoices in the Spirit and praises the Father for revealing truth to the humble rather than making access to God a prize of self-important cleverness.
The lawyer's question about eternal life leads back to Torah: love God wholly and love your neighbor as yourself. Wanting to justify himself, the man asks for a definition of neighbor that might establish a manageable boundary. Jesus instead tells of a wounded traveler ignored by a priest and Levite but aided at cost by a Samaritan. The force of the story is not that Jewish religious service is inherently cold or that Samaritans are inherently virtuous. It is that neighbor-love is measured by mercy, and a culturally despised outsider becomes the example. The question shifts from identifying who qualifies as my neighbor to becoming a neighbor to the person in need.
The Samaritan's mercy is concrete. He approaches, treats wounds, transports the man, pays for care, and accepts further responsibility. Biblical compassion has costs in time, money, interruption, and proximity. Yet Luke immediately balances active service with the account of Martha and Mary. Martha is distracted by much serving while Mary sits at Jesus' feet and hears His word. Jesus does not despise service; the Good Samaritan story has just praised it. He corrects service that has become anxious, resentful, and detached from listening to Him.
These scenes belong together. The disciple is sent, but first belongs to God. The disciple serves neighbors, but service must be rooted in hearing Jesus. The disciple exercises authority, but rejoices more deeply in grace. Mission, mercy, and contemplation are not rival callings. A healthy Christian life receives identity from the Father, listens at the Son's feet, prays for the harvest, and then moves toward the wounded neighbor with practical love.
In daily life, In daily life, examine what gives you joy when ministry or work goes well. If recognition disappears, does your sense of worth disappear with it? Return to the deeper joy of belonging to God by grace. In your neighborhood, family, or workplace, identify one need you have been tempted to pass on the other side because helping would be inconvenient. Mercy may require a calendar change or financial cost. At the same time, do not let service become an excuse to neglect Scripture and prayer. Families need both the table set and the word heard. Churches need both organized care and people who know why they are serving.
In U.S. civic life, In U.S. civic life, the virtue arising from Luke 10 is active neighbor-love across social boundaries. Pray for communities to notice people who are injured, isolated, displaced, or easily ignored, and for local institutions to cooperate in practical care. Christians should show up in public life becoming neighbors through concrete mercy, including toward people from groups they might otherwise avoid or distrust.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Why does Jesus redirect the missionaries' joy from spiritual power to their names being written in heaven?
How does the Good Samaritan transform the lawyer's attempt to limit the definition of neighbor?
What practical cost does genuine mercy require in the parable, and what might a similar cost look like for you?
How can you balance Martha-like service with Mary-like attention to Jesus without dismissing either one?
PRAYER:
ADORATION:
Lord of the harvest, we praise You for revealing the Father through the Son, writing the names of Your people in heaven, and sending servants into a world that needs mercy.
CONFESSION:
Forgive us for building identity on visible success, passing by inconvenient need, narrowing the word neighbor, and serving so anxiously that we stop listening to Jesus.
THANKSGIVING:
Thank You for salvation deeper than ministry results, for the privilege of sitting at Christ's feet, and for opportunities to become neighbors through practical mercy.
SUPPLICATION – GENERAL:
Send laborers into Your harvest. Make us peaceful witnesses, attentive hearers, and costly servants. Teach our homes and churches to combine prayer, Scripture, hospitality, and practical care.
SUPPLICATION – U.S. / CIVIC:
Open our eyes to neighbors who are wounded or isolated. Strengthen local networks of mercy, and make Christians willing to cross social boundaries with practical, respectful service.
SCRIPTURE:
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. — Luke 10:27