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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadMatthew Poole Commentary - Luke 10:1 - 10:1
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LUKE CHAPTER 10
Luk_10:1-12 Christ sendeth out the seventy disciples to work
miracles and to preach.
Luk_10:13-16 He pronounces a woe against Chorazin, Bethsaida, and
Capernaum.
Luk_10:17-20 The seventy return with joy; Christ showeth them
wherein to rejoice.
Luk_10:21,22 He thanks his Father for having revealed his gospel
to the simple only.
Luk_10:23,24 He showeth the blessedness of those that were called
into his church.
Luk_10:25-37 He teacheth a lawyer how to attain eternal life; and
by the parable of the good Samaritan showeth whom we
are to consider as our neighbour.
Luk_10:38-42 He commendeth Mary’s attention to his doctrine in
preference to Martha’s busy care to entertain him.
We heard before of Christ’s first electing, then sending out, twelve, Luk_6:13-16 9:1-6; and we heard of their return, and giving an account of their trust to their Lord, Luk_10:10. What their particular account was we no where read, but it was such as our Saviour judged the harvest too great for the hands of the labourers. He therefore now resolves to send out seventy more. The names of these we have not in the evangelist, only that Christ sent them out, and that he sent them
two and two, which might be for their better mutual assistance of each other, and also for their mutual testimony one for another. When God sent out the first conductors, and governors of his people, he sent two, Moses and Aaron. John Baptist sent two of his disciples to Christ. Christ sent two of his disciples to prepare the passover, Luk_22:8. There seemeth to be nothing mysterious in this. Man is a sociable creature, and it is not good for him to be alone. We cannot determine that our Saviour had any regard to the numbers of twelve and seventy; though it is certain that both those numbers amongst the Jews seem to have had a more than ordinary character, twelve being the number of the tribes of Israel, according to the promise, Gen_17:20 49:28; at Elim they found twelve wells of water, Exo_15:27; according to the number of the tribes were the twelve pillars, Exo_24:4, and the twelve stones in the breastplate of judgment, Exo_28:21; and the number of the cakes for the shew bread was to be twelve, Lev_24:5. The princes of Israel were twelve, Num_1:44; and twelve men were sent to spy out the land of Canaan, Deu_1:23. So we shall observe that in a multitude of things they kept to the number of twelve: John in his description of the new Jerusalem, which he saw in his vision, says, it had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates were the names of the twelve tribes, Rev_21:12. And the wall had twelve foundations, &c., Luk_10:14. And for the number of seventy: Jacob’s family, when they went down into Egypt, were seventy souls, Gen_46:27; they mourned for Jacob seventy days, Gen_50:3; at Elim they met with seventy palm trees, Num_33:9; the posterity of Jacob was in Babylon seventy years. The Jewish sanhedrim, or great court chosen upon the advice of Jethro, is said to have consisted first of seventy, then of seventy-two persons. So as the numbers of twelve and seventy seem to have been numbers to which the Jews had some respect. Whether our Saviour, in the choice of those whom he first sent to preach the gospel, had any respect or not to the Jewish value for those numbers, or designed by it to show them, that he was about to set up a new kingdom and government, which, though differing from what they had exercised formerly, yet in some little things should have some conformity to them, we cannot determine. We shall find the same powers and authority given to these seventy as to the twelve, and the same instructions: how some come to imagine a difference of order betwixt them I cannot tell; no such thing appeareth from the instructions given the one or the other upon their first sending out.