The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ – G094 The God Reveals to Little Children, The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G094 The God Reveals to Little Children,
The Parable of the Good Samaritan,
Martha and Mary
Luke 10:21-42

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Luke 10:21-42

21 In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to babes. Yes, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.”

22 And turning to His disciples He said, “All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.”

23 And turning to His disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see;

24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and they did not see them, and to hear what you hear, and they did not hear.”

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

27 So he answered and said, ” ‘You shall love the LORD your *God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’ ”

28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you shall live.”

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

30 Then Jesus answered and said: “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and encountered bandits, who after having stripped him of his clothing and having wounded him, departed, leaving him half dead.

31 Now by coincidence a certain priest was coming down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

32 Likewise a Levite, arriving at the place, came and saw, and passed by on the opposite side.

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came by him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.

34 And coming to him, he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and putting him on his own animal, he brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

35 On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, ‘Take care of him; and whatever you spend in addition, when I come back, I will repay you.’

36 So which of these three does it seem to you proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the bandits?”

37 And he said, “the one who showed mercy to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

38 Now it came to pass as they traveled, that He entered into a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And the woman had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and was listening to His word.

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

In this lesson, we continue studying the events that took place while the Lord Jesus was on His way from Galilee back to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Tabernacles.

When the seventy disciples, whom the Lord Jesus had sent ahead of Him to preach the Gospel in the towns and villages He would pass through, returned to Him, it is likely that the Lord and the disciples had arrived near the village of Bethany.

Luke 10:21-22

After hearing the seventy disciples report on their ministry, the Lord Jesus spoke words of encouragement to them. At that very moment, there was joy in His spirit.

The joy of the spiritual body, which is the spirit, differs from the joy of the physical body, which is the flesh. The joy of the flesh occurs when the five senses perceive something joyful, such as receiving a precious gift or being reunited with a loved one after a long separation. The joy of the spirit happens when the spirit perceives something joyful that the flesh cannot, such as hearing the Lord speak within the spirit or understanding the Word of God while meditating on it.

The reason the Lord Jesus rejoiced in His spirit was that the outcome of the seventy disciples’ journey demonstrated their complete obedience to Him and that they had been granted spiritual understanding by God.

On another occasion, after John the Baptist’s disciples were sent by him to ask whether the Lord Jesus was the One who was to come—the Messiah in Hebrew, translated into Greek as the Christ—the Lord Jesus spoke similar words, as recorded in Matthew 11:25-27.

We now quote the commentary on Matthew 11:25-27 below.

The Lord Jesus gave thanks to the God for the fact that the God had hidden the mysteries of the Gospel from those who considered themselves wise and intelligent. However, the God had revealed the mysterious Gospel to little children.

Those who claimed to be wise and intelligent were the Pharisees and the scribes of Judaism. They were people who spent their lives meditating on and interpreting the Old Testament Scriptures, teaching their meanings to the people of Israel. Yet, they did not understand the prophetic words concerning the Messiah and His ministry. They did not comprehend the Gospel of Salvation that the God granted to humanity through the Messiah. As a result, they failed to recognize that the Lord Jesus was indeed the Messiah, the Christ. This was due to their pride. This same condition is prevalent today in Bible schools and theological seminaries of religious organizations bearing the name of the Lord. Countless individuals hold the title of Doctor of Theology, yet they fail to grasp a fundamental truth—that God’s people must fully keep the Ten Commandments of the God, including the commandment to sanctify the seventh day, which is God’s Sabbath.

The little children refer to the common people, the uneducated or those with little education, among whom were the disciples of the Lord. The Lord Jesus Himself declared that everyone must become like a child to enter the Heavenly Kingdom and must humble themselves like a child to become great in the Heavenly Kingdom (Matthew 18:3-4).

The Lord Jesus offered thanks to the God for the mysterious understanding of the Gospel that the God had granted to His disciples. The Lord Jesus referred to the fact that His disciples recognized the Gospel while the wise of the world did not as a joy before the God. In other words, the God was pleased with this. Later, the Apostle Paul expressed this truth in 1 Corinthians 1:26-29.

“All things” include preaching the Gospel, revealing God, carrying out the atoning death for humanity, establishing and ruling the Church, judging the whole world at the End Time, executing the final judgment, and establishing and reigning over the Heavenly Kingdom.

The God recognizes the Lord Jesus as the Christ because He Himself brought forth the physical body of the Lord Jesus in the womb of the virgin Mary and granted Him the office of the Christ. Without the revelation of the God in a person’s spiritual mind, that person cannot recognize that the Lord Jesus is the Christ. When Peter confessed, “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God,” the Lord Jesus said, “Blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah! For flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in the heavens” (Matthew 16:16-17).

Among humanity, only the Lord Jesus knows the God, for He came from heaven and is also God, just as the God is. He Himself has revealed God to mankind (John 1:18). Only through the Lord Jesus can a person recognize that the God is the true God and their Father in heaven. The Lord Jesus reveals the God only to those who sincerely repent of their sins, believe in His atoning death, and wholeheartedly live according to the Word of the Lord. The knowledge of the God that comes from the Lord Jesus is not an intellectual understanding, like that of theological scholars, but a spiritual understanding that moves the entire soul.

In the previous statement, Matthew did not record that the Lord Jesus rejoiced in His spirit. Perhaps, in this second statement, the Lord Jesus rejoiced because more and more disciples were receiving what was given by the God.

We do not know what source Luke relied on to know that the Lord Jesus rejoiced in His spirit. Perhaps the Holy Spirit inspired him to understand this. This means that while Luke was recording the event as he had heard it reported from witnesses, his spiritual mind perceived that the Lord Jesus had rejoiced in His spirit when He spoke those words.

Luke 10:23-24

23 And turning to His disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see;

24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and they did not see them, and to hear what you hear, and they did not hear.”

Verses 23 and 25 help us understand that a large crowd continued to follow the Lord. When necessary, the Lord Jesus still spoke privately to His disciples. There are words that the Lord speaks to all of humanity. There are words He speaks specifically to those who will be eternally lost. And there are words He speaks exclusively to those who belong to Him.

The words of the Lord Jesus in verses 23 and 24 were also spoken in a similar manner earlier when He taught the people the parable of the sower. Below, we provide an excerpt from the commentary on Matthew 13:16-17.

The disciples of the Lord Jesus are blessed because they have recognized Christ as their Savior and have heard and understood all truths from Him. The disciples of the Lord Jesus at that time, specifically, and all of God’s people in the Church, generally, are more blessed than the prophets and saints of previous times because those prophets and saints did not have the opportunity to hear and know what the Lord Jesus taught.

Through this teaching of the Lord Jesus, we understand that the prophets and saints of previous times had received revelations from the God about Christ and longed to hear His teachings. The Lord Jesus Himself confirmed that Abraham had received a revelation about Him:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced that he should see My day, and he saw it and he was glad.” (John 8:56).

In another aspect, God’s people in the Church are more blessed than all of God’s people in any other time because only God’s people in the Church will reign with Christ and be mysteriously united with Him. Moreover, some in the Church will receive the blessing of not experiencing death, but their physical bodies will be transformed and taken into heaven on the day Christ returns to take the Church out of the world.

Praise the Lord! That day is very near. It could happen at any moment. May each of God’s people always be watchful and ready for the day when their physical bodies will be transformed.

Today, we are also greatly blessed because we have the complete Holy Scriptures in our hands, translated into many languages. Not only that, but we also have technological means that make it easy for us to read, study, store, share, and teach the Word of God; facilitate the fellowship of God’s people; and support the preaching of the Gospel with convenience.

Luke 10:25

25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tested Him, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”

A “lawyer” is a person who specializes in interpreting and teaching the law of God, as recorded in the Scriptures. The law of God is also referred to as the “Law of Moses” because it was recorded by Moses and handed down to the people of Israel. It can be said that the person holding the position of “lawyer” in Israel was very knowledgeable about the Old Testament Scriptures.

The question of the lawyer was intended to test the Lord Jesus. This test was likely meant to examine Jesus’ understanding of the Old Testament Scriptures and to test the consistency of His teachings. The lawyer’s question was not necessarily meant to trap the Lord but rather to seek the truth.

The Old Testament Scriptures mention eternal life in several places, such as in Psalm 23:6, Daniel 12:2, and Isaiah 26:19. However, there is no passage that explains what one must do to receive eternal life.

The question of the lawyer also implied that eternal life is not an unconditional gift but the result of actions.

Luke 10:26-27

26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?”

The Lord Jesus did not directly answer the lawyer’s question but instead posed a question to him. The Lord’s question could also be seen as a test of the lawyer’s understanding of the law of the God.

The lawyer’s answer showed that he truly understood the law of the God. This is because the entire law of the God was summarized in his response, based on Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.

“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus19:18).

We see that although Deuteronomy 6:5 does not state “with all your mind,” in the answer of the teacher of the law, he added “with all your mind.” This shows his understanding of the meaning of the Word of God, not just quoting it. Later, the Lord Jesus also spoke a similar phrase (Mark 12:30).

“With all your heart” refers to the fullness of emotion, meaning affection. Loving the Lord with all your heart means loving Him with all your affection, including respect, trust, and obedience.

“With all your soul” refers to the fullness of life, purpose in life. Loving the Lord with all your soul means loving Him with the fullness of your existence, living for Him, living because of Him. Living for the Lord means serving Him, doing good works that He has prepared for His people. Living because of the Lord means living according to His Word to exalt His name.

“With all your strength” refers to complete capability, including both physical strength and spiritual strength. The strength of the flesh is physical power. The strength of the spirit is faith. Loving the Lord with all your strength means loving Him with all your faith in His existence, in His Word as the Bible, and using all your physical ability to serve Him through the works of the body.

“With all your mind” refers to full awareness, reasoning, and decision-making. Loving the Lord with all your mind means loving Him with complete reflection on Him and His Word, knowing Him more deeply, and carefully following His Word.

“And your neighbor as yourself” means treating everyone we meet in life as we would want to be treated by others.

“Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, thus also you do to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12).

This expresses respect, willingness to help, and readiness to forgive others.

“Neighbor” refers to anyone we encounter in life, as implied in the parable of the Good Samaritan that the Lord Jesus tells in the following verses.

Luke 10:28-29

28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this and you shall live.”

29 But he, wanting to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

The Lord Jesus praised the lawyer for giving the correct answer and advised him to do so, and he would live.

“Shall live” refers to having eternal life. Eternal life is the knowledge of the God and keeping His commandments.

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” (John 17:3).

“So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”” (Matthew 19:17).

The lawyer raised the question, “Who is my neighbor?” with the intention of taking the opportunity to show that he was a righteous person, as he had treated his neighbors well according to the definition of Judaism.

According to the teachings of Judaism at that time, only the Israelites were worthy of the God, while the Gentiles were considered unclean. Even mixed-blood Israelites, such as the Samaritans, were looked down upon by pure-blood Israelites. Therefore, the term “neighbor” was understood by the Israelites to refer to fellow true Israelites.

Perhaps the lawyer wanted Jesus to confirm the Jewish view of who a neighbor was at that time.

Jesus told a parable and then asked the lawyer a question, prompting him to draw the correct answer to the question of who his neighbor was.

Luke 10:30-32

31 Now by coincidence a certain priest was coming down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the opposite side.

32 Likewise a Levite, arriving at the place, came and saw, and passed by on the opposite side.

Jericho was the first city in the land of Canaan to be captured by the Israelites in early 1406 BCE, when they entered the Promised Land under the leadership of Joshua and through a miracle performed by the God (Joshua 6). Jericho is located to the north of the Dead Sea, in the region of Judea, and is about 250 meters below sea level, making it one of the lowest cities in the world.

Jericho is about 25 kilometers from Jerusalem as the crow flies and is just a few kilometers from the border of Samaria. Jerusalem is about 1 kilometer higher in elevation than Jericho. The journey from Jerusalem down to Jericho is a mountainous route with high passes, steep descents, and many dangerous curves. In ancient times, robbers often ambushed vulnerable spots to attack pedestrians and small merchant groups that did not have enough escorts.

Although Jesus did not explicitly state that the victim was Jewish, the context of His parables suggests that the characters are understood to be Jewish, with the exception of the Samaritan mentioned in this parable.

The victim who was beaten and injured by the robbers was likely attacked because he resisted them.

When the priest saw the victim, he passed by on the other side of the road. Perhaps he feared that the victim was dead or would die if he approached and tried to help, and that he would be defiled for seven days by touching a dead body (Numbers 19:11). The priest was responsible for the worship of God, but he lacked compassion. He valued the form of worshiping God over helping someone in need.

Next, a Levite came along the same road. The Levite saw the victim, approached, looked at him, and then also passed by on the other side. The Levite was a servant who helped protect and manage the Temple of God. Perhaps the Levite shared the same fears and lack of compassion as the priest.

Based on the Word of God, the actions of both the priest and the Levite showed that they did not love their neighbor as themselves. Both were set apart for the service of God, but they lacked mercy. They did not know or perhaps had forgotten that the God Himself had commanded, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Hosea 6:6).

Luke 10:33-35

33 But a certain Samaritan, as he traveled, came by him; and when he saw him, he was moved with compassion.

34 And coming to him, he bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and putting him on his own animal, he brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

The Samaritans were people of mixed Israelite and other ethnic backgrounds. They were despised by the purebred Israelites. In fact, the Samaritans and the pure Israelites hated each other. However, the Samaritan in the parable showed compassion. When he saw the victim, he approached, and his heart was moved with compassion. He used wine to cleanse the wounds, oil to anoint them, and bandaged the victim. It is very likely that he was riding a donkey and placed the victim on its back to take him to an inn.

At the inn, the Samaritan continued to care for the victim. The next day, he had to continue his journey but gave the innkeeper two denarii and asked him to continue taking care of the victim. A denarius was a Roman silver coin. At that time, one denarius was equivalent to the wage for a regular day’s labor. He was also willing to pay any additional expenses for the victim’s care when he returned.

We see that the Samaritan treated the victim the way he would want others to treat him. And this is loving others as oneself.

Through this parable, the Lord Jesus defined a person’s “neighbor” as anyone whom that person encounters in life.

Luke 10:36-37

36 So which of these three does it seem to you proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the bandits?”

37 And he said, “the one who showed mercy to him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”

The law of the God requires a person to love their neighbor as themselves. The Samaritan considered the one robbed as his neighbor and took action to help. Therefore, the Samaritan followed the law. However, the Lord Jesus asked the lawyer, who was the neighbor of the victim. The question implied that the one who loves and helps us is our neighbor. Thus, when we love and help someone, we become the neighbor of the one we love and help.

In other words, we should not seek to find out who our neighbor is, but rather transform ourselves into the neighbor of anyone by loving and helping them. When we love and help anyone, we fulfill the commandment to love our neighbor as ourselves.

The lawyer himself confirmed that the one who showed mercy to the victim was the true neighbor of the victim. Through this, he could deduce the correct definition of the term “neighbor.”

“Go and do likewise!” means live your life by becoming the neighbor of everyone by loving and helping everyone, when needed, regardless of race or anything else.

Luke 10:38-39

38 Now it came to pass as they traveled, that He entered into a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house.

39 And the woman had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and was listening to His word.

“A certain village” is understood by many biblical scholars to be the village of Bethany, a small village about 3 kilometers from Jerusalem. Martha and Mary in this passage are also understood to be the two sisters of Lazarus. Lazarus is the man who would soon be called by the Lord Jesus to rise from the dead, after having been dead for four days.

After Jesus entered the house, He may have taught His disciples and the crowd following Him. Mary, the sister of Martha, chose to sit at the Lord’s feet to listen to His teaching rather than help her sister in hosting the Lord and the disciples.

Luke 10:40-42

40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, don’t You care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”

41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.

42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.”

Perhaps while Martha was busy preparing food for the Lord and the disciples, seeing Mary not helping her but instead sitting and listening to the Lord’s teaching, she came and complained to the Lord, asking Him to tell her sister to help her.

Martha’s words to the Lord seem to imply a reproach, suggesting that He did not care about Mary not helping her in hosting the Lord and the disciples. Martha concluded that the Lord didn’t care because He did not ask Mary to assist her while Mary was sitting at the Lord’s feet and she was busy. Martha’s words clearly carried a sense of disappointment toward the Lord. Martha should have signaled to her sister to come with her and requested her help, rather than speaking to the Lord in such a reproachful way.

From the worldly perspective, it seems that Mary was being inconsiderate, Martha was upset, and the Lord was not paying attention to Martha’s needs.

The Lord Jesus’ response both acknowledged that Martha was busy and informed her that the tasks she was doing, while good, were not necessary. Perhaps Martha wanted to prepare a sumptuous meal for the Lord and the disciples, which required a lot of effort to prepare. Providing food for guests is necessary, but preparing a lavish meal is only something to do if possible, not a necessity. At that moment, the necessary thing was to be by the Lord’s side to listen to His teaching.

Mary had a strong desire to hear the Lord’s teaching, so she no longer concerned herself with other matters, including helping her very busy sister. Mary chose to sit at the Lord’s feet to hear and see Him as He taught.

Choosing to listen to the Lord’s teaching was also choosing to receive spiritual knowledge from Him, and that was the good part that could never be taken away from Mary once she had received it into her spirit.

Today, many people are busy with tasks that are either unnecessary or distractions, rather than choosing to read, listen to, and meditate on the Word of God. Each day, beyond reading and reflecting on the Bible, God’s people should also make time to listen to sermons and hymns. If possible, one should play recordings of Bible readings, sermons, and hymns in the home. Even if the listener is not fully focused on the entire message, sometimes a verse from the Bible, a sentence from the sermon, or a line from a hymn can greatly benefit the listener. Additionally, evil spirits tend to avoid places where the Word of God is being read, preached, or where the Lord is being praised.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
01/11/2025

Note:

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.