Luke 10: The Straight Line of God-Jesus-Disciple - Luke's Blueprint for Convincing Theophilus
Luke 10: The Straight Line of God-Jesus-Disciple - Luke's Blueprint for Convincing Theophilus
1 After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.
20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things,
42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
In chapter 10, Luke persuades Theophilus three times. The first instance is the sending and ministry of the 70/72 disciples (verses 1-24), the second is the parable of the Good Samaritan (verses 25-37), and the third is the story of Martha and Mary (verses 38-42). In the first scene, Luke places God, Jesus, and the disciples in a straight line. Verse 16 is the evidence of this. Rejecting a sent disciple is not only rejecting the one who sent them, Jesus, but ultimately rejecting God who sent Jesus. By connecting God, Jesus, and the disciples, Luke persuades Theophilus to stand at the end of the line of the 70/72 disciples. The author (or editor) of the Gospel of John depicted this structure a bit differently. They included the disciples in the collective of God and Jesus. This structure is the core of Jesus' farewell prayer (John 17). Over time, readers of Luke and John have interpreted the concept of disciples to include all Christians, some even extending it to all humanity or all creation. Nonetheless, Luke begins by drawing a straight line of God-Jesus-disciples for Theophilus. According to Luke, placing God, Jesus, and the disciples in a straight line is not a trivial matter but a grace drawn by Jesus (verses 23-24).
Luke's second persuasion is the parable of the Good Samaritan. Among the priest, the Levite, and the Samaritan, who would Theophilus feel most connected to? Naturally, the Samaritan. The Roman Theophilus as a gentile, would be drawn to the Samaritan who is treated like a dog. Here, Luke leads Theophilus into the sticky trap of his persuasive strategy. As Theophilus identifies with the Good Samaritan, he would feel a small hope and confidence that he too could stand at the end of the line of disciples.
The third persuasion is the story of Martha and Mary. Luke makes Theophilus feel like Martha, who does many tasks, represents the Jews, while Mary, who reads the missionary letter, represents Theophilus himself. Jesus' evaluation of busy Martha and conversing Mary does not favor one over the other. From Martha's perspective, Mary's behavior might be uncomfortable. However, from the guest's perspective, both Martha and Mary are fine. If Theophilus, reading Luke's persuasive letter, does not reject the hints of 'repentance' scattered throughout chapter 10, he can stand in the line connecting God and Jesus.