Chapter 10
The Seventy-Two and the Good Samaritan
Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan
"And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."
Luke 10:2
Chapter Overview
Luke chapter 10, "The Seventy-Two and the Good Samaritan," stands at the heart of the good news of Jesus Christ, the long-awaited Messiah and Savior. Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. Here the reader encounters not merely ancient history or religious instruction, but the living word of a God who speaks with purpose — weaving themes of harvest and laborers into a narrative that addresses both its original audience and every generation since.
And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.' And he answered, 'You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.' Every detail in the Gospel account is theologically loaded — each encounter, each word, each location is chosen to reveal who Jesus is and what he has come to do. The Evangelists write as theologians, not mere reporters.
The theme of harvest is not incidental here — it is the load-bearing pillar of the chapter's argument or story. Alongside it, laborers operates as a clarifying lens, sharpening the reader's understanding of what God is accomplishing and why it matters beyond the immediate circumstances.
Looking across the wider biblical landscape, Luke 10 does not stand alone. The interplay between harvest and neighbor appears at critical junctures throughout Scripture — moments when God reshapes his people's self-understanding and renews his covenant claims on their lives. This chapter is precisely such a moment: a turning point where the reader is invited to see with fresh eyes what it means to be formed and held by God.
Chapter Outline
The Setting: Harvest
vv. 1–7This section of Luke 10 focuses on harvest — opening the reader to a fresh encounter with this truth.
The Encounter: Laborers
vv. 8–14This section of Luke 10 focuses on laborers — pressing the implications into concrete human experience.
Jesus Speaks: Love
vv. 15–21This section of Luke 10 focuses on love — revealing the divine perspective behind the human events.
The Response: Neighbor
vv. 22–30This section of Luke 10 focuses on neighbor — showing how this theme reshapes the community of faith.
Key Verses
"And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few."
Luke 10:2
"Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.' And he answered, 'You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.'"
Luke 10:27
"See Luke 10:37 — this verse stands as a key anchor of Luke chapter 10's central teaching."
Luke 10:37
Scripture Passage
And he said to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.' And he answered, 'You shall 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 your neighbor as yourself.'
Key Figures
Seventy-Two
Key Figure
A central character in this chapter whose actions and decisions drive the narrative forward and reveal something essential about God's purposes in Luke.
Study Notes
Harvest in Luke 10: Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:2). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand harvest in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Laborers in Luke 10: Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:27). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand laborers in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Love in Luke 10: Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan (see Luke 10:37). This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand love in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Neighbor in Luke 10: Jesus sends out seventy-two and tells the parable of the Good Samaritan. This theme does not merely describe events — it is the theological lens through which the author invites us to interpret everything that happens here. To understand neighbor in its biblical context is to understand something essential about the God who orchestrates both history and human hearts.
Life Application
In the light of harvest in Luke 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
In the light of laborers in Luke 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
In the light of love in Luke 10: ask how you are actively engaging with this theme in your own life — not as a distant theological concept, but as a living reality that shapes your decisions, relationships, and worship today.
Reflection Questions
What specific aspect of "The Seventy-Two and the Good Samaritan" in Luke 10 challenges or confirms your current understanding of God?
How does the theme of harvest in this chapter connect to your own experience of faith — where have you seen or struggled with this theme in your own life?
In what ways do harvest and laborers work together in this passage, and what does that relationship reveal about God's purposes?
If the original audience of Luke heard this chapter in their historical context, what would have been their most immediate reaction — and what can that response teach us about how we should receive these words today?
Cross-References
The nature and primacy of love
God's love expressed in giving his Son
God is love — his nature defines it