Luke 10 begins with Jesus sending seventy disciples ahead of Him. The harvest was great but the workers were few, so He told them to pray for more workers. They came back rejoicing at their power over evil. Jesus reminded them that the greatest joy is having their names written in heaven. Then He thanked the Father for showing these things to the humble.
A lawyer stood up to test Jesus. He knew the greatest commands: love God completely and love your neighbor as yourself. But he wanted to limit the second one, so he asked, Who is my neighbor? Jesus' story turned the question around. A priest and a Levite, religious leaders, passed by a dying man. A Samaritan, an outsider, had compassion. He gave his time, his oil and wine, his animal, and his money. Jesus asked which one became a neighbor. The lawyer could not even say the word Samaritan. He said, He who showed mercy. Jesus told him, Go and do likewise.
Love for neighbor flows from love for God. That is why the chapter ends at Martha and Mary's home. Martha was distracted with much serving. Mary sat at the Lord's feet and listened. Serving is good, but listening to Jesus comes first.