background image
and Sidon at the judgment, than for you.
15
And thou, Capernaum, which art
exalted to heaven, shalt be thrust down to hell.


Luke 10:1
After these things the LORD appointed other seventy also, and sent
them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself
would come.

The sending of the 70 disciples was prophesied in the OT:
Á-°And they came to Elim, where were twelve wells of water, and threescore
and ten palm trees: and they encamped there by the waters.Á-?
(Exo 15:27)

The 12 and the 70 foreshadow the 12 and the 70 apostles. Note how the 12 Apostles are
wells (or fountains) of water, which in turn nourish the 70 palm trees. The teaching of
the Apostles is preeminent, and feeds their disciples, and the entire church. It is fully
appropriate that these fountains and palm trees were found at Á-°ElimÁ-?, which interpreted
means Á-°ascentÁ-?. The fruit of the palm tree fully describes the teaching of the church,
because, as Blessed Theophylact points out, the fruit is Á-°sweet, yet tempered with
astringencyÁ-?
(Commentary of Luke 10:1-3)
This same idea is expressed when the Good Samaritan,
our Savior, poured into the wounds of the traveler oil and wine.
1
Any true Christian
teaching will have these qualities. We need to be encouraged and rebuked, many times
at the same moment in time. The oil soothes us, and without it we would lose heart, but
the wine cleanses us, and without it, our wounds, caused by our passions and sins, would
fester and we would die.

We know these things about this passage because it is part of the mind of the church.
Correct biblical exegesis is not possible unless we share the mind of the church. This is
obtained not only by reading the commentaries of the holy fathers (the meaning of this
passage, for instance is expounded in Blessed Theophylact), but also especially by living
the life of the church, and worshipping in an Orthodox manner.

The scriptures are continually interpreted in our services, especially in the matins
service, and its canons. We can learn the inner meaning of the scriptures if we think and
live liturgically. The word Á-°liturgyÁ-? means Á-°the work of the peopleÁ-?. It is not only a
Sunday morning service, but the whole of our life. It is a terrible shame that we moderns
have become by and large a non-liturgical people, with the liturgy confined to less than
two hours on Sunday, instead of including daily perusal of the Holy Scriptures, fasting,
standing in the other services in worship, with intent to learn of the things of God.
1
Luke 10:33-34 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion
on him, (34) And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and
brought him to an inn, and took care of him.