The Meaning of Luke 10:16 Explained

Luke 10:16

KJV: He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.

YLT: 'He who is hearing you, doth hear me; and he who is putting you away, doth put me away; and he who is putting me away, doth put away Him who sent me.'

Darby: He that hears you hears me; and he that rejects you rejects me; and he that rejects me rejects him that sent me.

ASV: He that heareth you heareth me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth me; and he that rejecteth me rejecteth him that sent me.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He that heareth  you  heareth  me;  and  he that despiseth  you  despiseth  me;  and  he that despiseth  me  despiseth  him that sent  me. 

What does Luke 10:16 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Jesus added further importance to their mission by explaining that acceptance or rejection of the Seventy amounted to acceptance or rejection of Himself and God the Father who had sent Jesus (cf. Matthew 10:40; Mark 9:37). Jesus was authorizing these disciples to act for Him (cf. John 20:21).
Prayer walks have become popular in some parts of Christianity in recent years. This is the practice of praying as one walks around a town, usually, asking God to bring salvation to its people. Undoubtedly the Seventy prayed as they conducted their mission trip, but they also preached. Jesus did not tell them just to pray for God to make the people responsive but also to preach the gospel to them. Neither did He tell them simply to go out and do good works. Praying for the lost and preaching to the lost should go hand in hand whenever possible.
This ends Jesus" briefing of the Seventy for their unique mission. Luke recorded nothing about the mission itself. His concern was Jesus" instructions and their applicability to his readers in view of their mission ( Acts 1:8).

Context Summary

Luke 10:1-16 - The Forerunners Of The Lord
In the appointment of the Seventy there was perhaps an allusion to Numbers 11:24-25. In this case, as in that, there was the endowment of conspicuous spiritual power. We can only prepare the way for our Lord. No one of us can suffice for the soul of man. We must always say with the Baptist: "There cometh one mightier than I." Would that Christ always came where we had been! See Luke 10:1.
Let us not forget to pray for laborers; but if we pray truly we shall endeavor to answer our own prayers, by going and by inciting others to go. How often a child's life becomes dedicated through hands being laid on the young head by some servant of God, who says: "When you grow up, you must work for the Lord Jesus!"
The Lord asks for simplicity. We may not in our northern climate be able to carry out these precepts precisely and literally. But the inner thought of His words is that we are to be absorbed in giving the message, leaving all things else as a very secondary question and allowing God to care for us and ours. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 10

1  Jesus sends out at once seventy disciples to work miracles, and to preach;
13  pronounces a woe against certain cities
17  The seventy return with joy;
18  he shows them wherein to rejoice,
21  and thanks his Father for his grace;
23  magnifies the happy estate of his church;
25  teaches the lawyer how to attain eternal life,
30  and tells the parable of the good Samaritan;
38  reprimands Martha, and commends Mary her sister

Greek Commentary for Luke 10:16

Rejecteth him that sent me [ατετει τον αποστειλαντα με]
These solemn words form a fit close for this discourse to the Seventy. The fate of Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum will befall those who set aside (α — a privative and τετεω — theteō from τιτημι — tithēmi) the mission and message of these messengers of Christ. See this verb used in Luke 7:30 of the attitude of the scribes and Pharisees toward John and Jesus. It is this thought that makes it so grave a responsibility to be co-workers with Christ, high privilege as it is (John 9:4). [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 10:16

John 5:23 That all may honour the Son [ινα παντες τιμωσιν τον υιον]
Purpose clause with ινα — hina and present active subjunctive of τιμαω — timaō (may keep on honouring the Son). He that honoureth not the Son Articular present active participle of τιμαω — timaō with negative μη — mē Jesus claims here the same right to worship from men that the Father has. Dishonouring Jesus is dishonouring the Father who sent him (John 8:49; John 12:26; John 15:23; 1 John 2:23). See also Luke 10:16. There is small comfort here for those who praise Jesus as teacher and yet deny his claims to worship. The Gospel of John carries this high place for Christ throughout, but so do the other Gospels (even Q, the Logia of Jesus) and the rest of the New Testament. [source]
1 Timothy 5:12 They have cast off their first faith [τὴν πρώτην πίστιν ἠθέτησαν]
Ἁθετεῖν is to set aside, do away with, reject or slight. See Mark 6:26; Luke 10:16; Hebrews 10:28. Often in lxx. Πίστιν is pledge: so frequently in Class. with give and receive. See, for instance, Plato, Phaedr. 256 D. In lxx, Galatians href="/desk/?q=ga+3:15&sr=1">Galatians 3:15, διαθήκην ἀθετεῖν torender a covenant void. In lxx with oath, 2 Chronicles 36:13. Psalm 14:4: “He that sweareth to his neighbor καὶ οὐκ ἀθετῶν. ” Psalm 88:34; 131:11; 1 Maccabees 6:62. The meaning here is, having broken their first pledge; and this may refer to a pledge to devote themselves, after they became widows, to the service of Christ and the church. The whole matter is obscure. [source]
Hebrews 3:1 The apostle and high priest [τὸν ἀπόστολον καὶ ἀρχιερέα]
In calling Jesus apostle, the writer is thinking of Moses as one sent by God to lead Israel to Canaan. Comp. lxx, where ἀποστέλλειν tosend is often used of Moses. See Luke href="/desk/?q=lu+10:16&sr=1">Luke 10:16; John 3:17; John 5:36; John 6:29. [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 10:16 mean?

The [one] hearing you Me hears and rejecting you Me rejects now the [One] having sent Me
ἀκούων ὑμῶν ἐμοῦ ἀκούει καὶ ἀθετῶν ὑμᾶς ἐμὲ ἀθετεῖ δὲ τὸν ἀποστείλαντά με

  The  [one] 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀκούων  hearing 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
ἐμοῦ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἀκούει  hears 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀκουστός 
Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf.
ἀθετῶν  rejecting 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀθετέω  
Sense: to do away with, to set aside, disregard.
ἐμὲ  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἀθετεῖ  rejects 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἀθετέω  
Sense: to do away with, to set aside, disregard.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
τὸν  the  [One] 
Parse: Article, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀποστείλαντά  having  sent 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἀποστέλλω 
Sense: to order (one) to go to a place appointed.
με  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Accusative 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.