When I worked on the dictionary, as the deadline for it to be published approached, we started throwing more and more people at it. The work place was buzzing, and workers were coming in every day, Saturday and Sunday, and working day and night to get the book out.
Jesus deadline is approaching. It is the time when he is to depart, his exodus, he is to be taken up. And so it is not Jesus who is doing the ministry, as it was in chapter 8. Nor is it just the 12 who are doing the ministry, as it was in chapter 9. See that, chapter 9, the first part. Now Jesus chooses 70. It is a group wider than the Apostles.
Why does he do this? To multiply the workers. The work is too much for Jesus. The message must get out before Jesus dies on the cross. Jesus and the coming of the kingdom must be preached throughout Israel before he is crowned in Jerusalem.
And it also trains the workers. Remember, Luke’s gospel is the first of a two-volume work. By Acts chapter 2, the believers numbered 120. And this group will take the message out to Jerusalem and further afield when the Spirit comes upon them with power.
The 70 were to prepare the way for Jesus’ coming. Very much like John the Baptist did for all of Israel, so the missioners did for each village. Get ready for the Son.
Jesus’ commands to the 70 boil down to 3 words: Beg, Go, And Watch.
First, beg. The Harvest is large, but the workers are few; therefore, beg the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest.
Jesus sees that the work of bringing people into the kingdom is massive. The crop is too big for the existing workers.
I didn’t really understand about harvests until I saw harvesting on a local farm. The harvest was massive – far bigger than the farmer expected. The workers were few, far too few. And the time was short. A matter of days, and the fruit would be ruined. It needed to be picked off the tree at just the right time, not too early nor too late. So the time was short to get the harvest in.
So Jesus bids the 70 to pray. To pray for missionaries and evangelists and teachers of the gospel. And so should we. We should pray. We should pray that our sons and daughters and grandsons and granddaughters would give themselves to this work.
We should pray that our Sunday school become a missionary training centre, and youth group be a little Moore College, and that Kids’ Club be our Young Evangelist training centre.
Praying is a must. But it is not enough. He then says, go. The job of evangelism is not someone elses job. It is a great cause we are all concerned in. When there is a great harvest, everyone can pick needs to get out there and get the harvest in. And those who can’t make the boxes, and sort, and make all manner of preparations. It’s like a war effort. Everyone’s involved, full employment for the war effort.
But thirdly, watch. There are dangers. The commands reflect the fact that the situation is urgent and they need to be content. Go now, don’t make preparations. Don’t stop on the way. Choose the first place wisely, so you are not moving from house to hours. Be content with the food they give you.
The importance of their mission is seen in the consequences of rejecting the mission. Note Chorazin and Bethsaida and Capernaum. Sodom and Gommorah, Tyre and Sidon, are better off then them.
The missioners are Jesus’ delegates. So the response to them is the response to Jesus.. The one who rejects you rejects me.
The success is shown in that even the demons submitted to the disciples. But that is not the thing to celebrate. Celebrate rather that your names are written in heaven.
Is your name written in heaven? How can I know? By trusting Jesus, your name is written in heaven.
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