Luke 10:1-24
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy Two
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”
18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.
22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”
23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”
Who were the Seventy Two Disciples that Jesus sent out?...We can see that He had a wider circle than just His Twelve main Disciples in His ministry...The Seventy Two would have heard and seen Him and probably been firm believers and followers of His to go out on the mission He commanded...They would have surely observed Jesus' teachings, miracles, and interactions with others, which would have undoubtedly impacted their faith in Him, or else why go out for Him...We can assume they had some level of faith in Jesus, the Gospel of Luke doesn't explicitly state that they were all deeply devoted followers prior to their commission, but they did go out and do difficult missionary work for Him...And I use the world difficult, because many had never heard of Jesus before any of the Seventy Two had reached they home places...They were like lambs among the wolves...They only thing they carried was the command and teachings of Jesus, because they did not need to be troubled with any material thing...
The Seventy Two disciples were a group of individuals, that were distinct from the Twelve Apostles, whom Jesus commissioned to go out and preach the Gospel...heir Mission was to prepare the way for His arrival in various towns and villages...Luke writes after this the LORD appointed Seventy-Two others and sent them two by two ahead of Him to every town and place where He was about to go...He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few...Ask the LORD of the Harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field...Go! I AM sending you out like lambs among wolves...Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road...So their mission included proclaiming the Kingdom of God, healing the sick, and to cast out demons...As they engaged in being on their mission, they would have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit working through them, strengthening their faith and deepening their understanding of God's Kingdom...And they would learn from their experiences...Their experiences on the mission, both their successes and challenges, would have provided valuable lessons and deepened their understanding of the Gospel...
The sending of the Seventy Two disciples demonstrates Jesus' intention to expand His ministry beyond the core group of Twelve...Jesus wanted the populace of Israel to know Him...It signifies a broader outreach and a desire to equip others to share the Good News...While there may have been some overlap with the Twelve and the Seventy Two disciples, the Seventy Two disciples were likely a distinct group from the Twelve Apostles...The Twelve held a unique and pivotal role in Jesus' ministry, serving as His closest companions and witnesses to His life, death, and resurrection...
So the Seventy Two played a complementary role to the Original Twelve Disciples...The Seventy Two disciples likely played a crucial role in preparing the ground for Jesus' ministry and expanding His influence throughout all of Israel...They served as the earliest of His evangelists, spreading the message of the Kingdom and preparing the way for Jesus' arrival in different communities and villages...Some scholars suggest that this mission may have taken place relatively early in Jesus' ministry, perhaps even before the Sermon on the Mount...This would align with the idea of Jesus gradually expanding His ministry and equipping others to share the Good News...But Scripture does not tell us the date or time when the Seventy Two were sent out...It's reasonable to assume that the seventy disciples, after experiencing their own personal experiences with others and encountering Jesus, would have continued to share the Good News in their own lives and communities...They would have a personal closeness and were witnesses to the Messiah...Having witnessed Jesus's teachings and miracles firsthand, they would have become powerful witnesses to His message...Their experiences of healing and casting out demons would have filled them with the Holy Spirit, giving them the courage and confidence to share their faith...The early Christians likely felt a strong sense of urgency to spread the Good News, knowing that Jesus' message of salvation was intended for all people...While we do not have all the details, the story of the Seventy Two disciples provides a powerful reminder of the importance of sharing our faith with others and participating in the ongoing mission of Jesus...After the Seventy Two returned, He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see...For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”...Jesus is telling them they have this unique privilege in witnessing His ministry firsthand...They had the opportunity to see His miracles, hear His teachings, and experience His Presence in a way that many prophets and kings of the Old Testament had longed for...