Luke 10:1-24
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Here is a challenge; and many might feel that while ‘following’ is within their capabilities, ‘heralding’ is only for those who are specially gifted. But the passage contains more than one hint that every Christian is expected to do both. In the first place there is probably symbolic meaning in the number of disciples sent out. Already Jesus had commissioned twelve out of his many disciples to be leaders of the new people of God,6 and if this number were meant to correspond to the twelve sons of Jacob, the other one would be significant in a similar way: seventy was the total number both of the members of Jacob’s family when he went down into Egypt, and of the representative elders of the Israelites when they eventually journeyed out of Egypt. We might distinguish the two symbolic numbers by saying that 12 = the patriarchs of Israel = the apostles; while 70 = the people of Israel = the church in general.
Moses selects an unspecified number of “able men” to settle petty disputes, leaving him free to handle major cases (
In addition to the official seventy elders stationed around the main community court (tent), two Spirit-inspired mavericks, Eldad and Medad, begin prophesying “in the camp.” Far from condemning these independent judges, Moses commends them as exemplars: “Would that all the LORD’s people were prophets, and that the LORD would put his spirit on them!” (11:26–29)
And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
The driving power is the Lord himself: the harvest is his, the whole scheme is under his control, and three times in as many verses he takes the responsibility for sending out the workers
No Christian can excuse himself from this service by pleading, as Moses did, his own inadequacy. For the Lord replies: ‘Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him dumb, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.’
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that 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 mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
To those who are thus to be his heralds, Jesus speaks in terms of toil (10:2), danger (10:3), single-mindedness (10:4), and forthright proclamation of the good news of the kingdom (10:5–12
