In the last installment, we read about the response of three potential followers of Jesus, all of whom had something that got in the way. Today, we will see the obedient response of 70 of Jesus’ followers (Luke 9:57-62).This is not the first time Jesus sent a group of his disciples on a focused mission.
In the chapter just before this one, Luke records Jesus sending out 12 disciples, the number of tribes in Israel, to Jewish towns. Most commentators see this as symbolically reaching all of Israel with the good news of God’s coming Kingdom.
Today, Jesus sends out 70 disciples to Gentile towns. Why 70? Genesis 10 gives a list of the descendants of Noah’s children: "from these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.” Guess how many nations? J[2] This, then, is an inauguration of what will be a call to all of us to spread the Gospel to all the nations of the earth.[3]
* * * * *
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him two by two into every town and place where he himself was about to go. He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest. Go! I am sending you out like lambs surrounded by wolves.
“Do not carry a money bag, a traveler’s bag filled with extra coats, or extra sandals,[4] and don’t get distracted by lengthy, time-consuming greeting with people you meet on the road.[5]
Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘May peace be on this house!’ And if a peace-loving person is there, your peace will remain on him, but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, for the worker deserves his pay. Do not move around from house to house.
“Whenever you enter a town and the people welcome you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in that town and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come upon you!’ But whenever you enter a town and the people do not welcome you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come.’
But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say,1 ‘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.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe/alas[6] to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida![7] 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. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you[8]. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades[9].
“The one who listens to you listens to me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
Today, we have a smorgasbord of points. Fill up your plates as you wish.
1. The 70 R US. Some commentators point out that in Exodus 24, Moses chose 70 elders who went up Mt. Sinai with Moses and were filled with Spirit such that they prophesied (think ‘spoke inspired truth’). They became leaders of God’s people pointing them toward truth. Jesus now sets up the priestly/prophetic role of those who will bring the good news to all the nations – which will be all of us, not just those 70.
“You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ…But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation… that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. (1 Peter 2:5,9)
2. We should ‘pray’ and ‘go’ into the field.[10] Notice we pray and go. Prayer is not the equivalent of washing our hands of responsibility or engagement. ”Thoughts and prayers” for a harvest is not enough. We must go.
Where is the harvest field? Everywhere. All the time. Even the smallest moments are opportunities.[11] Just remember: We don’t save people. Free yourself from that pressure. But we do introduce people to the one who does. We plant truth; then we nurture the environment into which truth has been planted.
3. Dear sheep: expect the wolves. There should be no expectation that conditions will be safer or easier for us than it was for them. They, like us, ought not expect to be liked, admired, or supported; rather, we should expect to be ignored, mocked, persecuted and even killed. We have to embrace the reality that in this world, there will be trouble, and some of it is because we are faithful witnesses.
This is not all the time, of course. The early church exploded because so many people liked the message and the messengers of Christianity. But that was always mixed in with trials and persecution.
I read too many news stories where Christians in the United States are shocked and scared when something happens that makes life hard because they are Christian.
· My Bible Study club at school got cancelled.
· That social media platform is censoring me.
· My workplace won’t let me put up Christian symbols.
· When I post Bible verses people mock me.
· I’m called all kinds of phobic just because I want to be faithful to biblical teaching.”
What did we expect?
Outrage is not the righteous response. Remember, the disciples wanted to call down fire on a Samaritan town that rejected them. Now Jesus is sending them to that town (among others). The response to trials is meant to be outreach. We are meant to invite even the wolves to meet the transformational power of Jesus so the sheep multiply.
4. Jesus deliberately ensured community. The 70 didn’t have money, extra clothes to keep them warm at night, or food. They could not live in isolation. This forced them into community.There may be an added element here of letting go of the need to be comfortable (or avoiding the appearance of displaying wealth), but I’m leaning toward the idea it was primarily to make community inescapable.
I wonder what it looks like to organize our lives and priorities such that we make life in Christian community such a priority that we can’t imagine doing life without it. I’m not entirely sure what that looks like in our setting, but it seems important. If we take nothing else away from this, just remember that we are designed to rely on each other.
5. Kingdom-minded people have generous hospitality of mind, heart, and resources.[12] We see clearly how this looked in the early church. The first followers of Jesus took this very seriously – and literally.
All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. (Acts 4:32-34)
This ties back in to the community focus. Clearly, they lived in a rhythm of asking for help and giving help. This isn’t some woke Marxist utopia; this is Kingdom generosity. “They shared everything they had…there were no needy people among them”!
6. We are to prioritize the mission. The Middle Eastern custom of greeting honored others, but prophets on mission were given an exemption in the Old Testament. he 70 had a narrow window of time for their particular mission, so they were laser focused.
I think it is a reminder to never forget that we are on a mission, and it needs to be prioritized. We just saw potential disciples give excuses about why they had to postpone the mission (“I have to bury my father; I need to say goodbye.”) As Dr. Seuss would say, “The time has come, the time is now, Marvin K. Mooney will you please go now!”
For the 70, this was a short window of time. Almost certainly they went back to long greetings when appropriate. It’s not that the greetings were bad. It’s about having the wisdom to prioritize the rhythm of the Kingdom in favor of the mission of the Kingdom.
7. The response to inhospitality is loving witness. Jesus told the 70 that if they go into a town and are welcomed, they should a) take care of their practical needs on God’s behalf (cure the sick miraculously) and b) tell them the Kingdom has come near. It’s not either/or; it’s both/and.
But if they were not welcomed, they were to wipe the dust off your feet and leave - but still tell those who were hostile that the Kingdom has come near. How were the 70 to respond to rejection and hostility? With witness!
If you experience rejection or hostility for being a follower of Jesus, don’t pray that God rains down fire. The door to the Kingdom is still open for all, and we should remind people of that no matter what they think of us or our message, God invites them into His Kingdom.
8. Honor people. They were not to move. This might characterize them as those who are shopping for the most luxurious accommodations when they should live simply and gratefully. This levels the socio-economic playing field. The disciples aren’t jockeying for the tastiest food and softest beds or wittiest company. They aren’t going to curry favor while in a town so they become upwardly mobile in society. They might get bread and water when they could be getting caviar and Verners somewhere else, but they will be content.
This seems really relevant. We are not called to continue to seek the bigger stage, the brighter lights, the trendier audience, the cooler venues, the more powerful and beautiful peers. It’s a trap. It’s a distraction. It’s also turns the people with whom we started into stepping stones on our way to “something greater,” which is almost always greater by Empire standards, not Kingdom standards.
Sometimes, ministries grow organically. I’m not talking about that. I mean, if the disciples were staying in a house with someone who was just about to move into a much nicer place, it’s not like they couldn’t move with them J Sometimes, there are righteous reasons for moving to a different place of ministry. I don’t mean to imply that moving on is inherently wrong. But there is a difference between chasing bigger and better from a bad heart vs. stewarding what God gives us to steward.
Jesus is clear in this instruction: don’t chase comfort or status. As a picture on our wall said when I was a kid, “Bloom where you are planted.”
9. Accept what you are given. A joyful acceptance of hospitality, no matter how small or bland or unusual, goes a long way toward building relational bridges - especially if what someone offered was modest. The disciples’ response really mattered. Likely, the humble host is already self-conscious that Billy and Sarah up the street could give them smoked brisket instead of spam. How the disciples responded to their hospitality mattered a ton for the sake of the Kingdom.
10. Do the work of a missionary: heal and proclaim. In Luke 9, Jesus sent the twelve out to “proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal.” In Luke 10, he sent the seventy out to “cure the sick…and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” At this stage of his ministry, Jesus’ disciples do the same things they have seen Jesus doing: healing people and telling them about the Kingdom.
“And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people” (Matt. 4:23)
Later on, after his death and resurrection, he will give them further instructions, but for now this was enough: heal people; do it as a sign that God’s kingdom is on its way into the world.[13]
For us, I think that bringing healing to people is a both/and: both prayers for supernatural healing (which shows the care and power of God in a supernatural way) and doing the work of bringing medical, emotional, relational and financial healing to all places of sickness in the world (which shows the care of God and the power of the church’s presence).
Friends oversees have told me that their church planting in new towns started with a year of establishing things like drug rehab clinics and orphanages. They healed the sick. When they proclaimed “The Kingdom of heaven is here,” the people had already seen what it would look like in a very practical sense.
I worry that we can overlook the importance of practical care as a sign of God’s love and provision. Helping the needy/sick/poor is not wokeness or a distracting social gospel; it’s a lifestyle that ought to be embedded in the DNA of the Christian.[14]
We can learn a lot from the “show and tell” we did in school. We don’t just show; we don’t just tell. It’s both J
11. Remember the message: The kingdom of God has come. The “kingdom of God” in this present age is the rule and reign of God in people’s hearts and lives. In Luke 17:20-21 Jesus said,
“The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed (like Rome), nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”[15]
In other words, God is here. Now. Meanwhile, the Jewish people were expecting the Kingdom of God to do the following:
· bring peace by ruling the world (through the Zealot’s warrior/political messiah)
· bring righteousness by restoring the glory of the Temple (the Sadducees’ Torah/Temple Messiah)
· bring about socio-economic justice by ‘turning stones into bread’ (the Pharisee’s People’s Messiah)
Jesus addressed peace, righteousness and justice, but not like they expected.
· The Kingdom brings peace between us and God (through salvation and reconciliation) and peace with others (#newhumanity #nobarriers[16]) through Jesus.
· The Kingdom brings righteousness by cleansing our hearts, renewing our minds, and healing our souls.
· The Kingdom brings justice (just living) as God’s people bring a full range of provision and healing to the world as a demonstration of God’s care for “the least of these.”
This is the Kingdom, and it is here. Let’s ‘show and tell’ everybody.
____________________________________________________________________________________
[1] It’s a Hebrew/Greek thing, like 666 vs. 606 in Revelation. When the Hebrew was translated into Greek, 70 was translated as 72. In both cases, Jesus sent out as many disciples as there were nations in the ancient world.
[2] Some commentators point out that in Exodus 24, Moses chose 70 elders who went up Mt. Sinai with Moses and were filled with Spirit such that they prophesied (think ‘spoke inspired truth’). The Numbers 11 account notes two additional men besides the 70 were with Moses, Eldad and Medad, who also received the spirit and prophesied as the other elders did. So were there 70 (on the basis of being on Mt. Sinai with Moses), or 72?
[3] “The 12 and the 70,” biblehub.com
[4] Extras denoted wealth. Also, this meant they had to stay at a house, because they would be too cold to sleep outside. It forced relationship and community.
[5] “Greetings were socially mandatory, except on an urgent prophetic errand or mission as in 2Ki 4:29.” (NIV Cultural Background Study Bible)
[6] A “woe” is an exclamation of grief, similar to what is expressed by the word alas.
[7] “The condemnation of these towns would be based on the revelation they’d received. Capernaum, in particular, had witnessed many of Jesus’s miraculous works (see 4:31-41; 7:1-10), yet the majority of the city’s inhabitants rejected him.” (“Ministry on the way to Jerusalem (Luke 9:51–19:27)”, biblestudytools.com)
[8] “Chorazin and Bethsaida have been so thoroughly destroyed that their exact location is not definitely known today.” (Believer’s Bible Commentary)
[9] An allusion to the fall of Babylon noted in Isa 14:13, 15.
[10] Bonus point: Governments/institutions/systems take a position either for or against the Kingdom. This is what we mean when we talk about “systemic” problems. Sometimes, it’s more than individuals who oppose God’s Kingdom. It’s entire structures of society. We talk about corporations that we support (or don’t support, perhaps) because they have corporate policies that we believe promote virtue or vice. It happens in countries where religious freedom is more or less allowed. I offer this to note that “all of creation groans” as it awaits redemption. The fallenness of individuals will manifest in the things those individuals build. It’s important to “pray and go” to both individuals and the cities/countries/industries/businesses in which they live. Everything needs Jesus.
[11] “My (Paul’s) job was to plant the seed, and Apollos was called to water it. Any growth comes from God, so the ones who water and plant have nothing to brag about. God, who causes the growth, is the only One who matters.” (1 Corinthians 3:6-7)
[12] You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever. ”For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, He will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God. 2 Corinthians 9:7-12 NLT
[13] This list is a combination of lists found at “On The Road With Jesus: The Mission Of The Seventy,” goodfaithmedia.org. and a list at Believer’s Bible Commentary.
[14] I think that’s what the foot-washing ad during the Superbowl was trying to convey.
[15] I believe that’s the best translation.
[16] Ephesians 2:14-15