*Luke 10:1-24
Jesus commissions seventy-two disciples to spread his message, imparting instructions and insights along the way.
- Sending of the Seventy-Two:
- Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples and sends them in pairs to every town and place he plans to visit.
- He likens their mission to being lambs among wolves, instructing them to rely on hospitality and carry no extra provisions.
- Instructions for the Mission:
- They are to greet households with peace and stay where welcomed, eating and drinking what is offered.
- They should heal the sick and proclaim that the kingdom of God is near.
- In unwelcoming towns, they are to declare that even the dust of that town will be shaken off as a testimony against it, but still announce the nearness of God’s kingdom.
- Woes on Unrepentant Cities:
- Jesus condemns the cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum for their lack of repentance despite witnessing many miracles.
- He compares them unfavorably to Tyre and Sidon, saying that these ancient cities would have repented had they seen the same miracles.
- He warns that those who reject his disciples are ultimately rejecting him and God the Father.
- Return and Rejoicing of the Seventy-Two:
- The disciples return joyfully, reporting that even demons submitted to them in Jesus’s name.
- Jesus says he saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven and assures them of authority over the enemy.
- He reminds them that the real cause for joy is that their names are written in heaven.
- Jesus’s Prayer of Thanksgiving:
- Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit and thanks the Father for revealing divine truths to the childlike rather than to the wise and learned.
- He affirms that all things have been handed to him by the Father and that only the Son fully knows the Father and can reveal him to others.
- Blessing on the Disciples:
- Jesus privately tells the disciples that they are blessed to witness these things.
- He points out that many prophets and kings longed to see and hear what they now experience but did not have the chance.
Luke 10:1-24 teaches us about sharing God’s love with others and trusting Him in all we do. Jesus sent out His followers to spread the good news, reminding them that God would provide for them and guide their steps. This encourages us to be willing to serve, knowing that we don’t have to rely on our own strength. It also reminds us to rejoice not just in success, but in the fact that we belong to God. We can apply this by sharing kindness, helping others, and trusting that God is with us wherever we go.
Luke 10:1-24 (WEB)
10:1 Now after these things, the Lord also appointed seventy others, and sent them two by two ahead of him into every city and place where he was about to come. 2 Then he said to them, “The harvest is indeed plentiful, but the laborers are few. Pray therefore to the Lord of the harvest, that he may send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your ways. Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no purse, nor wallet, nor sandals. Greet no one on the way. 5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ 6 If a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in that same house, eating and drinking the things they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Don’t go from house to house. 8 Into whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat the things that are set before you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ 10 But into whatever city you enter and they don’t receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust from your city that clings to us, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that God’s Kingdom has come near to you.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city.13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. 15 You, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me. Whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!”18 He said to them, “I saw Satan having fallen like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will in any way hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, don’t rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”21 In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit, and said, “I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for so it was well-pleasing in your sight.”22 Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”23 Turning to the disciples, he said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, 24 for I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them, and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them.”