Called and Sent Ones

Luke 10:1-20

The Seventy Sent Out

1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. 5 But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. 9 And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 11 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' 12 But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

Woe to the Impenitent Cities

13 "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were 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 tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades. 16 He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

The Seventy Return with Joy

17 Then the seventy 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 give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."

These seventy disciples of Jesus Christ of Nazareth were commissioned and sent out in teams of two into multiple villages to prepare the way for Him to speak personally to them about the kingdom of God.  He told them also to pray for many more to go into the harvest field of the world (Matthew 13:38) which God had been preparing for a long time to hear of repentance to faith in the coming Messiah (Isaiah 52:7, 10, 14-15, 53:5-6, 10-11) to find deliverance from the iniquity that is our inherited sin nature from Adam.  We are to also be continuing in prayer for workers in this ongoing harvest which God is preparing in the fertile soil of the hearts (Matthew 13:23) of people whom He is calling out and drawing to Himself (John 6:44, 47) as we ours join in the harvest by planting the word of the gospel and watering it with our word and deeds (1 Corinthians 3:6-8) until the Lord God gives the increase of faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in their hearts to salvation from the wrath of God on their sin.  These seventy faithful ones set a pattern of the missionary who does not spend an inordinate amount of time raising funds and materials for the task, but brings foremost a heart equipped with the words of life and the faithfulness to venture out at the Lord’s command.  We do well to refocus according to their example.  They found places in the towns to stay while they preached and taught of the coming kingdom of heaven while we have the word made more certain (2 Peter 1:19-21) to speak about with the proof of all who have gone before us.  For those who reject the gospel we can lovingly admonish them that the kingdom of God has come near to them and for them to consider that in light of eternity.  Jesus also warned those set against Him in the examples of Chorazin and Bethsaida who should have heard and repented (Matthew 3:2) as even evil Tyre and Sidon would have done if the gospel had been heard there.  The main point Jesus was giving was that those who reject the messenger reject the message and its originator who is God Himself.  Those who reject the sent ones turn their backs on the Master who calls the world to turn from sin to Him; they reject Jesus as the Anointed One sent to call sinners to repentance and sadly choose to con hardening their spiritual hearts and necks to their own destruction.  Rejecting those bringing hope in the gospel means refusing to accept forgiveness and receiving Jesus Christ as their Lord who saves us from our just due.  These seventy then returned to their Master with the news of how God had worked through them but made the mistake of focusing on the demons they cast out in His name instead of the message cast in their hearts as seed upon the field of the world.  Jesus told them how he witnessed Satan who commands the demons being cast out of heaven itself by God, but how they should not be rejoicing in the fact that all authority in heaven (Matthew 28:18, 19-20) was at their disposal, but that their names were written in heaven (Philippians 4:3, Revelation 13:8) as the elect of God (Romans 8:30, 1 Peter 2:9-10) in Christ.  Oh, called and sent ones, rejoice and make a good testimony of defense for the hope that is in you (1 Peter 3:15)!