The theme of discipleship training continues in this section of verses. The 70 disciples that Jesus sent out contrast with the three men Luke just finished presenting (9:57-62). This was a second mission on which Jesus sent a group of His disciples, the first being the mission of the Twelve (9:1-6, 10). Only Luke referred to it, though there are similarities with other Gospel passages (cf. Matt. 9:37-38; 10:7-16; 11:21-23). It is not surprising to find this incident in this Gospel. Luke had an interest in showing the development of God's mission from a small beginning in Luke. He presented it as growing to a worldwide enterprise in Acts. His emphasis was again the instruction Jesus gave these disciples in preparation for their ministry (cf. 9:1-6).
10:1 "After this"shows Luke's basic chronological progression, but he deviated from it often, as did the other Gospel writers. Luke's use of "Lord"here stresses His authority, an important emphasis in a section dealing with Jesus' directions to His followers.
The number of the messengers is a problem. Both 70 (NASB, AV, RSV) and 72 (NIV, NEB, JB) have good textual support. Commentators usually favor one or the other because of why they believe Jesus may have selected 70 or 72 since the textual evidence is so equal. Those who favor 70 usually do so because they believe Jesus was following an Old Testament precedent. There were 70 descendants of Jacob who went to Egypt with him (Exod. 1:1-5). There were also 70 elders in Israel (Exod. 24:1; Num. 11:16-17, 24-25) and in the Sanhedrin, and people in Jesus' day viewed the world as having 70 nations in it (Gen. 10).268Some scholars believe that one or more of these factors influenced Jesus. Others who favor 72 think that the table of nations in the Septuagint version of Genesis 10 that lists 72 nations influenced Jesus.269Another view is that the 72 translators of the Septuagint influenced Him.270I prefer 70 mainly because I think it likely that Jesus was prefiguring a mission to the whole world here. However this problem has no significant bearing on the meaning of the rest of the story.
The scope of this mission was broader than the mission of the Twelve. The Seventy were to go to all the towns Jesus planned to visit, apparently not just Jewish towns but also those in the Samaritan and Gentile areas of Palestine. Evidently these disciples were to do what John the Baptist had done through his verbal witness, namely prepare the people for the coming and preaching of Messiah (cf. 7:27). Their task was not just to arrange accommodations for Jesus as had been the task of the messengers in the preceding pericope (cf. 9:52). Sending messengers two by two was a common practice (cf. 7:18-19; Mark 6:7; Acts 13:2; 15:27, 39-40; 17:14; 19:22). It assured companionship, protection, and the double witness that the Jews required (Deut. 17:6; 19:15).271
10:2 Jesus' first instruction to the Seventy was that they pray (cf. 1 Tim 2:1-8). Jesus gave His disciples the same instructions on another occasion (cf. Matt. 9:37-38). The harvest figure is common in Scripture, and it pictures God gathering His elect (cf. Matt. 13:37-43; et al.). In this context it referred to gathering believers in Jesus out from the mass of unbelievers to whom the Seventy would go. When He said that the harvest was plentiful, Jesus meant that there was much work to do bringing the gospel of the kingdom to everyone. His disciple messengers were few in proportion to the large task. Therefore the disciples needed to pray God to send every qualified messenger out into the "field"and that none would fail to participate in this mission. Thus this verse expresses Jesus' desire for more workers and for full participation by the workers who were available.
10:3 The importance of participation continues in Jesus' imperative command to the Seventy to go (Gr. hypagete, cf. Matt. 28:19). The sheep among wolves figure was evidently a favorite one for Jesus (cf. Matt. 10:16). It pictures the dependent and vulnerable position of His disciples among hostile adversaries. They needed to trust in and pray to God, therefore, as they ministered. Jesus sent them out (Gr. apostello) as apostles, in the general sense of that word. Jesus was speaking as the Shepherd of His sheep.
10:4 The mission of the Seventy would be relatively brief, so they needed to travel lightly (cf. 9:3; Mark 6:8). The implication of their not carrying a purse was that they should depend on the hospitality and gifts of believers to sustain them but most importantly on God. In ancient Near Eastern culture people often gave very long greetings that tied them up sometimes for days (cf. Judg. 19:4-9; 2 Kings 4:29). Jesus did not mean that His disciples should be unfriendly or unsociable but that they should not allow these greetings to divert them from their mission. They were to pursue their work and not waste their time on lesser things.
10:5-6 The Seventy were to utter a benediction on any household that offered them hospitality. "Peace"(Heb. shalom) was a common Jewish blessing that wished the fullness of Yahweh's blessing on the recipient (cf. John 14:27). As the disciples ministered, it would become clear whether the host really believed their message. If he turned out to be a man of peace, namely a man marked by the fullness of God's blessing on his life, the disciple's benediction would result in God's further blessing. If the host proved unbelieving, God would not bring the fullness of His blessing on him, but the host would forfeit it (cf. Matt. 10:11-13; Mark 6:10-11).
10:7 The Seventy, like the Twelve (cf. 9:4), were normally to remain with their hosts and not move around in one neighborhood trying to improve their situation (cf. Matt. 10:11; Mark 6:10). This would result in their wasting time and possibly insulting their hosts. As servants of the Lord, they were to eat and drink what their hosts provided. They could expect sustenance and needed to be content with that even though it might not necessarily be what they would prefer. The principle of the worker being worthy of his wages goes back to creation (Gen. 1:28-30). Jesus and the apostles reaffirmed it for the present inter-advent age (cf. Matt. 10:10; 1 Cor. 9:3-18; 1 Tim. 5:18; 3 John 5-8).
10:8 Taken broadly the food set before the disciples in whatever town they might visit could possibly include ceremonially unclean food. Jesus was already dispensing with the clean unclean distinction in foods (cf. 11:41; Mark 7:19; Rom. 10:4). Peter's scrupulous observance of the Jewish dietary laws may not have characterized all the disciples (cf. Acts 10:14). The practice of eating "unclean"food continued to disturb the early church (cf. 1 Cor. 8). Undoubtedly Luke included this reference with his original readers in mind.
10:9 The Seventy were to continue the ministry of Jesus (7:21-22; 9:11; Matt. 4:17; Mark 1:14-15; 11:5) and the Twelve (9:1-2). This verse gives the positive content of these messengers' ministry. The mention of healing before preaching suggests that the miracles provided an opportunity for the preaching as well as validating it. Their message was that the Messiah had appeared and, therefore, the messianic kingdom was imminent. If the people had believed in Jesus, the kingdom would have begun shortly. The kingdom was near then spatially and temporally.
10:10-11 The Seventy were to declare publicly two things to the towns (i.e., the people of the towns) that rejected them and their message. They were to utter a symbolic rejection for unbelief (cf. 9:5; Matt. 10:14; Mark 6:11), and they were to remind the rejecters of the reality of the kingdom offer that they had spurned. This second action was a virtual sentence of judgment.
10:12 The common characteristic of Sodom and these Palestinian cities was failure to repent when given a warning by God (cf. Gen. 19:24-29; Matt. 10:15; 11:20-24; Rom. 9:29; 2 Pet. 2:6; Jude 7). The fate of the people of Sodom had become proverbial (cf. Isa. 1:9-10). The Sodomites had the witness of Lot, but these cities had the witness of forerunners of the Messiah. The Sodomites could have saved their city by repenting, but these cities could have entered the messianic kingdom. Therefore their guilt was greater than that of the people of Sodom.
10:13-14 The traditional site of Chorazin is at the north end of the Sea of Galilee.272Bethsaida Julius was its near neighbor (cf. 9:10). Both towns, used as representatives for many other similar ones, had received much of Jesus' ministry. Tyre and Sidon, the Phoenician cities on the Mediterranean coast, had suffered severe judgment for rejecting God and His people (cf. Isa. 23:1-18; Jer. 25:22; 47:4; Ezek, 26:1-28:23; Joel 3:4-8; Amos 1:9-10). The responsiveness of these rebellious Gentile towns in comparison to the unresponsive Jewish towns named would have encouraged readers of Luke's Gospel who were witnessing to Gentiles. However, Jesus' point was the dire fate that would come on people who spurned His offer of salvation (cf. Matt. 11:21-22). Sitting in ashes while wearing sackcloth made of goat hair or sitting on sackcloth expressed great sorrow connected with sin in the ancient Near East (cf. 1 Kings 21; 27; Job 2:8; 42:6; Esth. 4:2-3; Isa. 58:5; Jon. 3:6-8).
10:15 Capernaum had been the center of Jesus' ministry in Galilee. While it was more responsive than Nazareth (4:23), it was still less responsive than it should have been in view of the witness it had received. Jesus' words of judgment undoubtedly grew out of God's condemnation of the king of Babylon's pride (Isa. 14:13-15; cf. Matt. 11:23). Evidently the people of Capernaum expected God to treat them with special favor because Jesus had done many miracles there (cf. 13:26). Jesus was picturing Hades (i.e., Sheol, the place of departed spirits) as opposite to heaven spatially. Hades was a place associated with humiliation and punishment whereas heaven was the place of joy and blessing.
Verses 13-15 constitute a condemnation of the rejection of the ministry of the Seventy. These strong statements helped the disciples appreciate the importance of their mission as they went out.
10:16 Jesus added further importance to their mission by explaining that acceptance or rejection of the Seventy amounted to acceptance or rejection of Himself and God the Father who had sent Jesus (cf. Matt. 10:40; Mark 9:37). Jesus was authorizing these disciples to act for Him (cf. John 20:21).
This ends Jesus' briefing of the Seventy for their unique mission. Luke recorded nothing about the mission itself. His concern was Jesus' instructions and their applicability to his readers in view of their mission (Acts 1:8).
