Written ~ 03-14-2024
Read Luke Chapter Ten
Luke 10
Yesterday we read about how Jesus sent out His twelve disciples to preach the Good News, heal the sick and cast out demons. Today we are going to read about the next set of disciples Jesus will send out.
Verses 10:1-11,
1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places He planned to visit. 2 These were His instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So, pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields. 3 Now go and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.
5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’
The instructions given to the seventy two disciples is very similar to those given to the twelve in Matthew 10:9-16, Mark 6:6-13 and Luke 9:1-6.
Jesus was sending His disciples out to greater distances to get the word out that the Kingdom of God was near! He explained to them in His instructions that, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask Him to send more workers into His fields.” Their commission was to “harvest” the unsaved so the numbers of believers would grow and as the network of believers grew the further the message of Salvation would go. As those new believers were be added, their commission would be the same, to go and spread the message that the Kingdom of God is near! This is a wonderful example of a ripple effect! The more we share the Good News, the farther we see the spreading of that Good News!
When you and I are sharing our Salvation with others, the next step is to disciple those new believers to understand their role in furthering the Gospel message. These seventy two disciples who were sent out by Jesus serve as a perfect illustration of how the Word of God can spread.
One thing I really liked in Luke 10 is how Jesus adds in His instructions that not everyone will be open to hear the message that’s being preached. This is something you and I need to realize as well. No matter how passionate we are in getting the Word of God out into the world, there will be those that will reject what we are saying. We just need to remember it is not us they are rejecting.
Verse 10:16,
16 Then He said to the disciples, “Anyone who accepts your message is also accepting Me. And anyone who rejects you is rejecting Me. And anyone who rejects Me is rejecting God, who sent Me.”
This is why Jesus says to “wipe even the dust off your feet” when a town (or person) does not accept the Word of the Lord. It will be up to them now to see what sorrow awaits. It is not our fault that someone else does not accept the message of Salvation, they are responsible for their own acceptance or rejection.
I love the fact that Jesus paired the disciples when He sent them out. We are not meant to do this Christian life all by ourselves. Isn’t it so much better to have a companion who shares your same enthusiasm? When one is unsure, the other can lift up. When one is strong, the other can be stronger. That’s why for you and me it is just as important to walk in harmony with other believers. It’s nearly impossible to motivate, strengthen and press on all by yourself. And as we walk through life together we can share all that the Lord is doing in our daily circumstances. Don’t you think when those seventy two disciples were paired off that they were happy to have a companion along the way? They would have been met with a lot of hardships and would need each other to pick each other up. And then when they saw the glory and power of the Lord on full display they could rejoice with each other. It wouldn’t be the same if you had an incredible day teaching others about the Messiah and perform miraculous healings to then go back to your room at night all by yourself. To have someone else there to share in that joy, ignites and fans a flame even brighter!
Let’s take a look now at verse 10:17a,
17a “When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to Him…”
I’m sure those disciples couldn’t wait to tell Jesus all that had happened on their journey. It should be the same for us. When we have had the chance to share with each other all the wonderful things the Lord has done, it is just as important to tell Jesus all that has happened in your day! To give Him thanks, to give Him praise!
Look at the rest of verse 10:17,
17b “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use Your Name!”
The first few times, it must have been astonishing to witness your companion casting out demons, healing all sicknesses and diseases, but as they saw the hand of the Lord working through them as they spoke His Name, their enthusiasm and awe would have grown.
Lastly, we are going to read the final exhortation and warning Jesus gave to His disciples in response to their reports, look at verses 10:18-20,
18 “Yes,” He told them, “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! 19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
Along with those seventy two disciples, we have been given authority over all the power of the enemy! This statement gives us the right to live in VICTORY each and every day! Jesus uses the symbolism of snakes and scorpions, think of those as the temptation to sin and the evil desires that the world throws our way. We have to crush the lure that evil wants to have over our lives. We have authority. PERIOD. Then Jesus says something very interesting, sort of a warning here… “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you…” The Message Version says it this way, “…the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God’s authority over you and presence with you. Not what you do for God but what God does for you—that’s the agenda for rejoicing.”
Rejoice in what God is doing through you. Not necessarily what you see happening, but rejoice that God has done something amazing in and through you!
Again, verse 10:20 says,
20 “But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven.”
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, our names have been recorded in a book up in Heaven. All those you lead to the Lord and they make the decision to call on the name of Jesus to be saved, their names will be written in the book as well!
It says in Malachi 3:16-17,
16 “Then those who feared the Lord spoke with each other, and the Lord listened to what they said. In His presence, a scroll of remembrance was written to record the names of those who feared Him and always thought about the Honor of His Name.
17 “They will be My people,” says the Lord… “On the day when I act in judgment, they will be My own special treasure. I will spare them as a father spares an obedient child.”
This is what we should rejoice in! God’s Glory shining through us and the undeniable fact that when our lives are given over to the Lord, our names are written in the Book of Life for eternity! (See Revelation 20:12-15)
So, we are commissioned, like the seventy two disciples, to go out and spread the Gospel Message! To walk in the authority and the power in which the Lord has given us! To rejoice in what God is doing through us and to be joyful in knowing our names are written in God’s Book of Life.
~AMEN~