The Mission Of The Seventy
THE MISSION OF THE SEVENTY
LUKE 10:1-9
With so much still to be done, Jesus turned to a wider circle of people, and more followers were sent out.
The mission of the Twelve was to Galilee, the mission of the seventy extended to Judaea. The two projects of evangelism must not be confused, but may profitably be compared. As the Twelve represented the missionary function of Israel’s twelve tribes, so the seventy perhaps suggested the seventy members of the Sanhedrin, the land’s prime religious assembly whose purpose was ideally to prepare the land for the coming of the Messiah. Jerusalem Jewry had neglected Trans-Jordan, and it was through this strip of territory, with its admixture of Gentiles, that the seventy were to go, if they were to “go before his face.”
The detailed directions given were proper to the urgency of a brief pioneering mission, and are not universally applicable in Christian work. Time was short, and the Lord forbade detailed preparation. He told them not to waste time in social activities, for salutation in this context is not the passing courtesy of friend meeting friend but the endless formalities of Eastern hospitality (see 2 Kings 4:29). Since the area to be traversed held many non-Jews, it was also directed that no exhibition of Jewish sensitivity over dietary prohibitions should be allowed to create awkwardness or spoil the visitor’s testimony. Note Paul’s application of this sensible rule in the case of Corinth (1 Corinthians 10:27) where conscience could make a problem of food.
The principles which lie behind the instructions given to these first evangelists do contain points of universal application. The Christian preacher must be gentle in a harsh and hostile world (10:3), must go earnestly about his business, must be contented and courteous and careless of material comfort, must be simple in his message, and the envoy of his Lord. Paul must have read and heeded words like these, for his whole conduct as a missionary shows his effort to apply the Lord’s directions. He sought no personal advantage, but was not ashamed to accept Christian hospitality (1 Corinthians 9:7-18; 1 Timothy 5:18; Acts 18:1-3; Philippians 4:10-19). But let the church at large not presume upon the self-sacrifice of those who serve it. The church has also its obligations, not listed here.
Notes 10:1: it has also been pointed out that the Jews thought of the Gentiles as seventy nations. 10:2: cf. Matthew 9:37; John 4:35.