Adult STS Lesson 102 Mission of The Seventy
MEMORY VERSE: “After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest” (Luke 10:1,2).
TEXT: Luke 10:1-24
In His earthly ministry, Jesus exemplified tremendous passion, undying commitment and zeal for the salvation of souls. He left no one in doubt that preaching the gospel was the central focus of His ministry. The desire to win souls, therefore, should be the driving force in every believer. In the text, Christ sent seventy disciples, in pairs of two, to go and preach the gospel in places where He would eventually reach. He gave them specific instructions about the business of soul-winning and made them know that those who were hospitable must be appreciated, while rejecters of the gospel were to be denounced. The disciples readily and promptly obeyed and thereby proved the power of God. They returned with great joy of success and the Lord rejoiced with them.
- THE MANDATE AND MANNER OF COMMISSIONED DISCIPLES
Luke 10:1-16; 9:1-6; Matthew 28:18-20; 6:24-34; Mark 1:15; Luke 3:1-6; Hebrews 2:3
“After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come’’ (Luke 10:1). In all the three synoptic gospels where we have the account of the evangelistic outreach of the twelve apostles, only Luke records the mission of the seventy. The progression from twelve evangelists at the first outing to seventy was an evidence that: one, the ministry of Jesus produced fruits of stable and dependable souls who were not only won into the kingdom but also committed. Two, preaching the gospel is not a task for only the leaders but the laity as well. The purpose of the mission of the disciples was two-fold, namely, to prepare the hearts of the people to receive Christ when He would eventually come to their city and to prepare the disciples themselves for practical ministry. This was necessary since they would take over the task of world evangelization after His ascension. They were sent out two by two, so that they could encourage and support each other on the field. This strategy supports the position of the Scriptures that, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up” (Ecclesiastes 4:9,10). In sending out the seventy, Jesus pointed out the enormous task of reaching the harvest-ready world with only a few capable and willing labourers. As a remedy to the shortage of gospel workers, He told them to “pray…the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest”. Jesus recommended prayer as an effective means of bringing more leaders and workers into the gospel mission. The seventy were sent out with specific instructions.
One, Jesus said, “Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves” (verse 3). This tells us that preaching the gospel has some challenges associated with it. These may include persecution, opposition, attack, ridicule and resistance. Thus, Jesus wanted to forewarn the disciples so that they would not go with a wrong impression and expectation concerning their mission.
Two, they were to neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes”. Ministers of God must be free from worldly encumbrances and be completely devoted to the ministry of soul-winning. The urgency of the task of world evangelization demands that preachers focus all their attention on Soul-winning rather than occupy themselves with making money or the cares of life. However, Christ’s instruction does not prohibit gainful employment that will enable us provide for our family. He never intended that gospel ministers should become loafers and irresponsible men who cannot provide for their family (1 Timothy 5:8).
Three, gospel preacher must be contented with a simple lifestyle devoid of covetousness and ostentation. Anywhere they go, they should be satisfied with the provisions made available. They should have no scruples about food, accommodation and utilities.
Four, Jesus commanded the seventy to “salute no man by” (verse 4). This does not mean that gospel ministers should be uncivil or discourteous; rather, it underscores the urgency of their task and the seriousness it deserves. Therefore, they must not waste precious time on the long ceremonious salutation of the Jews. Furthermore, He told them to show courtesy and say to any house they entered: “Peace be to this house”. He further revealed that: if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again” (Luke 10:6). The son of peace refers to a person who responds peaceably to others. It was customary among the Jews to call a person the son of a particular virtue or vice that mostly characterize him or her. For instance, “son of thunder” (Mark 3:17), “son of consolation” (Acts 4:36) and “son of Belial” (1 Samuel 25:17).
Five, Jesus warned them not to go from house to house, but to remain in the same house eating and drinking such things as they were given. He assured them that their needs would be met. He expressed this by the use of a common parlance: “the labourer is worthy of his hire” Concerning their message, the Lord charged them to preach and say, “The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you” (verse 9). This means that the message of the evangelist should be simple, direct and centred on the imminence of the kingdom of God, which is as near as Christ standing at the door of every sinner’s heart and knocking to be let in. Unconfessed sin keeps Jesus outside the heart. To the sinner who wants to enter the Kingdom, Jesus commands, “repent!” (Mark 1:15). Our message must be centred on Christ and the work of salvation He accomplished for us at Calvary. The disciples were also to heal the sick in order to prove that the gospel is not only in words but also in power. Healing and miracles are fundamentally part of the gospel message. Healing facilitates conviction and confirms the divine origin of the gospel. However, Jesus forewarned the disciples not to expect everyone to accept their message because men are free moral agents and can choose to repent or not. But at the end of life each person will be responsible for their choice and decision. On the day of judgment, those who reject the gospel message would face punishment more terrible than what befell Sodom and Gomorrah. This declaration of Christ was intended to stir up zeal and earnestness in preaching in the disciples to convince most of their hearers and save their souls from eternal punishment. It was also intended to prevent the disciples from getting discouraged should they discover that in spite of miracles and their great sacrifice in preaching the gospel, many people still refused to repent. To encourage them further, He told them of His identification with them (Luke 10:16). We should beware of the we respond to and treat servants of God. A reproach given to reproach on God. “Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works had been done in you, they had a great while ago repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes” (Luke 10:13). Christ upbraided the unrepentant cities of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum where He was most conversant with and where He did many mighty miracles with less response. He reproved and pronounced heavy judgement on them because they refused to repent. The impenitence of these privileged cities and their subsequent denunciation by Christ teach us that to whom much is given, much shall be required, and the greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility. Those of us who hear the sound teaching of God’s word and witness frequent manifestation of God’s power should be careful not to be confronted with the same judgment. We need to pray therefore, that God will open the hearts of the people that we preach to so that they will believe the message and repent.
- DISCIPLES’ FEEDBACK AND CHRIST’S RESPONSE
Luke 10: 17-20; Matthew 17:19; Mark 9:28; Philippians 2:9-11; Luke 15:7
The seventy returned with joy and reported an astounding success in ministry. “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name” (Luke 10:17). The disciples’ victory and success came through the name of Jesus, the name above every name (Philippians 2:10). Christ told them not to misplace their joy on the ability to cast out demons. Rather, they were to rejoice because their names were written in heaven. Believers should know that the success of their ministry is not measured by casting out of demons alone but by the salvation of the hearers. Jesus was not surprised at the ease with which the disciples exorcised demons. He attributed it to the defeat of Satan, the chief ruler of demons. Because Satan had fallen, it was not surprising that his demons should also fall. He further told them: “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:19). Unless a believer receives this same power, he or she will not be able to combat the forces of darkness. To receive God’s power for the miraculous ministry, the believer must be sanctified, pray earnestly in faith for the endowment with the Holy Ghost. It is Christ’s promise to all believers and is worthwhile to tarry until the power is received (Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4,8). Jesus’ declaration of the fall of Satan was also intended to be a warning against subtle pride because of ministerial success. Satan fell from heaven because of pride and we should beware not to fall into the same temptation.
- PRIVILEGE OF DIVINE REVELATION COMMITTED DISCIPLES
Luke 10:21-24; Matthew 13:11-16; Isaiah 5:21; John 9:39-41: Romans 11:8-10; 1 Corinthians 1:18-29
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Luke 10:21). Jesus rejoiced in spirit and praised the Father for His plan of redemption and the manner of its revelation to the new believers and disciples. He pointed out to the disciples the heir privileges in the gospel programme. It is noteworthy that it was recorded that Jesus that He wept. He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief, but when souls were converted and people received spiritual illumination, His joy broke through His grief and burden for the sinners and He praised God. Jesus praised the Father for His sovereign wisdom in hiding great spiritual truths from the WORLDLY-WISE who pride themselves in their self-righteousness, but it was revealed to those He described as babes, that is, those who are humble, tender, willing to learn and obey. This means that New Testament believers have greater privileges than the Old Testament saints and Kings. By virtue of His death and resurrection the defeat of Satan, the outpouring of the Spirit and the fullness of God’s power on believers, New Testament believers stand a greater advantage over the Old Testament saints. However, this greater privilege has conferred on us greater responsibilities to reach sinners with the gospel so they will repent and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Thereafter, we are to follow them up so that they can grow and begin to disciple others. We must consecrate and commit our time, talent and treasure to the work of evangelism and church growth. Great victories and testimonies await us when we are obedient like the seventy.
QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW:
- What is the place of prayer in raising labourers for soul harvesting?
- Mention the people whose duty it is to preach the gospel.
- Point out what we can learn from the instructions Christ gave to the seventy.
- What was Christ’s response to the disciples who came to express their joy at the conquest of devils?
- What should be the focus of every evangelistic message?
- What can we learn from Christ’s denunciation of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum?
- How are New Testament believers more privileged than believers under the Old dispensation?
