After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.

16 “Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

17 The seventy returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

18 He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20 However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

22 “All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.”

23 Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24 For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.”

  • “appointed seventy others”– Corresponds to the number of original nations in Genesis 10 of the Hebrew OT. The Greek OT (Septuagint) has 72. The Luke MSS reflect this.
  • “sent them” – apostello, apostle; “two by two” – common for emissaries go in twos.
  • “lambs among wolves” – Jewish literature described God’s holy ones as lambs among the wolves (the Gentile nations).
  • “Do not take…” – trust God to provide (cf. 22:35-38). “Greet no one” – an urgent task!
  • “Peace to this house” – shalom; lit. “if a son of peace is there,” a character trait.
  • “Kingdom of God come near” – engizo, arrived. It is here now, evidenced by healings.
  • “Dust…wipe from our feet” – no residual of town left on the emissary; a judgment act.
  • “Sodom” – the epitome of wickedness (Dt 32:32; Isa 1:9; 3:19; 13:9; Jer 23:14, etc.)
  • “Woe to you Chorazin…” – a judgment oracle. Worse than for and Tyre and Sidon, notorious centers of idolatry, wickedness. All cities used in OT to depict God’s judgment.
  • “Capernaum” – Jesus’ adopted town and base of operations in Galilee.
  • “Whoever listens to you listens to me…” – legal principle of shaliach, an emissary. Legally, a shaliach IS the person sending him/her. Like ambassadors today.
  • “returned with joy…even the demons submit…” – joy! Demons? After being afflicted by demons for centuries, they now had authority over them in Christ!
  • “I saw” – imperfect tense, “I was seeing” – a repeated action, Satan fall from heaven like lightening. Not the primordial fall of Satan, but the fall occasioned by the power of disciples over kingdom of darkness: Jn 12:31; Rev 12:7-17; 20:1-3, 10, Lk 11:21-22.
  • “serpents and scorpions” – ancient symbols of evil. Nothing shall ultimately injure you.
  • “names are written in heaven” – See Ex 32:32; Isa 4:3; Dan 12:1; Mal 3:16. Ancient cities kept books of their citizens.
  • “God…hidden…revealed” – God is sovereign in disclosing himself only to the humble.
  • “Blessed… many prophets and kings” – we experience what OT saints longed to see!

Use your shaliach authority and rejoice in Christ!

  1. Understand Satan’s authority is dramatically limited during the present time: Jn 12:31; Rev 20:1-7; 1 Jn 3:8.
  2. Use your authority in Christ to walk in personal freedom, protect your family and set others free from enslavement to sin and Satan: Lk 11:21-22. How? Prayer, healings, exorcisms, prophetic actions like anointing with oil.
  3. Don’t get all amped about spiritual warfare but about the life to come (1 Ptr 1:13)!