Day 47

Luke 10:1–16 (NIV)

¹ After this the Lord appointed seventy-two 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 a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. ⁷ Stay in that house, 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 set before you. ⁹ Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near 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 that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

¹³ “Woe to you, Korazin! 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 up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.¹⁶ “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

Pray for God to show you something to use from the passage

Read the Passage

Who is in the passage?

What action verbs do you see?

What other words stick out in your mind

Questions

Vs 2- Why are the workers so few?

Do you think about offering true peace when you go into someone’s house, meet someone new?

What does the chances we have in the United States to know the message say about the judgment that awaits those who do not respond to the gospel?

Notes

Compare Chap 9:1-6

vs 1- 72 people- again shows there are more than the 12 disciples who follow Jesus around.

sent 2 by 2, not so much for safety but for verification of what was being said. You believe two more than just one.

about to go- Jesus heading to Jerusalem- would go through a region that he had not spent much time in comparison to places he names later

vs 2- harvest is plentiful- more people ready to hear message than willing to go spread it. Pray for more people willing to speak about the kingdom of God (true today as well)

vs3-4- they are going without protection or what would normally travel with. While there are many who would respond to the gospel there are many who would seek to destroy it. This becomes another faith lesson for his followers.

Don’t greet anyone- Considered rude not to greet, In fact a little competition to see who the first one to greet would be when meeting someone. This command shows the priority of the mission. Only considered not rude when performing religious duties.

vs 5- The Peace greeting was a normal greeting (for your body and soul well-being) This time Jesus pointing out that the peace is true peace not just a common greeting but the real thing. Accepting the travelers would bring true peace.

Oriental hospitality would have been ok with someone staying and eating if you knew someone that the person knew- In this case Jesus.

vs 8-12 Healing once again is a testimony to verify what they say- "The kingdom of God is near" Cannot change the coming kingdom, can only accept or reject it. Focus is on the danger of not accepting the Kingdom. Remember Sodom considered by God a city that had to be destroyed because it was so evil Gen 18-19

vs 13-15 -echoes that judgment in terms of Jesus' day. He names the cities he has spent a good deal of time in and compares their fate to the fate of the cities of Tyre and Sidon that the Jews considered as evil Gentile areas. Jesus indictment against these cities is harsh! Common people would think no way a Gentile city would be better than a Jewish one. Judgment will be based on how you respond to this Kingdom. And because these towns had seen Jesus so much their rejection of Him will cause their judgment to be much worse. Luke 12:48 says much the same thing but on a personal level. Think of what that says of the USA and how much exposure we have had to Jesus!

16- The 72 are Jesus ambassadors- How they respond to you is their response to me.