Luke 9:1,2; Luke 10:1-11,17-20
[Jesus] called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.
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. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. Carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes: and salute no man by the way. And into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it: if not, it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you: notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you.
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 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. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.
J. C. RYLE (1816-1900): The verses before us relate a circumstance which is not recorded by any Gospel writer except Luke. That circumstance is our Lord’s appointment of seventy disciples to go before His face, in addition to the twelve apostles.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN (1826-1910): The mission of the Seventy is clearly distinguished from and contrasted with that of the Twelve by the word “others” which points back to Luke 9:1. The Twelve were prohibited from going beyond Jews, Matthew 10:5; the Seventy were under no such restriction, and were probably sent to the half-Gentile districts on the east side of the Jordan River…Much of the charge given to either is given to both, as is most natural, since they had the same message, and both were sent to prepare for Christ’s personal ministry. But though the seventy were sent out but for a short time, permanent principles for the guidance, not only of Christian workers, but of all Christian lives, are embodied in the charge which they received.
J. C. RYLE: The first point in our Lord’s charge to the seventy disciples is the importance of prayer and intercession. This is the leading thought with which our Lord opens His address. Before He tells His ambassadors what to do, He first bids them to pray. “Pray ye the Lord of the harvest that He would send forth labourers into his harvest.” Prayer is one of the best and most powerful means of helping forward the cause of Christ in the world. It is a means within the reach of all who have the Spirit of adoption. Not all believers have money to give to missions. Very few have great intellectual gifts, or extensive influence among men. But all believers can pray for the success of the Gospel; and they ought to pray for it daily.
A. W. PINK (1886-1952): The lack of positive conviction of the deep importance of prayer is plainly evidenced in the corporate life of professing Christians. God has plainly said, “My house shall be called the house of prayer,” Matthew 21:31—Note, not “the house of preaching and singing,” but of prayer. Yet, in the great majority of even so-called orthodox churches, the ministry of prayer has become a negligible quantity. There are still evangelistic campaigns, and Bible teaching conferences, but how rarely one hears of two weeks set apart for special prayer!
J. C. RYLE: Many and marvelous are the answers to prayer recorded for our learning in the Bible. “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much,” James 5:16.
D. L. MOODY (1837-1899): Take the word “prayer,” and run through the Bible tracing it out. Read about nothing else. I think you would be perfectly amazed if you took up the word “prayer,’ and counted the cases in the Bible where people are recorded as praying, and God answering their prayers.
C. H. SPURGEON (1834-1892): Let us always seek the united prayers of many Brothers and Sisters…How was it that you were converted? It was because somebody else prayed for you. I, in tracing back my own conversion, cannot fail to impute it, through God’s Spirit, to the prayers of my mother…Now, if by others’ prayers you and I were brought to Christ, how can we repay this Christian kindness, but by pleading for others?
J. C. RYLE: The second point in our Lord’s charge to the seventy disciples, is the perilous nature of the work in which they were about to be engaged. He does not keep back from them the dangers and trials which are before them. He does not enlist them under false pretenses, or prophesy smooth things, or promise them unvarying success. He tells them plainly what they must expect. “Behold,” He says, “I send you forth as lambs amongst wolves.”
MATTHEW POOLE (1624-1679): He sent them two by two, which might be for their better mutual assistance of each other, and also for their mutual testimony, one for another.
JOHN FLAVEL (1630-1691): If we be heartily engaged in the service of Christ, we must expect many adversaries, and strong oppositions; men that will raise clouds of reproaches, to darken our reputation among the people; men that will represent us to them as ignorant and unlearned, factious and seditious, erroneous and enthusiastical. Prudence, in this case, will restrain us from rendering reproach for reproach.
HENRY MOORHOUSE (1840-1880): In talking to an infidel, if you argue with him, he gets the best of you; but bring a text suited to him, and see how that will cut.
C. H. SPURGEON: We are not to stop and argue; that is no business of ours. We have to tell our message. If men will receive it, we are glad; if they will not hear it, with a heavy heart we turn aside, and go elsewhere. Our work is to proclaim the glorious message of mercy through a dying Saviour, salvation through the great atonement; it is our business to proclaim it and leave it, and the responsibility of receiving or rejecting it rests with our hearers.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN: The return of the Seventy soon followed their being sent forth. They came back with a childish, surprised joy, and almost seem to have thought that Jesus would be as much astonished and excited as they were with the proof of the power of His name. They had found that they could not only heal the sick, but cast out demons.
C. H. SPURGEON: They were especially delighted with it—“Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name!”
J. C. RYLE: From this, we learn how ready Christians are to be puffed up with success.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN: Jesus’ answer is meant to quiet down their excitement.
J. C. RYLE: We learn, for another thing, that gifts, and the power of working miracles, are very inferior to grace. It was doubtless an honour and a privilege to be allowed to cast out devils. The disciples were right to be thankful. But it was a far higher privilege to be converted and pardoned men, and to have their names written in the register of saved souls. The distinction here drawn between grace and gifts is one of deep importance, and often and sadly overlooked in the present day. Gifts, such as mental vigour, vast memory, striking eloquence, ability in argument, power in reasoning, are often unduly valued by those who possess them, and unduly admired by those who possess them not. These things ought not so to be. Men forget that gifts without grace save no one’s soul, and are the characteristic of Satan himself. Grace, on the contrary, is an everlasting inheritance, and, lowly and despised as its possessor may be, it will land him safe in glory. He that has gifts without grace is dead in sins, however splendid his gifts may be. But he that has grace without gifts is alive to God, however unlearned and ignorant he may appear to man. And “a living dog is better than a dead lion.” Ecclesiastes 9:4.
ALEXANDER MacLAREN: Great as are the gifts to the faithful servant, they are less to be rejoiced in than his personal inclusion among the citizens of heaven.
