Luke 10, Part One

The 70 sent out (vs. 1-20)--This is sometimes called the "Limited Commission." At one point, Jesus sent only His 12 apostles on a restricted mission (Matt. 10), but this time, He dispatches 70. Luke is the only one who records this. Some of Jesus' instructions are the same in both cases. Pray for more laborers (v. 2); how they are needed! The world is vicious to the humble people of God (v. 3), but trust the Lord and He will provide (vs. 4-7). That's a pretty good commentary on the entire book of Revelation. We simply must not think that we can please the world and God, too. The Lord's statement in verse 4, "greet no one along the road," is interesting. He isn't counseling rudeness here, He simply doesn't want His workers getting distracted by others. Those who reject the message that the "kingdom of God has come near you" will suffer sorer punishment on the Day of Judgment than Sodom (v. 12).

And, indeed, some had already rejected the word. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum come in for special condemnation by Jesus: "if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes" (v. 13). Tyre and Sidon were legendary for wickedness, so this is truly a damning indictment. Capernaum "will be brought down to hell" (v. 15, KJV; NKJV and ASV have "Hades," which is the transliteration of the Greek word used here). Rejecting a messenger of Jesus is the same as rejecting Him, which is the same as rejecting the One Who sent Him (v. 16).

After some time (we don't know how long), "the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name'" (v. 17). This represented a partial defeat of Satan--the beginning of the end for him (v. 18)--and the Lord further encouraged His disciples by giving them even greater power. But that wasn't the most important thing: "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (v. 20). Men can be easily distracted by small victories and glamorous things. Jesus helps us keep our priorities straight. The only truly significant thing is that our names are written in heaven. Everything fades into inconsequentiality when compared to that.

"Blessed are the eyes" (vs. 21-24)--Jesus has made this point before that God has "hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes" (v. 21). Jehovah doesn't literally close the eyes of the "wise and prudent," He has simply made the gospel so simple, so endearing, yet so challenging, that the "elite," the "intellectual," the "esteemed" refuse to acknowledge its truth and submit to it. It is only they with the humble trust of a child who will enter God's kingdom (Matthew 18:1-4). God looks at the heart, not the brain. The disciples of Jesus were indeed blessed. Men, for thousands of years, had waited for the coming of the Messiah. "Many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it" (v. 24). How many great men of the past had spoken of the days of Christ? Well, nearly all of the prophets whose books we have, several writers before them (Moses, David, Samuel, even Job), and many, many other men of God who taught and encouraged their people to faithfulness, based upon the fact that one day, Jehovah would send a Savior to redeem them from sin. He had finally arrived. Yes, indeed, "Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see" (v. 23).