Skip to main content

166. Jesus Sends Out Seventy-Two


Luke 10:1-12
Key Verse: "Yet be sure of this: the Kingdom Of God is near."
Luke 10:11-B

Jesus is on the last leg of His journey on earth, but there are still so many who need to hear! Jesus can't do it all by Himself as a human on this earth. Earlier, He had only sent out the twelve, (day 133) but sending them two by two would mean that they could only visit six villages at a time. Now, the urgency of the mission has Jesus sending out seventy-two, not just the twelve. This means that thirty-six villages can be reached at a time. Jesus’ ministry is growing, but the message is the same as at first, "the Kingdom of God is near."

We know who the twelve are, but who are the other sixty? Well, remember that when Jesus called out the twelve disciples, He was choosing from a much larger group of followers. These twelve were Jesus' chosen men who would stick with Him constantly, but that doesn't mean that the others just fell away as if they had lost a contest. Many still chose to stay, benefiting from Jesus' teachings and being useful to Him. They had not fallen away when Jesus began talking about the necessity of denying themselves. They had counted the cost and they were still sticking around. Now, unnamed though they be, Jesus puts them to use to spread the good news of the Kingdom as well.

These other sixty are similar to us. They remained unnamed to the history books, just as most of us will be. To the world, we are insignificant. The most we will do is influence our immediate surroundings. However, by remaining faithful, these people were given a responsibility for advancing the Kingdom, just as we have been given the job to spread the good news of salvation through Jesus Christ. Fame was not their motive, obedience was. Remember, Jesus had said, "If you love me, you will obey me and keep my commandments." The same is true for us. We show our love for Christ by our obedience to the task He has given, even if we do not receive recognition for it during our mortal lives here on earth.

Your reward may have to wait until heaven, but Jesus has promised that it will be great. "God is not unjust; He will not forget your work and the love you have shown Him as you have helped His people and continue to help them. We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised." (Heb. 6:10-12) What He wants from us now is obedience to His call. What He has promised is a reward in eternity.

Hymn: "Come Labor On"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

258. "Remember, Always Remember!"

Exodus 12:1-30 Key Verse: "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord a lasting ordinance." Exodus 12:14 "Celebrate the feast of unleavened bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come." (Exodus 12:17) "And when your children ask you, "What does this ceremony mean to you?" then tell them, "It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when He struck down the Egyptians." (Exodus 12:27) The original act was an act of worship as the first true act of freedom for the people of Israel. They had been brought to Egypt by Joseph during a time of famine so that through Joseph God could preserve their lives. ( Genesis 37 , & 39-50 ) After Joseph died, however, instead of heading back to C...
Post a Comment
Read more

This Little Light of Mine

Scripture: Psalm 130 Listen Link: www.lcepc.org then look for “sermons” tab. It’s the first Sunday of Advent. Today we lit one candle and heard the passage, in Isaiah 9, about the great light! We have heard that the great light is the child born to us on Christmas day. It is Jesus, Emmanuel, God with us. Christmas is a day we will truly celebrate as we have for years and years, and our ancestors before us for centuries. Christmas is coming! Advent means coming! It is good to spend the next few weeks reflecting on all that it means for us. We begin from the depths of darkness. The world is still suffering the effects of sin. We are still suffering the effects of a world broken by sin. And not just the consequences of our own sins. According to Romans 8:22, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” The fires in California, the floods and storms on the East coast, and all the other natural disasters we hear ab...
Post a Comment
Read more

August 13 What Is Fitting

It is not fitting for a fool to live in luxury—how much less for a slave to rule over princes! ~Proverbs 19:10   On the appointed day Herod, wearing his royal robes, sat on his throne and delivered a public address to the people. They shouted, “This is the voice of a god, not of a man!” Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died. ~Acts 12:21-23  Wow! Well, what in the world can there be to benefit us here? First of all, perhaps we should review the first Biblical definition of a fool, penned by no other than Solomon’s Father, David himself. “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1 and Psalm 53:1) It is not fitting for the fool to live the blessed life. Why should they when they deny from whom all blessings flow?  King Herod was a fool. Now, just to be clear, this is not the Herod who ruled at Jesus’ birth and ordered the slaughter of the male children in Bethlehem. He ...
Post a Comment
Read more