Sharing Jesus Before the Encounter

Luke 10:1-12 (ESV) 1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that 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.

Vs 1: After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

Seventy versus Seventy Two….. manuscript variance.

• Textus Receptus -  hebdomēkonta
• Earlier collection (Dead Sea Scrolls) - hebdomēkonta duo

The Lord Appointed,  two by two, ahead of Him into every town where He was about to go. 

• Appointed: God appoints, it is His Will that causes this appointment and not of our own. 
• Two by Two: we are better together! Encouragement, watchfulness, companionship. 
• Christ sent them ahead of Him…. We share testimonies of God’s power, love and grace and Jesus has an encounter with them. 

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 (ESV) 9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up! 11 Again, if two lie together, they keep warm, but how can one keep warm alone? 12 And though a man might prevail against one who is alone, two will withstand him—a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

John 1:25-31 (ESV) 25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” 26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know, 27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” 28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is he of whom I said, After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Vs 2: And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

The Harvest is plentiful….. an abundance of lost, but few to gather them in! Therefore PRAY!

Laborers: ergatēs - not just someone busy—it’s someone actively engaged in productive work, often with effort and purpose.

Vs 3: Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

We are to expect opposition and treachery; it’s the way of the world. 

Vs 4: Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.

They were to trust God for their provisions and needs. 

• Greeting people in that time was a very long drawn out custom that would slow them down from accomplishing their mission. 

Matthew 6:25-26 (ESV) 25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?

Philippians 4:19 (ESV) 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.

Vs 5-6: Whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you.

Jesus instructed them not to greet others on the road BUT now we see the custom of greeting folks when they enter the house. 

• Urgent to get to the destination BUT slow down to do the work of the Lord once you arrive! 

Vs 7-8: And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.

Remain and accept whatever they provide. 

Vs 9: Heal the sick in it and say to them, The kingdom of God has come near to you.’

The healing was a show of the power of God and what HE was able and willing to do. 

Vs 10-11:  But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’

If you are rejected, don’t be surprised and don’t beg them to receive you. 

• Declare that they have rejected God’s Kingdom (not you). 

Vs 12: I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

They were going to experience greater judgment due to having experienced the greater revelation of Christ’ Appearing! 

Woe to the unrepentant cities… 

Luke 10:13-16 (ESV) 13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The Return of the Seventy-Two

Luke 10:17-20 (ESV) 17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”