The Life and Ministry of Christ, Part 26

Earlier, Jesus sent the twelve out two by two and gave them power over unclean spirits and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease, (Matthew 10:1-42; Mark 6:7; Luke 9:1). Now, Jesus commissioned seventy other of His disciples. It is noteworthy that many who followed the Lord were also willing to go and do His work.

Seventy Sent Out – Luke 10:1-24

Luke 10:1 NKJV After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.

Some original manuscripts say seventy-two others were sent while others indicate seventy were sent. Genesis 10 gives ‘seventy-two’ people groups and some believe the ‘seventy-two’ disciples that were sent represent the Lord’s mission to all the nations of the world. The number ‘seventy’ represents the number of elders in Israel. Most of the time when we think about the Lord’s disciples, we think about the twelve. There were many others who regularly followed Jesus. From them He now sends the seventy-two with this commission to ministry. What He is saying to the seventy-two was similar to what Jesus told the twelve in Matthew 10:5-14. They were sent to every city and place where Jesus was about to go to prepare the way of the Lord. They were being sent out as lambs among wolves. Their mission was urgent so they were not to take a purse, bag or extra sandals, and they were to greet no one on the road. When they arrived at their destination, they were not to move from house to house.

Luke 10:9 NIV84 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’

Notice that Jesus said, “Heal the sick.” In verse 17, they said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” It appears that they used the name of Jesus to bring about healing and deliverance. Jesus said, “Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified,” (John 14:13-14). “I chose you and appointed you … that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you,” (John 15:16). “Whatever thing you ask when you pray, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours,” (Mark 11:24). Healing the sick is an inseparable part of the proclamation of the kingdom of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When the twelve were sent out, the emphasis was on preaching the kingdom of God was at hand and then they were to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons, (Matthew 10:7-8). Now they were told to heal the sick and preach the kingdom of God. Healing the sick was to be understood as one of the signs that God’s kingdom has come. The message that the kingdom of God is near is a declaration of relief from the power of sin and relief from the curse. The Holy Spirit has consistently confirmed the presence of God by healing the sick. Healing the sick continued to be practiced throughout the Book of Acts and the early church.

James 5:13–14 NKJV Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.

James 5:15–16 NKJV And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.  Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Before sending them out, Jesus pronounced a woe on Korazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum.

As in Matthew 11:20, Jesus rebuked cities in which His miracles had been done because they did not repent. Throughout the Bible great and mighty works, signs, wonders, miracles, and healing were done to cause people to acknowledge God and bring repentance, salvation and faith.

To reemphasize their commission, Jesus elevated what they would say and do.

Luke 10:16 NKJV He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.

He was giving His authority and support to those who go out representing Him.

Luke 10:17 NKJV Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

They were amazed that demons were subject to them in the name of Jesus.

Luke 10:18 NKJV And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

There are three ideas about what Jesus was saying. He could have been referring to Satan and one-third of the angels being cast out when they were consumed by pride and rose in rebellion. If this is what He meant, Jesus was warning them about becoming filled with pride. Second, Jesus went into the cities they had been through and saw the evidence of demons being cast out. A third view is that Jesus the Son of God had already seen what is going to happen during the tribulation when Satan will be cast out by Michael and his angels, (Revelation 12:7-9). He was definitely saying that Satan’s power has been broken and that he was subject to Jesus’ authority. It is noteworthy that Jesus was telling them about Satan’s defeat before the cross. You should know that God almighty is greater than Satan. To clarify what He said, read the next verses.

Luke 10:19 NKJV Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.

The power to overcome all of the power of the enemy and to dwell under the Lord’s covering so that “nothing shall by any means hurt you” brings boldness and rejoicing. Principalities and powers of Satan are subject to believers in the name of Jesus. This text is a reminder of what Jesus told Peter.

Matthew 16:18-19 “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. …Whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

The Lord’s disciples have been brought into a position of power and authority to expand His victory and ministry to a dark world.

Luke 10:20 NKJV Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.

The greatest reason and measure of rejoicing is because your names are written in heaven. We have reason to rejoice if our name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, (Revelation 21:27, 3:5). The ministry of the disciples and the early church was active in the healing ministry. When they healed the sick, it represented the authority that God had given to Christ and that had been extended to His church.

Luke 10:21 NKJV In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.

Jesus’ rejoicing in the Spirit occurred when He some profound truths were revealed to His disciples. He rejoiced that He and His followers understood God’s purposes and that Satan’s fall and defeat was guaranteed. This joy in the Holy Spirit shows the prophetic character of what follows.

Luke 10:22 NKJV All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, and who the Father is except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.

Luke 10:23–24 NKJV Then He turned to His disciples and said privately, “Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that 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.”

Jesus is showing those who follow Him that all power in heaven and earth was given to Him. Consider the depth of “all things have been delivered to Me by My Father.” When Jesus gave authority to heal the sick and cast out demons, He was sharing His authority and power with believers.

Rejection by the Samaritans – Luke 9:51-56

Luke 9:51–52 NKJV Now it came to pass, when the time had come for Him to be received up, that He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him.

In Jesus’ day, Samaritan’s were hostile toward Jewish pilgrims that were headed to Jerusalem because they did not recognize Mount Gerizim as the place to worship God. Notice that Jesus was preparing for His death and return to heaven. After the transfiguration, the time for Jesus to be received up was approaching, so He set His face to go toward Jerusalem where He would present Himself as the Messiah. On Jesus’ way to Jerusalem, He sent out the seventy to go ahead of Him.

Luke 9:53–54 NKJV But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

Jesus rebuked them because their attitude was out of character with Jesus’ objective to save the lost.

Luke 9:55–56 NKJV But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.

Healing Ten Lepers – Luke 17:11-19

Luke 17:11–13 NKJV Now it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!”

This is the second time in Luke when lepers were healed, ( Luke 5:12-16). In Luke 5, Jesus touched the leper and immediately the leprosy left him. In both cases, Jesus told them to show themselves to the priests.

The Law required lepers to withdraw from other people.

They also had to cry out, “Unclean! Unclean!” (Leviticus 13:45-46)

Luke 17:14 NKJV So when He saw them, He said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.

Notice that Jesus spoke to them while they were standing afar off. The priests had no power to heal the lepers. Jesus told them to go show themselves to the priests so that they could be pronounced clean. As soon as they turned to go to the priests, they were all healed.

Luke 17:15–16 NKJV  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,  and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks. And he was a Samaritan.

This one leper recognized what had been done for him and returned to worship Jesus. Luke draws our attention to the fact that he was a Samaritan. This act of mercy and healing demonstrates the availability of God’s grace and mercy for all people.

Luke 17:17–19 NKJV So Jesus answered and said, “Were there not ten cleansed? But where are the nine? Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” And He said to him, “Arise, go your way. Your faith has made you well.”

“Where are the nine?” represents the lack of gratitude of those who were cleansed. The larger part of the people accepted His mighty acts, but did not want to accept Him as the Messiah. This one received more than the cleansing of leprosy, he was made well. The terminology indicated complete deliverance and salvation. This one man had a complete healing that addressed every area of his need.