Luke 10:1 begins with, “After these things the Lord appointed
seventy others also, and sent them….”. I believe these “seventy” can be representative
of the Lord Jesus calling and ordaining all believers to share the “Good News”
of Jesus Christ, and the Kingdom of God, to the 8 billion plus souls in the
world around us today (John 15:16). In the Bible, the number seven is the
number of completion, and today we have been given the task of “completing” the
“Great Commission”, by taking the Gospel to every nation, tribe, and language in
the world.
Jesus sends the “seventy” with specific instructions and warnings.
He reminds them that their calling and work would be a difficult one as
they labored in His harvest fields (v. 2). Jesus warned them that their
ministry would be dangerous because they would be like lambs among wolves,
and they would be hated and persecuted (v. 3). Jesus told them to be aware of many
distractions as they went (vv. 4-9). If we are not careful, instead of
doing “Gospel and Kingdom work”, we can get caught up doing “social work” or “political
reform”, which are not wrong to be involved in, they just are not the main thing
we have been called too!
Yes, the work of joining Jesus, in the power of the Holy
Spirit, in the winning of souls and transforming lives for eternity is a difficult
and dangerous one, and with many distractions. But Jesus also takes the time to
deal with another major issue in Kingdom work and that is discouragement (vv.
10-20)!
Now in Luke 10:10-20, Jesus tells the “seventy” that they
will not always be received with their message of love and grace, but they will
be rejected! When we have found the greatest gift that anyone can receive we
want to share it with others. We have found what we have been really looking
for all our lives, when we find forgiveness of sins, peace with God, deep soul
satisfaction, and eternal life! A personal and intimate relationship with the creator
God of the universe through His Son Jesus Christ! We have found the “Pearl of
Great Price”! We have found the “Hidden Treasure” beyond description! You would
think that everyone would want to have this peace and joy also!
But sadly, the devil has blinded and deceived the masses of
people into believing his lies that the “forbidden fruit” is better than God’s
Word and His great salvation! And they don’t want you and your message messing
with their religion, pleasure and fun. It is very discouraging to be rejected
by anyone, but sometime the greatest hurt and discouragement comes when we are
rejected by our own friends and family.
In these verses, Jesus is basically saying, “Leave the results
up to Me”. “Kick off the dust of their rejection and keep on going to the next
city”. “I will take care of their judgment!” Verses 13-16 might seem like harsh
language from the lips of the Son of God, but we dare not ignore it or try to
explain it away. He named three ancient cities that had been judged by
God—Sodom (Genesis 19), and Tyre and Sidon (Ezek. 26-28; Isa. 23)—and used them
to warn three cities of His day: Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum. These
three cities had been given more privileges than the three ancient cities, and
therefore they had more responsibility. If Sodom, Tyre, and Sidon were
destroyed, how could Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum escape?
To hear Christ's ambassadors means to hear Him, and to
despise His representatives means to despise Him. "As My Father hath
sent Me, even so send I you" (John 20:21; see also 2 Cor. 5:18-21).
The way a nation treats an ambassador is the way it treats the government the
ambassador represents.
We can rejoice in successful ministry, but Jesus reminds us
that even when it does not appear to be successful, we should rejoice in our
relationship with Him! “Our names are written down in heaven”!
If you are discouraged today, refocus your look upon Jesus
Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2).
God bless!
