The Seventy-Two Sent

Sermon 43 in Series

Luke 10:1-16

[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.

[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.”

DEEP SHEET: Sermon Study Questions
1.  As Luke has organized his Gospel, how does he connect the themes of Jesus’ passion, discipleship, and mission in what we’ve seen so far?
2.  How were the seventy-two to think about their identity and mission? As we consider our own mission, how does wrong thinking lead to wrong action?
3.  Where do we see the disciples’ need to depend on God in the opening verses of this passage? What does this dependence look like for us as we serve the Lord?
4.  Why did Jesus tell his followers not to greet people along the road? How were they to interact with others when they reached a home and a town?
5.  How do Jesus’ words in v. 12 about Sodom connect to vv. 13-16? What point is Jesus making in these final verses?
6.  What does it mean to say that coming to church can be a dangerous thing because of exposure to the things of God? How does this passage motivate receptivity and intentionality as we encounter God’s Word?
7.  How can we be consistent in reminding our kids that to one who has been given much, much will be required (Luke 12:48)?

References: John 12:27-50 (corporate reading); Luke 13:33-34; 9:22, 44; 1-6; 8:15; Matthew 10:16; Isaiah 40:11; Luke 22:35; Deuteronomy 25:4; 1 Timothy 5:18; Mark 6:12; Romans 14:17; Genesis 19:1-29; Isaiah 1:9; Luke 12:48; Matthew 9:1; Luke 4:23, 31; 7:1; Isaiah 23:1, 4; Amos 1:9-10.