Content:
- Jesus sends out the twelve
- Jesus sends out the seventy
- Comments by Jesus
- The Great Commission
Jesus has been given all authority in Heaven and on Earth (Mat 28:18). Jesus performed several miracles during his ministry on Earth, see Miracles of Jesus.
Jesus sends out the twelve:
Jesus shared that authority, first to his twelve apostles. Jesus sent them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to heal every disease and every affliction (Mat 10:1, 8a, Mark 6:7, 12–13,
Luk 9:1–2, 6, 10a). We can't do that in ourselves, see time 13:32–14:14 in
Bible Q&A With Pastor Paul │April 2024 | (Individual links in description).
They should first go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mat 10:5–6).
The people of Israel were given the first opportunity to respond to the gospel because the promises had been made to the people of Israel (Jer 31:31–33).
The apostles should walk in obedience and base it on faith and trust in Jesus, even without having received any real explanation from Jesus. They shall give without reward (Mat 10:8b). Jesus had freely shared his authority with them. Not for people to be impressed by them, or for them to get rich. Authority was shared with them so that Jesus would be glorified. They shouldn't bring extra provisions on their journey.
The reason was that the worker deserves his food. (Mat 10:9–10, Mark 6:8–9,
Luk 9:3). They shouldn't worry about it, instead they should leave it in God's hands. They should trust God.
Traveling could be very dangerous in those days. They should therefore find out who is worthy and stay there until they leave that area (Mat 10:11, Mark 6:10,
Luk 9:4). Worthy is someone who responds positively to the gospel. They shouldn't be walking around the area looking for a better deal to stay at. The reason for that is that it's important to share the gospel with integrity, to prevent complaints from the world because of their way of life. It can otherwise be perceived as being more about what they can get from people than what they can give.
God wanted them to bless the people in the houses. They should do it by sharing
the gospel. They were the peacemakers, see 7) Blessed are the peacemakers
in The Sermon on the Mount. The only way to have true peace is through Jesus.
If people reject the gospel, they should leave the place in peace (Mat 10:11–13).
If someone didn't receive them or didn't listen to their words, they would shake the dust off their feet when they left the house or city (Mat 10:14–15, Mark 6:11,
Luk 9:5, Acts 13:50–51, Heb 10:26–27). The reason was to emphasize gravity to reject Jesus Christ. This shouldn't be done in an attitude of anger or frustration.
Jesus sends out the seventy:
The instructions Jesus gives to these 70 (some manuscripts say 72) are very similar to the instructions he gives to the Twelve (see above):
- Jesus sent them out two by two, to every city and place where he himself would go (Luk 10:1).
- They should heal the sick (Luk 10:9). They had been given the authority to do so by Jesus (Luk 10:17, Mat 10:1).
- They shouldn't take extra provisions with them on their journey
(Luk 10:4a). - They should find out who is worthy and stay there until they leave that area (Luk 10:5–7).
- If someone didn't receive them or didn't listen to their words, they would shake the dust off their feet when they left that house or city
(Luk 10:10–12).
- They aren't to greet anyone on the road (Luk 10:4b). What Jesus meant was that they shouldn't be distracted. Greeting someone in the Jewish culture of that time took a lot of time, and is not the way we do it today.
- Whenever they entered a city and were received, they would eat what was set before them (Luk 10:8, Mark 7:18–19, 1 Cor 10:27–28),
see Disputable Matters in The Book of Romans. - Jesus said to them: "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." (Luk 10:16).
- They shouldn't necessarily rejoice that the evil spirits were subject to them, but that their names were written in Heaven (in the Book of Life)
(Luk 10:20), see The Great White Throne Judgement. - God has hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to little children, that is, to the humble (Luk 10:21,
Mat 11:25, 18:3, 1 Cor 1:26–29), see the seven elements in
The Sermon on the Mount. We should depend on God as little children depend on their parents. Jesus doesn't condemn intellectual learning but intellectual pride (Proverbs 11:2).
Comments by Jesus:
Jesus said: "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."
(Luk 10:2).
Jesus also said that he is sending us out as lambs in the midst of wolves
(Mat 10:16a, Luk 10:3). The wolves are the people who have deliberately rejected Christ. Just as lambs are defenseless around wolves, we will be defenseless within
ourselves. When we are attacked, we aren't to attack back (Mat 10:23a), see
Love and not revenge in The Sermon on the Mount. We are totally dependent on God for our protection. God is the one who protects us. When people kill Christians, they will think they are doing God a favor. All who desire to live a godly life in Jesus Christ will be persecuted (2 Tim 3:12, Mat 10:22a). We should therefore be wise as serpents and innocent as doves (Mat 10:16b). Wolves even enter among us in the body of Christ without sparing the flock (Acts 20:29–30, Mat 7:15), see Beware of false prophets in The Sermon on the Mount. However, we shouldn't be afraid
(Mat 10:26a, 28a, 31), see Don't be anxious in in The Sermon on the Mount.
The Great Commission:
"Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again: "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you."
And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them:
"Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them;
if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld." (John 20:19–23).
Jesus does four things for them:
- Gives them the assurance that it's Jesus in his resurrected body. By showing them his hands and his side, he assures them that they are not seeing a ghost, it's not a vision, it's really Jesus (John 20:19–20, 27, Luk 24:36–43).
- He gives them a commission: As God the Father sent Jesus, he sends them
to proclaim the gospel (John 20:21). - He brings the Holy Spirit by breathing on them and saying to them: "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22). They are now saved, born again Christians, see The Book of Peter. God created man from dust and gave him life when he breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, see The Biblical Creation and the Fall of Man. Now Jesus breathes on them as the Son of God, and they become born again Christians. See also Jesus and Nicodemus.
- Jesus gives them authority. All born again Christians, the Body of Christ, have been given the authority to declare the forgiveness of sins according to the promise of Jesus Christ to all who believe in him (John 20:23), see Salvation.
"All authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." (Mat 28:18–20).
Jesus tells us the following:
- He tells us to go out and proclaim the gospel (Mat 28:18–19a).
- We should make disciples (Mat 28:19a), followers of Christ, to love Jesus
the most (Luk 14:26–27, Mat 10:37, 22:35–37). - The gospel should be proclaimed in all nations (Mat 28:19a).
No one is excluded from the hope that the gospel provides. - We should baptize them (Mat 28:19b), see Christian Water Baptism in
The Book of Romans. Baptizing isn't a step toward Salvation, it's a step of obedience after Salvation has been received. - We must proclaim the gospel in the name of God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Spirit (Mat 28:19b), see The Trinity.
That is, to do it in their authority, but not as a formula. - Teach them to observe all that Jesus has commanded us (Mat 28:20a).
"Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover." (Mark 16:15–18).
See also Was Mark 16:9–20 in the Original Text?
Some misguided people have seen these signs mentioned above as an inspired list
of guarantees that it's OK to hold snakes and drink deadly poison. That's not the meaning of those verses. We shouldn't test God (Mat 4:6–7, Luk 4:9–12). The meaning is that when the gospel is proclaimed, supernatural events will occur.
Signs and wonders will then be accomplished.
We should show respect to all, love the family of believers, fear God and honor authorities (1 Pet 2:17). We should obey our authorities and pay our taxes. But we should also remember to obey God before authorities, if, for example, they forbid us to proclaim the gospel. See the following:
- This World is Not Our Home in The Book of Romans.
- To Fear the Lord in Fear of Man.
- Unity.
- Psalm 101: How to live a holy life.
Jesus also said to the disciples:
"These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that
everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets
and the Psalms must be fulfilled." (Luk 24:44).
After Jesus had said that, he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures
(Luk 24:45). Jesus opened their minds, their hearts, when he breathed on them and they received the Holy Spirit (John 20:22, see above). We need the Holy Spirit to understand the Scriptures (1 Cor 2:12–14, 16).
Scripture can't be understood by our simple human minds. God must open our minds to understand the Scriptures (Luk 24:45). Reading Scripture isn't like any other reading assignment we undertake. Reading the Scriptures must begin with a dedication of our mind and heart to God, and a willingness to listen to God as he speaks to us through the Scriptures. We only understand Scripture as the
Holy Spirit opens our minds and becomes our teacher.
Jesus said to them:
"Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." (Luk 24:46–49).
While he was staying with them, he commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, as he said: "You heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:3–5). "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the Earth." (Acts 1:6–8).
The Holy Spirit came later to empower them (Acts 2:1–11). They were then already saved. They were saved when Jesus breathed on them (see above) and they received the Holy Spirit. The baptizing of the Holy Spirit took place after the ascension of Jesus Christ into Heaven. When that happened, the Holy Spirit came upon them and they received power, see Jesus the Light of the World. Salvation
and being baptized in the Holy Spirit can happen at the same time (Acts 10:44–48). However, it is possible to be saved without being baptized in the Holy Spirit.
A person normally knows whether he or she is saved or not, see Salvation.
The most common and obvious proof of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is speaking in tongues, see The Gift of Tongues. But a person can also have other spiritual gifts without speaking in tongues and still being baptized in the Holy Spirit, see
Spiritual Gifts. The purpose of being baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be empowered to be a witness to take the gospel to the world.
The gospel was brought to the Samaritans (Acts 8:5, 14, 25) and then to the Gentiles (non Jews) (Acts 9:15, 10:45, 11:1, 18). God equips born again Christian believers to build up the body of Christ (Eph 4:11–12), see The Book of Ephesians.
See also Some stories in the gospels at the bottom of The Four Gospels.
