After this the Lord appointed a further seventy-two and sent them on ahead in pairs to every town and place he was going to visit himself.

Jesus chose 72 (or some documents say 70) of his followers to go ahead of him.
NB.  In Jewish tradition, the number 70 represented the whole world - the Gentile nations.  It was the number of nations mentioned in Genesis 10, or the number of Elders who helped Moses in Exodus 24:1

Jesus still chooses followers from all aver the world to go out and prepare people for meeting him.  It is our job to prepare the way so that he can convert people.  Our job is to let people know about Jesus, what he has done for them and what he means to us. Our job is not the conversion - that is God's work.

This time it was not just the 'core' 12 who Jesus sent out- it was a larger group.  Today, he doesn't just send out the church leaders and ordained ministers, but the whole church - a much larger group.

V 2.

He said to them, 'The crop is heavy, but labourers are scarce; you must therefore beg the owner to send labourers to harvest the crop.....

He compared the job he was giving them to a harvest.  A very prolific crop but not enough labourers to harvest it.  He told them to beg the owner for more workers.

Our task today is enormous.  We must pray for more people to help.  God controls/ owns our work.  It is his job to 'hire' more workers.  We need to beg him for them and ask him to direct us to potential 'workers' for his harvest.  Then we must depend on him to do that.

V 3.

Be on your way.  And look, I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.

Quest Study Bible note:   Jesus wanted his 72 disciples to understand what they were getting into.  Their task would be dangerous.  Often they would be rejected.  Jesus was up front about what would happen if they worked for him.

A warning.  This is not an easy job - we are all like lambs among hungry wolves.  Inexperienced and weak lambs - not even grown sheep.  We'll be unsure, frightened and poorly equipped to defend ourselves. The only thing we have to hold on to is faith in the 'shepherd'.  And we can certainly trust him to support us.

V 4.

Carry no purse or pack, and travel barefoot.  Exchange no greetings on the road.

The Message: Travel light.  Comb and toothbrush and no extra luggage.  Don't loiter and make small talk with everyone you meet along the way.

He told them: Don't take money or a back pack of belongings and supplies, or even shoes!  And don't stop and talk to anyone.  He gave the same instructions to the 12 in Luke 9: 3-5.

When we go out to do the Lord's work, we are to 'travel light' and allow no distractions, no time-wasters.  We have a job to do and we must focus on it exclusively with no props to rely on except Christ.

Vs 5, 6

When you go into a house, let your first words be, "Peace to this house."  If there is a man of peace there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return and rest upon you....

New Bible Commentary, p.998: A man of peace is a peace-loving person, somebody worthy of the Messianic gift of peace.  The greeting expressing peace is regarded as having an effect on the receiver.

We are not to force ourselves and our message on people who don't want us there.  Be sensitive and don't impose - God never does.

V 7.

Stay in that one house, sharing their food and drink; for the worker earns his pay.  Do not move from house to house.

They were to accept the hospitality offered as fair payment for the work of bringing the message.   They were not to be self-indulgent and critical about what was offered to them - were not to go around town looking for the best 'deal'!  They were there to bring a message, not to get what they could out of it.

We must also allow people we visit or talk with to offer hospitality to us and accept it with grace. Acceptance of hospitality signifies acceptance of the person offering it.  If we want them to know God accepts them, we must show them we do too. We must remember that we also have a message to bring and not be side tracked by peripheral matters.

Vs. 8, 9.

When you come into a town and they make you welcome, eat the food provided for you; heal the sick there, and say, "The kingdom of God has come close to you."

When a town welcomed them they were to accept hospitality, heal the sick and preach the gospel - pass on the good news of the Kingdom of God.

The Message: tell them God's kingdom is right on your doorstep.

New Bible Commentary, p. 998: Their message was to be that the kingdom of God had arrived: the sign of its presence were the mighty works which they would perform.  When the gospel is proclaimed, the blessings of God's rule are near or within the grasp of all who will accept them.

When we are proclaiming God's message we should expect to see signs of his blessing on the people we are talking to.

Vs. 10, 11.

When you enter a town and they do not make you welcome, go out into its streets and say, "The very dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off to your shame.  Only take note of this: the kingdom of God has come close."

When they were not made welcome and their message not received, they were to warn of divine judgement and leave.

If people reject the gospel, we should try to let them know exactly what they're rejecting - God's goodness - then let them go.  It's their decision.  We must never 'hound' people - that will only put them off more.  They are not rejecting us! We do not have to convince them of anything.  It is God's business to bring them back or to judge them, not ours.

V 16.

'Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.'

Jesus gave authority to those he sent out. They went out in his name - like ambassadors- with full authority. So does he give us when he sends us out. We often go hesitantly. We shouldn't! We have the same authority he gave the seventy-two disciples. We are his personal representatives.

What a responsibility! What a privilege!

V.17.

The seventy-two came back jubilant. 'In your name, Lord,' they said, 'even devils submit to us.'

The disciples obeyed Jesus' instructions, were confident in his authority given to them - and saw great and mighty things happening. They knew that none of this was done by them, but by Jesus - it was done in his name. No doubt those who were healed during their time out on mission were left in no doubt either that it was Jesus who had done the healing.

The seventy-two came back jubilant. (NIV: with joy) (TEV: with great joy) (The Message: triumphant) They were happy and excited by all that had happened. So should we be jubilant when we see God at work. Too often we take God's goodness and evidence of his power for granted.

V 18.

He replied, "I watched how Satan fell, like lightning, out of the sky….

Jesus knew the things that they saw and rejoiced with them.. Here is a sign of the future when Satan will be completely defeated. It is a reminder that God is all-powerful and that Satan's influence in this world is temporary.

New Bible Commentary, p. 998: Jesus saw in the casting out of the demons a sign that Satan's throne was toppling. He appears to have been speaking metaphorically. He had a vision of the spiritual defeat of Satan which took place at the cross; and the exorcisms, the defeat of Satan's minions, confirmed his certainty of the coming victory over their master (described in Revelation. 12: 7-10)

Quest Study Bible note: Satan fell in the sense that he was defeated when confronted with the power of Christ: the disciples were in charge, not Satan's demons. The disciples preached the message of the kingdom, healed the sick, raised the dead, cleansed lepers and drove out demons (Matthew 10: 7-8). The miraculous ministry of Jesus proved God's power to be far greater than Satan's. When Jesus ushered in the kingdom of God, Satan's demise began.

V.19

And now you see that I have given you the power to tread underfoot snakes and scorpions and all the forces of the enemy, and nothing will ever harm you…

(TEV) Listen! I have given you authority, so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the Enemy, and nothing will hurt you…

Did Jesus mean this literally? Personally, I don't think so. I'm not going to go out and deliberately walk on poisonous snakes and expect not to be in any trouble. But I am confident that there is nothing in the realm of Satan that can harm me spiritually or as a person when I trust in God and do his will. Because of the death and resurrection of Jesus, I am safe from anything Satan wants to throw at me. All I need to do is call on the name of Jesus and Satan can't touch me. That doesn't mean my life will be completely trouble free and everything rosy all the time. But, whatever happens, I can not lose my relationship with God - unless I choose to end it. God never will.

New Bible Commentary note, p. 998: Snakes and scorpions are symbols of spiritual wickedness (cf Deuteronomy 8:15, Psalm 91:13)

Quest Study Bible note: These parts of the creation were symbols of the presence of evil (cf Revelation 20:2). This was, then, a figurative way to speak of trampling over evil. Nonetheless, some see this as a literal promise of physical protection.

V.20

Nevertheless, what you should rejoice over is not that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are enrolled in heaven.'

Jesus needed to make sure that the disciples put their experiences into the right context.

He could have made just this statement without all the previous comments. But he didn't. He first joined in their rejoicing - in effect said 'Well done!' Then he taught them the important truth. If he'd done it the other way, he'd have dampened their enthusiasm.

Jesus wants us to be enthusiastic about sharing in his work and he wants us to encourage each other. But he also wants us never to lose sight of what is most important: that through him, we have a place in God's kingdom.

The Message: All the same, the great triumph is not in your authority over evil, but in God's authority over you and presence with you. not what you do for God but what God does for you - that's the agenda for rejoicing.