The Seventy-Two

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted to the heavens? No, you will go down to Hades.
“Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me. Luke 10:1-16

Now the mission was fully underway. Jesus by now had perhaps thousands of followers, so he could pick out some really dedicated ones to be his forerunners into the cities He would visit on His way to Jerusalem. This was intense. There were souls to be harvested in these cities, and there needed to be more workers for that job. There must be no nonsense about their objective: no extra baggage, no dawdling or fraternizing along the way. No distractions, no encumbrances. You are lambs going among wolves. Where you find positive volition, stay, accepting the hospitality of the householder. Whatever food and drink they offer, receive it graciously and without criticism. Do your job: heal their sick and proclaim the Kingdom of God, Keeping the message clear:"The Kingdom of God has come near to you."

Where you are rejected by negative volition, just keep moving on, after proclaiming the Kingdom message clearly as you wipe their dust off your feet. These cities: Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum have had miracles performed in their midst, the likes of which would have brought the condemned cities of old to repentance.

Here is the authority of the messengers of Christ: whoever listens to Christ's messenger listens to Christ. Whoever rejects Christ's messenger rejects Christ. And whoever rejects Christ rejects the One Who sent Him (God the Father). If we have God's Word, we are His messengers. We do speak on His behalf in the world. Our message is accepted or rejected on a daily basis by whoever hears. Our job is to proclaim. Make the issue clear. Their response is a matter of individual volition, and they bear the consequences. Lay it on the line. They will take it or leave it. Jesus, the Savior will also be their judge.