“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…. 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….The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.” He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭1‬, ‭3‬-‭4‬, ‭17‬-‭20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why did Jesus send a second contingent of disciples to prepare for His mission to Israel? Was He simply duplicating His previous preparation? 

I am indebted to Dr Michael Heiser for an interesting explanation. 

Since Jesus never did anything without a significant purpose, there was some specific meaning to this instruction. He sent another group of followers, this time seventy, or alternatively seventy-two…the number is of no consequence…ahead of Him to prepare the way for His coming, with the same instructions He had given to the twelve. 

According to Dr Heiser, in Genesis 10, the table of nations, records the seventy nations (or seventy-two depending on the breakdown of clans), descending from Noah after the flood. 

Is it not possible, then, that Jesus sent seventy-two of His representatives to prepare for His mission to the Gentile nations as well as to the Jews? His outburst against the Jewish towns that rejected Him, and His reference to Gentile places that had welcomed Him, seem to confirm this notion. 

Now let’s look at Jesus’ response to the report these seventy-two disciples brought of the success of their mission. 

“He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭18‬, ‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus was excited…yes…excited because the disciples brought back a report that confirmed something that had already happened in the heavenly realm.

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven,” from Luke 10:18, means Jesus affirmed his ultimate authority over evil, seeing Satan’s fall as swift and final, referencing his initial rebellion and cast-out status, and showing that even as disciples cast out demons, it was a sign of Satan’s ongoing, but doomed, defeat and the greater joy of salvation, not just temporary power over devils.“…

…”In essence, it’s a declaration that Satan is a defeated foe, and the work of Jesus and His followers is the ongoing manifestation of that ultimate, swift, and irreversible downfall, leading to greater spiritual realities than just earthly power.”

(Source: Google AI)

What does Jesus’ response to His followers mean to us today? 

Just as these seventy-two followers met with no resistance because Satan was already defeated and under judgment, so should  we, who fall into the same category as these men, expect the same result. As Jesus’ followers, we have been given the mandate to announce the presence of God’s kingdom with the same authority and power as they had, and should expect the same effect. 

Why, then, does it seem that we are powerless to do the same work as these people did? Is it not possible that many of God’s children have shifted the purpose of their mission from announcing and demonstrating the presence of the kingdom of God to doing miracles for miracles’s sake. 

However, Jesus added a sobering warning. “Don’t let this success go to your heads!”

“However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.””

‭‭Luke‬ ‭10‬:‭20‬ ‭NIV

How easy it is to become inflated with self-importance when God’s kingdom breaks into our realm in response to His power at work through us. We need to keep a realistic attitude at all times. This is not about us. This is about His grace at work in us first. 

Jesus was adamant and clear that His works demonstrated, first, that the reign of God had come and was among and in His people…

“But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭12‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

…and, second, that He had authority to do the works of the Father because He is the Son of God. 

“Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Messiah.”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭4‬:‭41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.”

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

“But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!””

‭‭Mark‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How important that we, the representatives of Jesus on earth, have the focus and perspective of Jesus. He was always about God’s kingdom and so should we be, both in our lives and in our mission. 

“But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭33‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Perhaps, with this in mind, we might see much more of the evidence of His reign here on earth than we do when we are obsessed with doing miracles rather than with the presence and rule of Jesus among us. 

To be continued…