At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.
v. 1. After this the Lord appointed seventy
[-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs.
Seventy is rich in biblical meaning. It may be
an allusion to the 70 elders who helped Moses. It could be the number of translators
of the Hebrew Bible into Geek. Hence, the Greek OT is called the Septuagint
(LXX). It may refer to the traditional number of gentile nations. In this case,
Luke may be thinking of the time when the disciples will go out the whole world
to proclaim the good news.
v. 3. Behold, I am sending you like lambs
among wolves.
The disciples are warned that they will
meet opposition and hostility, just like Jesus himself.
v. 4. Carry no money bag. Greet no one along
the way.
Like the Levites of the OT, the disciples
have a right to community support.
The mission is urgent. They should not be
distracted by the ritual of greeting which tended to be long-winded.
v. 5. Into whatever house you enter, first say,
‘Peace to this household.’
Peace or “shalom” is a traditional Jewish
greeting. Here is means “May the fruits of salvation come upon this house.” The
fruits of salvation, of course, come from Jesus Christ.
v. 6. If a peaceful person lives there….
Peaceful person = son of peace. Someone
worthy of peace.
v. 7. Stay in the same house and eat and
drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move
about from one house to another.
Food and shelter are not alms, but wages. St.
Paul says that this has scriptural authority. For the scripture says, “You
shall not muzzle an ox when it is threshing,” and, “A worker deserves his pay.”
(1Tim 5:18)
He must not give in to the temptation of
seeking a more comfortable lodging.
v. 8. Whatever town you enter and they
welcome you, eat what is set before you.
Jewish dietary laws do not apply anymore.
v. 10. The kingdom of God is at hand for
you.
Jesus has brought the kingdom. Now through
his disciples other people are able to enter the Kingdom.
vv. 10-11. Whatever town you enter and they
do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town
that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’
This signifies a complete disassociation or
break. And that was what St. Paul and St. Barnabas did in Antioch of Pisidia. “The
Jews, however, incited the women of prominence who were worshipers and the
leading men of the city, stirred up a persecution against Paul and Barnabas,
and expelled them from their territory. So they shook the dust from their feet
in protest against them and went to Iconium.” (Acts 13:50-51)
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