After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. 3 Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. 5 Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ 6 If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 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. 8 Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, 9 cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ 10 Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, 11 ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. 12 I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.
17 The seventy[-two] returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” 18 Jesus said, “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky. 19 Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
When Jesus sends out the seventy-two disciples in Luke 10, He inaugurates a mission that is both historical and deeply symbolic. It is the only recorded time in the Gospels that Jesus commissions such a large group beyond the Twelve. This moment is not merely a temporary strategy for local evangelization—it is a prophetic sign of the Church’s universal mission and the urgency of announcing the kingdom of God.
Jesus sends them “two by two” (v. 1), recalling the biblical principle that testimony is confirmed by the witness of two or three (cf. Deut. 19:15). But this is more than a legal safeguard—it is a sign of fraternal cooperation, spiritual companionship, and ecclesial mission. The number seventy-two also hearkens back to Genesis 10’s list of the nations descended from Noah, symbolizing the mission to the whole world (cf. The Navarre Bible: Luke, 2008). Thus, Jesus’ instructions anticipate the Church’s role in calling all peoples to conversion and peace.
In verse 4, Jesus tells them to carry “no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way.” The Church Fathers understood this radical simplicity as a sign of total trust in divine providence and an urgency that left no room for worldly attachments or distractions. St. Cyril of Alexandria (c. 376–444 A.D.), a leading theologian of the early Church, explains that they were to travel with nothing, so that they might depend entirely on the hospitality of others and the power of the message, not on material means. The command not to greet anyone on the road is not a call to rudeness, but a reference to Eastern greetings that were lengthy and ceremonial—Jesus is emphasizing that the mission leaves no time for delay.
In verses 5 and 6, Jesus instructs them to say, “Peace to this household,” and promises that this peace will “rest on” those who are receptive. He is not offering a polite greeting or a vague feeling of well-being, but extending a real spiritual gift. The Hebrew word shalom refers to a state of harmony that begins with a right relationship with God—one rooted in trust, obedience, and grace. In this context, peace is not merely the absence of conflict, but the presence of divine order in the soul.
This peace is not conjured or generated by the disciples; it is conveyed through them as messengers of the kingdom. What they offer is not their own goodwill, but the offer of reconciliation with God through Christ. And because this peace is transformative when received, it does not merely hover around the listener—it “rests on” them, entering the heart that is open to grace. It heals what sin has disordered and initiates the soul into communion with God’s saving will. Just as with healing—whether of body or spirit—the power does not originate in the disciples themselves but flows through them by divine commission. They are not the source of peace or healing, but the bearers of what God alone can give.
The practical stipulations in verses 7 and 8—to stay in one house, to eat what is provided—are not about etiquette, but about integrity. Missionaries were not to shop around for better accommodations. They were to model contentment and avoid scandal. The kingdom is not about gain, but about giving.
Verses 10–12, where Jesus warns of judgment on towns that reject the message, may strike modern ears as harsh. But these words are not rooted in human vindictiveness. Rather, they echo the prophetic tradition of divine warning—think of Jonah at Nineveh or Jeremiah before Jerusalem fell. To reject God’s kingdom is to reject life itself, and such rejection carries consequences. Jesus’ solemn words about Sodom (v. 12) remind us that divine judgment is not arbitrary but the result of persistently rejecting God’s grace.
When the disciples return in verse 17, they are astonished: “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” Jesus responds with a mysterious but profound declaration: “I have observed Satan fall like lightning from the sky” (v. 18). This is not merely a report of what Jesus saw; it is a declaration of what their mission accomplished. The reign of Satan is being toppled. Just as Isaiah saw the fall of the “morning star” (Is 14:12), Jesus now declares the defeat of the enemy is already underway through the proclamation of the Gospel.
In verses 19–20, Jesus acknowledges the power He has given them—authority to “tread upon serpents and scorpions” and over “the full force of the enemy.” But He warns them not to focus on spiritual power as a source of pride. “Rejoice not because the spirits are subject to you, but because your names are written in heaven.” The true joy of Christian life is not what we can do for God, but that we belong to Him. This distinction is vital: even the ability to cast out demons or perform miracles is not a guarantee of union with Christ. As Jesus warns elsewhere, “Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name?...’ Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers’” (Mt 7:22–23). What matters most is not power, but relationship—being known by God and remaining faithful to Him.
Though none of us today will be sent out like the seventy-two with visible power over demons and disease, the Church teaches that the same mission continues in a different form. Every baptized Christian is called to witness to Christ—by word, by example, by love. We are called to speak peace into a broken world and to trust God for what we need. We are still sent “like lambs among wolves” (v. 3), yet we are never alone. The Spirit goes with us. The real spiritual battle continues—but so does the victory.
Lord Jesus, You sent Your disciples with nothing but Your word, Your peace, and Your power. Teach us to walk in that same trust, to speak peace wherever we go, and to rejoice not in our strength, but in Your love. May our lives bear witness to the coming of Your kingdom, and may our names be written in heaven. Amen!
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Sources and References
• The Holy Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition (2011).
• A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture, ed. Orchard et al. (1953).
• The Navarre Bible: St. Luke, Faculty of the University of Navarre (2008).
• The Paulist Biblical Commentary, ed. Chiu et al. (2018).
• Catechism of the Catholic Church, §§851, 857, 860.
• St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Homily 61.
• St. Gregory the Great, Homilies on the Gospels, 17.
• The Didache, ch. 11 (re: receiving apostles and prophets without suspicion or preference).
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