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, by tv 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.
Jesus is continuing His journey toward Jerusalem. Earlier He sent the Twelve to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal (Luke 9:1–6). Now He appoints a much larger group of disciples and sends them “ahead of him” to the towns and places He intends to visit. They are not going on a mission of their own. They are preparing people to receive Jesus.
Luke tells us that Jesus appoints seventy-two disciples, although ancient manuscripts preserve both seventy and seventy-two. The number may recall the seventy elders appointed to assist Moses (Numbers 11:16–25). In that earlier scene, Moses stands with seventy elders who share in the burden entrusted to him; here Jesus appoints a larger group of disciples to share in His mission. The number may also recall the nations listed in Genesis 10, pointing toward the wider mission that will eventually carry the Gospel to all peoples. Already during Jesus’ earthly ministry, the circle of those sent to proclaim the Kingdom is expanding beyond the Twelve.
Jesus sends them “in pairs” (v. 1). Going together gives them mutual support, but it also reflects the biblical principle that testimony is established by more than one witness (Deuteronomy 19:15). Their mission is therefore both personal and public: together they bear witness to the One who has sent them.
Before telling them what to do, Jesus tells them to pray: “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest” (v. 2). The harvest belongs to God. The disciples are His laborers, and the mission begins not with human planning alone but with prayer. There are people ready to receive what God is offering, and Jesus teaches His followers to ask God to provide those who will bring His message to them.
The disciples should also expect difficulty. Jesus tells them, “I am sending you like lambs among wolves” (v. 3). They go without the strength or protection normally associated with worldly power. They are not sent to impose the Kingdom by force. Instead, they go as bearers of peace, healing, and the Word of God. Their vulnerability itself shows that the success of the mission ultimately depends upon God rather than upon human power.
Jesus then tells them to carry no money bag, sack, or extra provisions and not to be delayed by lengthy greetings along the road. In that culture, greetings could involve extended social exchanges, so Jesus is not forbidding ordinary courtesy; He is telling the disciples not to allow customary greetings and hospitality along the road to delay the urgent mission entrusted to them. These instructions emphasize the urgency of their mission and their dependence upon God’s providence. They are to remain focused on the work entrusted to them rather than become preoccupied with possessions, comfort, or delay. The similar instruction given by the prophet Elisha to his servant Gehazi shows how such language could express the urgency of an important mission (2 Kings 4:29).
When the disciples enter a house, their first words are to be, “Peace to this household” (v. 5). This peace is more than a polite greeting. In Scripture, peace describes the fullness of well-being that comes from God, and Luke repeatedly associates peace with the coming of Jesus (Luke 2:14; 19:38). The disciples therefore bring something of the peace of the Kingdom they proclaim.
They are also told to remain in the same house, accepting the food and drink offered to them rather than looking for more comfortable accommodations. Their simplicity protects the integrity of their mission. At the same time, Jesus says, “the laborer deserves his payment” (v. 7). Those who devote themselves to proclaiming the Gospel may properly receive material support from those they serve, a principle Saint Paul later repeats (1 Corinthians 9:14; 1 Timothy 5:18).
The heart of the mission appears in Jesus’ command: “cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you’” (v. 9). The disciples proclaim the Kingdom both by what they say and by what they do. Their healing of the sick makes visible the saving work of God that Jesus Himself has been accomplishing. The Kingdom is drawing near because Jesus, the One in whom God’s saving reign is present, is coming after them.
Not every town will welcome the disciples. When they are rejected, Jesus tells them to shake the dust from their feet as a solemn public sign that they have faithfully delivered God’s message and that those who refuse it are responsible for their response. The gesture is not an act of personal anger or revenge; it is a testimony that leaves judgment to God. Yet even to those who reject them, they must still say, “the kingdom of God is at hand” (v. 11). Human rejection does not change the reality of what God is doing.
Jesus’ final reference to Sodom makes clear that hearing the message of the Kingdom brings responsibility. God draws near in mercy and offers salvation, calling people to repent, believe, and receive the Kingdom He brings through Jesus Christ. To receive the message is to welcome what God is doing through Jesus Christ; to refuse it knowingly is a serious rejection of the grace being offered.
This Gospel therefore reaches beyond the seventy-two disciples. Jesus continues to send His followers into the world as witnesses to Him. Christian mission begins with prayer, depends upon God’s providence, proceeds in peace rather than force, and joins words with deeds. The message remains the same: through Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God has drawn near.
Lord Jesus, make us faithful witnesses to Your Kingdom. Give us the courage to follow where You send us, the humility to depend upon Your providence, and the grace to bring Your peace to those we meet. Amen.
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Sources and References
- The New American Bible, Revised Edition. Washington, DC: Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, 2011. Notes on Luke 10:1–12.
- Hahn, Scott, and Curtis Mitch. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2010. 127–28.
- Casciaro, Jose Maria, gen. ed. The Navarre Bible: New Testament, Expanded Edition. Dublin: Four Courts Press; New York: Scepter Publishers, 2008. 291–92.
- Brown, Raymond E., Joseph A. Fitzmyer, and Roland E. Murphy, eds. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall, 1990. 701, pars. 122–23.
- Aguilar Chiu, Jose Enrique, et al., eds. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. New York: Paulist Press, 2018. 1065.
- Collins, John J., Gina Hens-Piazza, Barbara Reid, OP, and Donald Senior, CP, eds. The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the Twenty-First Century. 3rd fully rev. ed. London: T&T Clark, 2022. 1325.
- Gadenz, Pablo T. The Gospel of Luke. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2018. 199–202.
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