LUKE 10:1–12, THE SEVENTY-TWO DISCIPLES ARE SENT TWO BY TWO
THE CHURCH IS SENT IN POVERTY, PEACE, AND URGENT MISSION
Introduction
Jesus does not carry the Gospel alone. He forms a community and sends it. After teaching hard lessons about discipleship and the cost of following him, he now appoints seventy-two others and commissions them as missionaries ahead of his own arrival. What precedes this sending is Jesus’ steady journey toward Jerusalem and his insistence that discipleship cannot be delayed or divided. What follows will be the joy of mission, the testing of hearts, and the revelation that the kingdom of God is truly near. In this passage, Jesus shows that evangelization is both urgent and humble: it relies on God’s providence, offers peace, heals the wounded, and warns those who refuse grace.
Bible Passage (Luke 10:1–12)
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. 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. Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. 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. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ 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.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”
Background
This sending of the seventy-two mirrors and expands the earlier mission of the Twelve. Jesus is forming a missionary Church: apostles as foundational witnesses, and additional disciples as a wider body of collaborators. The number seventy-two evokes the elders who assisted Moses and also suggests the universal reach of God’s saving plan beyond one village, one tribe, or one nation. Jesus is not only teaching; he is building a living movement that will continue after Pentecost. The disciples will encounter hospitality and rejection, faith and resistance, peace and conflict. The mission is real, not romantic.
Opening Life Connection
Many people want a faith that comforts but does not inconvenience, inspires but does not interrupt, blesses but does not demand. Yet life itself teaches that what matters most requires sacrifice: raising children, keeping a marriage faithful, caring for the sick, serving a community. Jesus speaks the same truth for the Gospel. Mission is not done from surplus time and spare energy. It is done from obedience, trust, and love.
Verse-by-Verse / Phrase-by-Phrase Reflection
“After this”
This phrase is small but powerful. It tells us that mission flows from discipleship. Jesus has just confronted half-hearted following. Only then does he send. In the Christian life, ministry without conversion becomes performance. But when conversion comes first, mission becomes fruit.
“the Lord appointed seventy-two others”
Luke deliberately calls Jesus the Lord, because the sender is not merely a rabbi with an idea; he is the risen Lord-in-advance, the one with divine authority. He appointed them—meaning this is not self-chosen volunteering but a call. And they are others—not the Twelve. That is a strong word for the Church: Christ’s mission is not limited to the ordained alone. The wider company is real, chosen, and needed.
“sent them ahead of him in pairs”
Mission is not solo heroism. Jesus protects the disciples from isolation and pride by sending them in pairs. Two can pray together, discern together, correct one another, endure rejection together, and give credible witness together. Also, in biblical faith, truth is confirmed by more than one witness. The Gospel is not gossip; it is testimony.
“to every town and place he intended to visit”
The disciples do not replace Jesus; they prepare for him. Their mission is to open doors for Christ himself. That is still the Church’s role: we do not preach ourselves. We make a path for Jesus to meet people.
“The harvest is abundant, but the laborers are few”
Jesus looks at humanity with pastoral realism. There is hunger for meaning, forgiveness, truth, hope, healing—often hidden beneath anger, addiction, cynicism, and noise. The problem is not that people never need God. The problem is the shortage of workers willing to love, serve, teach, and endure.
“ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers”
Before strategy comes prayer. Before action comes dependence. Jesus teaches the Church that vocations are not produced by pressure but received by intercession. This also humbles missionaries: we are not owners of the harvest. God is. We are sent into what belongs to him.
“Go on your way”
There is urgency. Christianity is not only a truth to admire; it is a mission to obey. Jesus does not say, “When you feel ready.” He says, go.
“I am sending you like lambs among wolves”
Jesus does not pretend the world is neutral. The lamb is vulnerable: no claws, no fangs, no violence. The wolf is aggressive: deception, intimidation, accusation, and sometimes persecution. Christ sends his disciples without giving them permission to become wolves in return. The Church conquers by truth, patience, mercy, and witness—not by cruelty.
“Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals”
This is not poverty for poverty’s sake; it is trust for mission’s sake. Jesus strips away excess so the disciples travel light, move fast, and remain free. He also prevents them from thinking the mission depends on their resources. The Gospel advances through God’s providence, not human insurance.
“greet no one along the way”
Jesus does not condemn kindness. He condemns distraction. In that culture, greeting could become a long social ritual. The message is: do not let side conversations delay God’s assignment. In discipleship, many good things can become enemies of the best thing.
“Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household’”
The first gift is not argument but peace. Peace here is not mere politeness; it is the blessing of God’s kingdom—reconciliation, mercy, right relationship with God and neighbor. The Church enters homes as a bearer of Christ’s peace.
“If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you”
Peace is offered, not forced. Some hearts can receive it; some refuse it. Yet rejection does not destroy the disciple. Jesus assures them: if peace is not welcomed, it returns. The missionary is not emptied by refusal when he remains in obedience.
“Stay in the same house… Do not move about from one house to another”
This protects the mission from vanity and opportunism. The disciple is not to become a spiritual tourist seeking better comfort, better food, better status. The Gospel is credible when the messenger is content, grateful, and faithful where he is received.
“eat and drink what is offered… for the laborer deserves his payment”
Jesus dignifies the support of missionaries as justice, not embarrassment. Those who receive spiritual service share material support. This becomes a living partnership: the household shares bread; the disciple shares the Bread of Life. The mission is communion, not exploitation.
“Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you”
This is pastoral flexibility. The disciple is not to impose unnecessary burdens. Hospitality builds relationship, and relationship opens hearts to the Gospel. The Church does not preach love while rejecting people’s tables.
“cure the sick… and say… ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you’”
Jesus ties proclamation to compassion. The kingdom is not an abstract idea; it arrives as healing, liberation, restoration, and hope. The disciples announce the kingdom with words, and they demonstrate it by mercy. The sick are not interruptions; they are the very place where the reign of God becomes visible.
“Whatever town… they do not receive you”
Jesus prepares them for rejection so they do not confuse rejection with failure. Many refuse grace not because the Gospel is weak, but because pride, sin, fear, or bitterness closes the heart.
“go out into the streets… ‘The dust of your town… we shake off’”
This is a symbolic act: not hatred, but witness. It declares, “We offered salvation; you refused it; we will not pretend you never heard.” It also frees the missionaries from resentment. Shaking dust is also shaking off discouragement, bitterness, and self-pity so the disciple can continue.
“Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand”
Even rejection does not cancel truth. The kingdom is still near. The door remains open for repentance—until it is not. Jesus’ mercy is real, and so is human responsibility.
“it will be more tolerable for Sodom… than for that town”
Jesus speaks with sobering clarity. Greater light brings greater accountability. To reject the Gospel after receiving it is a heavier refusal than ancient ignorance. This is not cruelty from Jesus; it is love that warns before the final day arrives.
Jewish Historical and Religious Context
Sending messengers ahead of an important figure was common. Hospitality was a sacred duty in village life, and peace greetings were deeply rooted in Jewish culture. At the same time, Jews were familiar with symbolic gestures like shaking dust, which expressed separation from what one refused to carry. Jesus takes known cultural actions and fills them with kingdom meaning: peace becomes the sign of God’s reign, hospitality becomes partnership in mission, and dust-shaking becomes witness before judgment.
Catholic Tradition and Teaching
This passage illuminates the Church’s missionary identity. Christ sends not only clergy but the baptized. The Church teaches that evangelization belongs to the whole People of God, each according to vocation. It also supports the right and duty of the community to sustain those set apart for ministry, and the obligation of ministers to live with simplicity, integrity, and freedom from greed. The mission is always both proclamation and charity: Word and works together.
Historical or Saintly Illustration
Saint Francis of Assisi embraced literal poverty and peace as a missionary style. His simplicity made the Gospel believable. He went where he was received and where he was rejected, refusing to become harsh, refusing to become proud, and letting Christ’s peace remain his first sermon.
Application to Christian Life Today
This Gospel confronts modern self-reliance. Many want to serve God while remaining fully secured, fully comfortable, and fully in control. Jesus sends disciples who trust providence, travel light, and stay focused. It challenges parishes to pray seriously for vocations and to support priests, religious, missionaries, and lay ministers. It challenges every Christian household to become a “house of peace” where the Gospel is welcomed and shared. And it challenges believers not to be shocked by rejection, because fidelity matters more than applause.
Eucharistic Connection
In the Eucharist, Christ gives the Church both peace and mission. The Mass begins with peace and ends with sending. What Jesus commands here is fulfilled sacramentally: we receive the Lord, then we are sent ahead of him into homes, workplaces, streets, and towns to prepare the way for his presence. The kingdom of God draws near whenever we carry Christ from the altar into the world.
Messages / Call to Conversion
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Receive the Lord’s call as a mission, not an optional hobby.
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Repent of distractions and delays that weaken your obedience to Christ.
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Live simply and trust God’s providence so you can serve with freedom.
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Become a bearer of peace through forgiveness, humility, and charity.
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Commit to supporting the Church’s mission through prayer, service, and generosity.
Outline for Preachers
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Background within Luke: discipleship demands, journey toward Jerusalem, then mission
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Life connection: serving God without control, comfort, or delay
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Key phrases explained: “the harvest is abundant,” “ask the master,” “lambs among wolves,” “peace to this house,” “the kingdom of God is at hand,” “shake off the dust,” “more tolerable for Sodom”
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Jewish context: hospitality, peace greeting, symbolic dust-shaking
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Catholic teaching: mission of the baptized, support of ministers, evangelization with charity
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Saintly illustration: Franciscan poverty and peace as credible mission
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Application today: vocations, parish hospitality, perseverance amid rejection
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Eucharistic connection: peace received, Church sent, kingdom made near
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Key messages: urgency, simplicity, peace, healing charity, accountability before God
