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February 1931 sistence. The true Christian worker has an unselfish spirit, knowing that his real reward will be received in the age to come (1 Thess. 2:19, 20; 1 Pet, 5, 3, 4). Go not from house to house. They were not to be visitors but witnesses. The repetition of this command is an intima tion of its importance. V. 8. Eat such things . . . set before you. Very likely their itinerary would lead into Samaritan and Geritile territory. If so, food might be offered them which would make them ceremonially unclean. Even such food was not to be refused. V. 9. Heal the sick. This power to work miracles would be their credential and would give them a hearing. Say unto them. Healing of sickness was impor tant; but the healing of the soul was of vastly greater importance. Christ does not refuse temporal aid, but He longs to give first that help which is eternal. The latter comes only through the preaching of the gospel of the kingdom of God. V. 10. They receive you not. Jesus very well understood that His messengers would not always be welcomed. Go out into the streets. They were not to waste time in places where their message was rejected, while other fields were waiting to hear the good news. V. 11. Even the dust from your city. This was an impressive way of testifying that they were forsaking their city and that its doom was impending. III. The Seventy .Returning with Joy (17). The seventy returned. Every mission ary is expected to report (cf. Acts 14: 26). Sometimes the reports, of the ser vants of God do not seem to show as much success as the seventy had. The Lord Jesus rewards faithfulness even where immediate results are disappoint ing (cf. Acts 7:55-60). Even the demons are subject. The world of evil, controlled by Satan, is a terrible foe (cf. Eph. 6:12). But the laborer who is backed by Christ’s authority in heaven and in earth need fear nothing. IV. Jesus Rejoicing in the Spirit (21, 22 ). V. 21. He rejoiced. Jesus conquered Satan in the wilderness and He now an ticipated the complete overthrow of the adversary. This gave Him great joy. Thou didst hide these things. Many who were wise in their own eyes were blind to the truth as revealed in Himself and by Himself. The Lord rejoiced that some “babes” learned the truth by doing His will (cf. John 7 :17). Well-pleasing in thy sight. The fact that He was rejected by the many and enthroned by the few was accepted as a part of the Father’s eternal plan. V. 22. All things . . . delivered unto me. Jesus repeatedly claimed such auth ority. Though disowned by the world, He was “heir of all things” (Heb. 1:1-3). No one knoweth who the Son is. The disciples recognized dimly the fact that Jesus was the Son of God, but none knew Him as the Father did, and none under stood the Father as the Lord Jesus did. Here is a marvelous claim to equality with God. If Jesus did not speak the truth, He was surely a blasphemer. To whomsoever the Son willeth. God makes Himself known through Jesus Christ to those who are humble and obedient.
what language did He express His sub mission to the will of His Father? V. 22. How much authority was given .to Him by the Father? In what language did Jesus express His equality with the Father? Can we ever know the Father if we refuse Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour ? * * * P ractical P oints 1. ' The Lord Jesus in His earthly min istry was a great missionary, always seek ing the needy and the lost. If we have not the same spirit, we are not His true disciples. 2. The plenteous harvest, the paucity of laborers—what a picture of the hea then world of today! 3. If there were more prevailing pray er, there would be more laborers in God’s harvest field. 4. Have you gone “your way” into the world to make Christ known? If you do not find your appointed place of ser vice, will your neglect cause some to fail to receive the message of salvation? 5. Trials and dangers which confront laborers in missionary lands do not deter those who remember the promise of Christ’s presence and protection (Matt. 28:20). 6. The disciple’s one business is to witness. Therefore, waste no time in useless or secondary matters, but get busy at your task. 7. God always pays His laborers well. He asks them to be content with food and raiment in the present life (Matt. 6:31- 33), but promises a crown of glory to the faithful laborer, to be received at the coming of Christ (1 Pet. 5:4; 1 Thess. 2: 19, 20). 8. He who knows “the peace of God which passeth all understanding” will ra diate peace wherever he goes. . 9. Those who reject Christ’s messen gers reject Christ and must suffer the penalty. 10. A babe in Christ may riot see very much or very clearly, but he is not blind. By revelation he knows God in Christ, and one day he will be made like Christ, for he “shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:1-3). 11. Satan is the strong man armed who has complete sway in his house, but “a stronger than he” has “all authority in heaven and in earth.” 12. The preacher’s business is to pro claim the message of the Christ who came, who died for sinners, who rose from the dead, and who is coming again to take the kingdom. * * * G olden T ext I llustration When Gustave Dore had about com pleted one of his famous faces of Jesus, as he was in the act of putting on the delicate finishing touches, a lady stepped quietly into his studio and stood for a moment admiring the wonderful produc tion of his genius. Presently he became aware of her presence, and with his us ual politeness he said, “Pardon, Madam, I did not know you were here.” And she said, “Monsieur Dore, you must love Him very much to be able to paint Him so.” “Love Him, madam!” replied the great painter. “I should think I do love H im ! But if I loved Him more, I would paint Him better.”
BLACKBOARD LESSON
V. 1. What events had immediately preceded the appointment of the seventy (cf. 9:51-62)? What is the symbolic sig nificance of the number seventy? To what places and for what purpose were the seventy sent? How did the field of the seventy differ from that given to the twelve (cf. Matt. 10:5) ? V. 2. To what did the Lord Jesus lik en the Christless multitudes? What was the most pathetic feature of the situation? What did He ask His disciples to do in order to meet the need? Is prayer the most important service a Christian can render ? V. 3. Was the work planned in an or derly fashion? Did each group know its place? What treatment were they to ex pect and what disposition were they to show ? V. 4. Why were they instructed to carry no purse, etc.? Why were they to “salute no man on the way” ? V. 5, Were they to expect hospitality in every city? Was this according to Jewish custom? What was to be their salutation ? V. 6. What characterizes “a son of peace” ? May a Christian radiate peace in every home he enters? If the peace he offers is refused, will the messenger nevertheless be blessed? V. 7. Were the laborers to expect that they would receive “hire” ? How much had they a right to expect? Should a Christian worker seek temporal or eter nal gain (cf. 1 Pet. 5 :4) ? Why were the seventy again told that they should not be visitors but witnesses? V, 8. Might they expect, if outside of Jewish territory, to be offered food which was unlawful for a Jew to eat? If they were, what should be their attitude? V. 9. Would their power to heal the sick be one of their credentials as Christ’s servants ? What message were they to give? Was healing of the soul more im portant than healing of the body? Vs. 10, 11. Did Jesus foresee that some cities would reject His laborers? If rejected, were they to linger in such places? What symbolic meaning is there in the wiping off of the dust of the city from their feet? What final message were they to give when their message was refused? V. 17. What success did the seventy have? What caused them to rejoice? What greater reason for rejoicing did Jesus point out (cf. v. 19) ? V. 21. Had the Lord Jesus a right to rejoice in the coming downfall of Satan’s kingdom? Was He happy because some who heard the gospel were blind, or did He rejoice because not all were blind? In
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