Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles
And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
The seventy-two were sent out after the twelve on separate missions. So why is that important?
Luke 10:9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
These were not apostles. Anyone who believes in Jesus Christ may be told to heal the sick and told to spread the gospel when doing it. It is not limited to only apostles.
There are always hints in the bible about this relationship we have with God and what we are called to do. Many feel limited, as if they have not been given gifts. I would encourage everyone to stop thinking that God is limited in how He can enact His will.
If we are looking for differences in instructions we will see many similarities in Mark 6, Luke 9 and Luke 10. What is different is seen in Luke 10 is that Jesus was going to show up later in those places the seventy-two were sent.
What is more important, being given gifts or Jesus showing up?
We want to be seen as serving God but the purpose of our faithful service has to be that Jesus shows up and makes Himself known. It isn’t about us or even the sick, it is about Jesus.
Many get so focused on the work they lose sight of what is really important. God’s will be done, no matter how it gets done or who does it.
The first time I raised my hand was at an altar call and that was the only time it really mattered.
Jesus isn’t asking for volunteers because He is Lord of all.