The Seventy Disciples

Biblical Text and Content

The account of the Seventy Disciples appears in Luke 10:1-24. In Luke 9:1-6, Jesus Christ sent out the Twelve Disciples. In chapter 10, "the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come" (Luke 10:1).

In commissioning them, Jesus gave the following instructions:

• A call to prayer: "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few"; they were to pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers (Luke 10:2).
• Provisions for the journey: He sent them forth "as lambs among wolves," telling them to carry neither purse, nor scrip, nor shoes, and to salute no one along the way (Luke 10:3-4).
• In houses and towns: They were to pronounce peace upon each house they entered, eat what was given them, and remain in that house. They were to heal the sick and proclaim, "The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you." In towns that did not receive them, they were to wipe off even the dust that clung to their feet (Luke 10:5-11).
• Warnings: Pronouncements of woe against Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum follow (Luke 10:13-15).

The disciples returned with joy, reporting that even the devils were subject to them through the Lord's name. Jesus answered, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." He then told them to rejoice not that the spirits were subject to them, but rather that their names were written in heaven (Luke 10:17-20).

Background and the Number Seventy (Seventy-Two)

Important Greek manuscripts of this passage are divided: some read seventy, while others read seventy-two. For this reason, some translations render the group as "the seventy-two" or note the difference in a footnote. Scholars differ in their judgment as to which reading is original.

Several interpretations connect the number seventy to the Old Testament:

• The nations: The Table of Nations in Genesis 10 is commonly counted as seventy nations in the Hebrew text and seventy-two in the Septuagint. On this basis, some interpret the number as symbolizing all the nations of the world.
• The elders: Others connect it with the seventy elders who assisted Moses (Exodus 24:1; Numbers 11:16-29). Numbers 11 also mentions two additional men who remained in the camp and prophesied, which leaves room for a count of seventy-two.

Significance in the Whole of Scripture

The sending of the Seventy appears only in Luke. Its content overlaps considerably with the instructions given to the Twelve in Matthew 10. Scholars generally see the Twelve as corresponding to the twelve tribes of Israel and the Seventy to the nations, and they read the account as foreshadowing the spread of the gospel to the Gentiles in Acts. This, however, is an interpretation and not something the text states directly.

Interpretation and Tradition

Scripture does not record the names of the Seventy. The fourth-century church historian Eusebius stated that no list of the Seventy had survived. Nevertheless, he reported that Barnabas, Matthias, Thaddaeus, and others were among them. The tradition that Thaddaeus was sent to King Abgar of Edessa is also handed down in this context. Opinions differ as to whether the Thaddaeus of this tradition is the same person as Thaddaeus of the Twelve.

In later centuries, lists of the Seventy were compiled in various forms. The Eastern Orthodox Church commemorates them as the "Seventy Apostles." Protestants generally classify such lists as extrabiblical tradition. Protestants also read this passage as evidence that ministry was not entrusted to the twelve apostles alone, at times connecting it with the ministry of the laity.

In the Korean Church

Luke 10:2, "The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few," is frequently quoted in sermons emphasizing missions and evangelism, as well as at services of commitment to missionary work. The phrase "sent them two and two before his face" is often cited to explain the practice of sending out evangelism teams or making pastoral home visits in pairs.