72 Advance Men Prepping Towns for Jesus
1After that, the Lord picked 72 [1] others to act as his advance PR team. He sent them out by twos—one pair to every town he planned to visit on his way to Jerusalem. 2He said, “There’s a huge crop out there ready to harvest. We don’t have many workers, though. So we should ask the Boss in charge of the harvest to send workers out into the field. 3Get going, now. I’m afraid I’m sending you out there like lambs into the middle of a wolf pack.4“Don’t carry a moneybag, a backpack, or even an extra pair of sandals. [2] And don’t stop to chat with people along the way; get to where you’re going. 5Before you go into anyone’s house, I want you to say this short blessing: ‘May this be a house of peace.’
6“If there is a peace-loving man who lives there, he’ll experience the blessing you gave. [3] If not, the blessing will come back to you. 7Make that house your home base as long as you stay in that town. Don’t move around from one house to another. Eat and drink what they give you because you’re working there, and a worker deserves a salary. 8Wherever you go and wherever people welcome you in, eat whatever they serve you. 9Heal the sick there, and tell them, ‘God’s kingdom has come close enough to touch you.’ [4]
10“Whenever you come to a town that doesn’t welcome you, walk out into the street and say, 11‘Even the dirt of your town isn’t good enough for the bottom of my feet. So I’m shaking it off. You can have it back. But I want you to know this much, God’s kingdom has come close to you.’
12“I’m telling you, come Judgment Day, [5] the people of this town that rejected you will be worse off than the people of Sodom. [6] 13Bad news for you, village of Chorazin! Bad news for you, Bethsaida! If the miracles that have been done in your towns had been done in the cities of Tyre and Sidon, those people who aren’t even Jews [7] would have repented long ago. They would have put on burlap robes and dumped ashes on their heads to show how sorry they were. 14By Judgment Day the people of Tyre and Sidon will be better off than you!
15“And you, Capernaum! Let’s not forget you. Will you people find a place of honor in heaven? Heavens no! You’re going in the other direction; you go to Hades. [8] 16The person who listens to you, as my messenger, listens to me. The person who refuses to listen to you refuses to listen to me—and to the one who sent me.”
PR Mission Accomplished
17The advance team of 72 returned, happy as all get-out. They told Jesus, “Sir, even those demons did what we told them to do as long as we used your name!”18Jesus said, “I saw Satan when he fell out of heaven like a bolt of lightning streaking down from the sky. [9] 19I have given you power to top any power the enemy can muster. You can walk on snakes and scorpions. Nothing can hurt you. Not a thing.
20“Don’t let it go to your head that the spirits do what you tell them to do. Don’t celebrate that. Instead, celebrate your reservations in heaven, where your names are written down.”
21Jesus was overjoyed by the Holy Spirit. [10] Jesus prayed, “Thank you, Father, ruler of heaven and earth. You have managed to hide what is happening now from people who think they are smarter than most. And yet you have revealed it to simple folks with childlike faith; they are the ones who understand what you are doing. And you are happy about that. 22My Father has put me in charge of everything now. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father. And no one knows who the Father is, except the Son—and anyone the Son chooses to confide in.”
23Jesus met with the disciples alone. He said, “You should be incredibly happy that you have lived to see what you’ve seen with me. 24I can tell you this, prophets and kings wanted nothing more than to see what you’ve seen and to hear what you’ve heard. They didn’t get that chance.”
God’s Most Important Rule
25One day a lawyer—an expert in Jewish religious law—stood up to give Jesus a little test, to see what Jesus knew about the Law. The lawyer said, “Teacher, what do I have to do to make sure I inherit eternal life?”26Jesus asked him, “What’s written down in the Law? What do you make of what you read there?”
27The lawyer told Jesus, “You have to love the Lord your God with all the heart you’ve got in you, all the spirit, all the strength, all the mind. And, you have to love your neighbor every bit as much as you love yourself.” [11]
28Jesus said, “You got it right. Now go do it and you’ll live.” 29The lawyer wanted some justification for the way he chose to practice that Law. So he asked Jesus, “Who exactly is my neighbor?” [12]
Good-Guy Samaritan
30Jesus answered with a story. [13] He said, “A man was going down the hills from Jerusalem to Jericho, [14] in the river valley. Along the way some robbers mugged him. They stole his clothes, beat him, and then left him half dead.31“It just so happened that a priest came along, traveling down that same path. He saw the injured man. But he walked on the other side of the path—and kept right on going. 32Then along came a man who worked as a worship assistant. [15] He did the same thing the priest did. He walked on by, along the other side of the path.
33“A Samaritan [16] came along. When he saw the man, he felt for him. 34He went right over to the man and started treating his injuries. He poured wine and soothing oil on the wounds and then wrapped them in bandages. He set the man on his own animal [17] and led him to an inn, where he took care of him.
35“The next day he gave the innkeeper two silver coins called denarii. [18] He told the innkeeper, ‘Take care of this man for me. If you have any expenses beyond what I’ve given you, keep track of them and I will pay the bill when I get back.’ 36Which of the three men in the story do you think treated the robbed man like a neighbor?”
37The lawyer said, “The man who showed some mercy by helping him.”
Jesus said, “Go and live your life like that.”
A Visit with Two Sisters
38As Jesus and his disciples continued their journey to Jerusalem, they reached a village [19] where a woman named Martha welcomed Jesus into her home. 39This woman had a sister named Mary, who set herself near the feet of Jesus and listened as he taught.40Martha didn’t have any time for that because she was making preparations for her guests. At one point she burst into the room and said to Jesus, “Please, sir, doesn’t it bother you that my sister is making me do all the work by myself?”
41The Lord said to her, “No. Martha, Martha—loaded with anxiety issues about this thing and that thing. 42Here’s the real thing. And it’s the one thing you should be focused on—the one thing that’s essential. Mary has chosen that thing. Nobody’s going to take it from her.”
