The Mission of the Twelve (12) and Seventy (70) Disciples

What is a Mission (in the Bible)?

A Mission is the divine activity of sending a human representative to do God’s Will so that His purpose for redemption is widespread.

A commission is an instruction or command given to a person.

Jesus Calls His Twelve Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22, Luke 5:1-11)

Wherever Jesus went, a multitude of people would gather around Him to hear the Word of God. When He stood by the Lake of Gennesaret a crowd began to gather around Him. He saw two empty fishing boats whose fishermen were on land washing their fishing nets. Jesus got into one of the boats which was Simon’s and asked him to sail the boat into the Lake a little. From this distance, Jesus sat in the boat and taught the multitude that had gathered at the Lake the Word of God.

After Jesus had finished preaching, He told Simon to sail further into the Lake and cast down his nets. Simon did not believe there was any reason to do this. So he told Jesus they had toiled (that is, worked) all day and caught nothing but since Jesus said he should cast down his nets, he will do it.

When Simon cast down his nets he was shocked he caught so many fish his nets began to break. He signalled to his partners in another boat to help bring the fish on board, they filled both boats with so many fish that their boats began to sink.

When Simon Peter saw the amount of fish he had caught, he and his partners James and John, the sons of Zebedee, marvelled. Simon fell at Jesus’ feet and pleaded with Jesus to depart from him because he was a sinful man. However, Jesus said to him in Matthew 4 verse 19 (NKJV);

“Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4 verse 19 (NKJV)

So the men forsook all they had and followed Jesus.

The Mission of the Twelve Disciples (Matthew 10:1-15, Mark 6: 7-13, Luke 9: 1-6)

Jesus called His twelve disciples to Him. These twelve disciples were Simon (also known as Peter), his brother Andrew, James the son of Zebedee, his brother John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector, James the son of Alphaeus, Lebbaeus whose surname was Thaddaeus, Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed Jesus Christ).

Jesus then sent the twelve out to teach the Gospel. He told them not to go into the way of the Gentiles and not to enter a city of the Samaritans. This was because some of these places were considered unclean as they worshipped idols. The Gentiles were foreigners and the Samaritans were half-Jews and half foreigners.

Jesus sent His disciples to preach the Gospel to the Jews first because of the little amount of time He knew He physically had on Earth. He referred to them as the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus gave the twelve disciples the power to go to the Jews and commissioned them to heal the sick, cleanse people of leprosy, raise people from the dead and drive out evil spirits. Jesus told His disciples that they were to take nothing for their journey (that is, no clothes, bags or money), they were to give freely and receive freely.

Jesus told His disciples that in any town or village they entered, they were to stay with a hospitable person and bless them in return for their kindness. However, if they were not welcomed, they should shake the dust from that place off their feet and move to another town or village.

The Mission of the Seventy (70) Disciples (Luke 10: 1-24)

Jesus then appointed seventy others to go before Him two by two to every town and place He was about to go to. He wanted them to win more souls for the Kingdom. He told them “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few”. Jesus sent the seventy disciples out like lambs amongst wolves, they were to heal the sick and let the people know the Kingdom of God was near to them.

Jesus also gave them the following instructions;

i. They were not to take money, clothes or sandals with them on their journey.

ii. They were not to greet anyone on the road.

iii. In any house they entered, they were to say “Peace to this house”.

iv. They were to stay in the house where they were welcomed and eat and drink whatever they offered them. They were not to move from house to house.

v. They were to heal the sick and say to them, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you”.

vi. If any town did not welcome them, they were to go into the streets and tell the people that they were wiping the dust from their town off their feet. However, they were still to say to them, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you”.

He told the seventy that whoever heard them, heard Him and whoever rejected them effectively rejected Him (Jesus Christ) and the One who sent Him (God).

The seventy returned and told Jesus the wonderful miracles they had seen, even demons submitted to them in Jesus’ name. Jesus told them He saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. He then gave them the authority to trample on serpents, scorpions and all the powers of the enemy. He told them nothing would be able to hurt them. However, He told them not to rejoice that the spirits obeyed them but instead, they were to rejoice because their names were written in Heaven.