What Jesus Did

[Jesus continued his message to the seventy-two disciples, referring to any town that rejects the disciples and his message:] "I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day."

—Luke 10:12 NLT

Key Thought​

Jesus was trying to help his disciples understand the dire consequences for those who rejected his message that they were taking to the neighboring towns. For those of Jewish heritage, there was no worse example of evil than the city of...

 

[Jesus continued his instructions to the seventy-two disciples he was sending as missionaries:] "If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. Heal the sick, and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is near you now.' But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 'We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this — the Kingdom of God is near!'"

—Luke 10:8-11 NLT

Key...​

 

[Jesus continued his instructions to the seventy-two disciples he was sending as missionaries:] "Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. Don't take any money with you, nor a traveler's bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don't stop to greet anyone on the road.
"Whenever you enter someone's home, first say, 'May God's peace be on this house.' If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. Don't...

 

The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.

—Luke 10:1 NLT

Key Thought​

The Lord didn't send his disciples out solo. He sent them out in pairs. Pairs were — and still are — more than twice as effective as a single person in accomplishing the work of preparing people's hearts for the Kingdom of God and the Good News about Jesus. Established Jewish principles were behind Jesus' approach: [1]

1. ...

 

[Jesus began] his instructions to [the seventy-two disciples he was sending as missionaries]: "The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."

—Luke 10:2 NLT

Key Thought​

So often we wring our hands when we hear messages about how Christians today are so self-centered and selfish. The calls for every believer to be more outreach-focused and evangelistic don't seem to make much...

 

Another said, "Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family."
But Jesus told him, "Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God."

—Luke 9:61-62 NLT

Key Thought​

Again, Jesus is emphasizing the importance of Kingdom commitment. Nothing, absolutely nothing, can stand in the way of the all-surpassing call to follow Jesus. We press on, full speed ahead. When we get diverted, when we lose our way, when we...

 

[Jesus] said to another person, "Come, follow me."
The man agreed, but he said, "Lord, first let me return home and bury my father."

But Jesus told him, "Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God."

—Luke 9:59-60 NLT

Key Thought​

Following Christ is our highest priority. Nothing should stand in our way. Does that mean abandoning our responsibility to our families? Certainly not! God makes clear that how we live in our...

 

As [Jesus and the disciples] were walking along, someone said to Jesus, "I will follow you wherever you go."
But Jesus replied, "Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head."

—Luke 9:57-58 NLT

Key Thought​

Put in cornbread English: Following Jesus is stinking hard sometimes! Following Him means giving up our comfort and embracing his way with our whole hearts. [1] He may give us some of those conveniences back to use...

 

As the time drew near for him to ascend to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. He sent messengers ahead to a Samaritan village to prepare for his arrival. But the people of the village did not welcome Jesus because he was on his way to Jerusalem. When ### and ### saw this, they said to Jesus, "Lord, should we call down fire from heaven to burn them up?" But Jesus turned and rebuked them. So they went on to another village.

—Luke 9:51-56 NLT

Key Thought​

Some folks...

 

John said to Jesus, "Master, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he isn't in our group."
But Jesus said, "Don't stop him! Anyone who is not against you is for you."

—Luke 9:49-50 NLT

Key Thought​

So often, our pride manifests itself as group pride. The attitude is, "If we don't do it, then it must not be important." The apostles want their little band of "Jesus followers" to be the primary bunch. Their thinking seems to be...