SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Apr 13, 1904

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 30, No. 15.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS

LESSON 4.—APRIL 24. THE MISSION OF THE SEVENTY.

Lesson Scripture, Luke 10:1-16, A. R. V.

(1) "Now AFTER these things the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself was about to come. (2) And He said unto them, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but the laborers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that He send forth laborers into His harvest. (3) Go your ways; behold, I send you forth as lambs in the midst of wolves. (4) Carry no purse, no wallet, no shoes; and salute no man on the way. (5) And into whatsoever house ye shall enter, first say, Peace be to this house. (6) And if a son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon him: but if not, it shall turn to you again. (7) And in that same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house. (8) And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: (9) and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. (10) But into whatsoever city ye shall enter, and they receive you not, go out into the streets thereof and say, (11) Even the dust from your city, that cleaveth to our feet, we wipe off against you: nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God is come nigh. (12) I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city. (13) Wo unto thee, Chorazin! wo unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which were done in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. (14) But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment, than for you. (15) And thou, Capernaum, shalt thou be exalted unto heaven? thou shalt be brought down unto Hades. (16) He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that rejecteth you rejecteth Me; and he that rejecteth Me rejecteth Him that sent Me."

Golden Text.—"Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that He send forth laborers into His harvest." Luke 10:2.

SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.

(1) How many disciples did the Lord appoint in addition to the twelve? In what manner did He send them out? Where were they to go? Verse 1. Note 1. (2) What did the Master say to His disciples regarding the harvest? What regarding the laborers? What prayer did He instruct them to pray, and to whom? Verse 2. Note 2. (3) What command did He give them? What did Christ tell the seventy concerning the conditions that would surround them? Verse 3. (4) What instruction did He give them concerning provision for their temporal needs? What were they to refrain from doing? Verse 4. Note 3. (5) What were the disciples to do on entering a house? Verse 5. (6) On what conditions would peace rest on that home? What would result in case the "son of peace" were not there? Verse 6. Note 4. (7) Where were they to make their home? What was to be their conduct in that home? What were they to consider the comforts which they received? What course were they to avoid? Verse 7. Note 5. (8) What rule was to govern the disciples wherever they were received? Verse 8. (9) What was to be their work? What was to be their message? Verse 9. (10) When a city refused to receive them, what course would they pursue? Verse 10. (11) What were they to do, and what was to be their message in such a case? Verse 11. (12) What did Jesus declare concerning such a city? Verse 12. (13) Upon what cities did the Lord pronounce wo? What comparison did He make? What would have been the result in those heathen cities? Verse 13. Note 6. (14) How will these cities fare in the final judgment? Verse 14. (15) What did the Saviour say of Capernaum? What was the cause of the judgment which would fall upon that city? Verse 15. (16) Whom would the people be hearing in hearing the message of the disciples? Whom would they be rejecting in rejecting the disciples? In rejecting Him whom would they be rejecting? Verse 16.

NOTES.

1. The time of the sending out of the seventy was toward the close of the earthly ministry of Christ, not more than five or six months before His crucifixion. It was a time for the work to be hastened, hence the extra number of laborers. Two in a company would be thirty-five companies going from place to place in advance of the Saviour of men. This shows the efficiency of Christ as a teacher, that He prepared so many qualified ministers of the Gospel while traveling about ministering to the wants of the people. The commission to the seventy is almost identical with that previously given to the twelve. But there is one difference that is significant. To the twelve He said, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." Matt. 10:5. There is no such direction given to the seventy. There was good reason for it, however, in the first instance. Jesus Himself had not yet given any attention to the Samaritans, and the disciples, like other Jews, were much prejudiced against them, and could not have manifested a Christian spirit toward them. Until they could do so, it would not have been worth while for them to go there. Moreover, they would have met such a strong opposition from Jewish prejudice in general that they would have been unable to overcome.

2. The harvest is plenteous.—Multitudes of people were in a condition to be won to Christ. The field of Palestine was a type of the great world field, which is now ripe and soon to be harvested; and the prayer which Jesus instructed His disciples then to pray is the prayer which every child of God should be praying now. The world is as ripe now for the Gospel message as Palestine was then for the message of the seventy. They bore witness of Him, and then He came to complete their work. Even so will it be now.

3. "No purse, no wallet, no shoes."—The purse was a leather bag for carrying money. The wallet, or scrip, was a sort of haversack for carrying provisions. The shoes referred to were of softer material than the sandals, were generally made use of in the house, and were always of bright colors, and sometimes richly embroidered. "They were to take nothing not absolutely necessary for the journey."

4. "A son of peace."—One inclined to peace; one favoring their work and message. To such a home their coming would bring blessing, as did the ark in the house of Obed-edom. If not, their salutation was to be as if it had not been made, and they would themselves receive again the blessing they had pronounced.

5. "In that same house remain."—It was better so. Otherwise Oriental customs of entertainment would take a large amount of their time, and so hinder the Lord's work. By going from house to house, they might stir up jealousies and unconsciously give wings to neighborhood gossip, which would mar the work.

6. "Wo unto thee."—A statement of literal fact, not a declaration of the Saviour's desire concerning them. The course they had taken was sure to end in wo to them. Having had greater light, their responsibility would be greater than that of the cities of the plain. Wo did overtake these cities, and Capernaum also. Chorazin and Bethsaida are lost, and Capernaum is a heap of ruins.