Jesus and the Number Seventy
Who were the seventy (70) disciples Jesus sent out on a special training mission? When did they travel? Where were they sent? What did the Lord want to accomplish through these men? Is there a hidden meaning in using the number 70 to select and empower this group to carry out God's will?
What happened after this group of 70 men fulfilled their mission? Did any of them play a role in the early New Testament church?
Luke's Unique Record
Luke is the only one of the four gospel writers to reveal Jesus' choice of 70 disciples to train and carry out a special task (Luke 10). It should be noted that while some modern Bibles (NIV, ESV, etc.) state the Lord picked seventy-two disciples (Luke 10:1, 17), many more say he chose seventy.
The group of seventy mentioned in Luke 10 is chosen and sent out between mid-November and late December of 29 A.D. They do not include the men the Lord previously ordained, in the first half of 28 A.D., to be his special witnesses (apostles).
Goals and Instructions
Jesus, as he is traveling south through Samaria, sends the men he selected to locations he will soon visit (Luke 10:1). He endows these disciples, sent out in pairs, with the supernatural ability to the heal the sick and cast out demons (verses 9, 17). Their goal is to announce that the kingdom of God has, and will be, drawing near to them (verses 9, 11).
The 70 men, in every town visited, were to find someone willing to freely lodge and feed them. They were to eat whatever they were given and not move from place to place within a city (verses 4, 7 - 8). The urgency of their work was such that they were commanded not to be delayed by greeting someone while they traveled (verse 4).
Those who listened and believed what was preached would be blessed. Those, however, who rejected what was said will someday have to answer to God for their rejection (Luke 10:5 - 6, 10 - 12, 16).
Why Seventy?
Seventy is the product of the perfect numbers seven and ten. Since seven symbolizes perfection, and ten represents completeness and God's law, the multiplication of the two numbers means a perfect spiritual order carried out with great spiritual power and significance.
God commanded Moses, who felt overburdened by his leadership responsibilities, to select 70 men with good reputations from the elders of Israel. These men would then be endowed with the same Holy Spirit that was in Moses to help him govern the Israelites.
And the Lord said to Moses, "Gather to Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom you know to be the elders of the people . . . And I will take of the Spirit which is upon you, and will put it upon them, and they shall bear the burden of the people with you . . . (Numbers 11:16 - 17, HBFV throughout).
Since Jesus was the God of the Old Testament who commanded Moses to choose 70 men, it makes sense that he would follow his own pattern.
Jesus, as God in the flesh, lived a sinless life (number seven) which was the embodiment of perfect obedience to the Eternal's laws (number ten). He chose 70 men to help with the burden of spreading the good news of the kingdom just like Moses was given seventy to assist in governing Israel. Yet, even as the Lord admitted, many more people would still be needed to fully carry out God's plan!
And so He said to them, "The harvest is indeed great, but the workmen are few. Therefore, beseech the Lord of the harvest that He may send out workmen into His harvest." (Luke 10:2).
Do we know the names of any of the 70 who were part of this evangelistic endeavor?
Speculations
Many people in the New Testament, over the years, have been championed as being one of the seventy. These include Hermes (Romans 16:14), the prophet Agabus (Acts 11:28, 21:10), Prochorus (Acts 6:5), Stephen (Acts 6:5), Barnabas (Acts 4:36), Sosthenes (Acts 18:17), Philip (Acts 6:5) and others.
Lists purportedly naming most or all these men, no matter who composed them or the age of the list, are ultimately merely speculation and worthless (1913 Catholic Encyclopedia article entitled Disciple).
Possibilities
The Bible does offer clues, however, to at least a few men who may have been part of the seventy.
The criteria for Judas Iscariot's replacement was made clear by the Apostle Peter to the 120 gathered in Jerusalem in 30 A.D. (Acts 1:15). The person had to be a male who witnessed Jesus' ministry from the time of his baptism by John the Baptist to his resurrection (verses 21 - 22).
John the Baptist attracted countless disciples (Matthew 3, 11:2, Mark 1:5, Luke 7:19 - 20, John 3:25), many of which were around when Jesus was baptized. There were also more than 515 people (see 1Corinthians 15:5 - 7), both male and female, who saw Jesus after his resurrection but before his ascension. The overlap of these two groups almost certainly resulted in several men meeting Peter's qualifications for an apostle.
Those gathered in Jerusalem nominated Barsabas (surnamed Justus) and Matthias to replace Judas. These two men were highly likely among the seventy (70) Jesus sent on a training mission in Luke 10 (Adam Clarke's Commentary).
Jesus' four half-brothers (James, Joses, Judas and Simon, Mark 6:3) initially did not believe in him (John 7:3 - 5). Paul, however, reveals that before his ascension the Lord made a special appearance to James (1Corinthians 15:5 - 7). It is also known that all four brothers were among the 120 gathered to await God's spirit on Pentecost.
All these (in Jerusalem) were steadfastly continuing with one accord in prayer and supplications, together with the women, including Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers (Acts 1:14).
James, and possibly his other brothers, could have been among the 70 Jesus trained.
What Happened to Them?
As a group, the seventy men trained and commissioned by Jesus are no longer mentioned in the Bible after their task completed (Luke 10:17).
Interestingly, Jesus seems to have intended that, individually, they were to continue preaching the coming of God's kingdom. The Lord, after the 70 successfully carried out what he wanted, affirmed that the authority they received would continue.
Behold, I give you (the continuing) authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and upon all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall injure you in any way (Luke 10:19).
Conclusion
The Bible does not name any of the seventy (70) disciples Jesus trained less than six months before his death. That said, it does offer clues that it was highly likely Barsabas and Justus, as well as the Lord's half-brother James and maybe his other brothers, were numbered as part of this unique group.
The majority of these 70 men, if not all, were almost certainly among the 120 believers in Jerusalem who waited for God's power to be manifested on Pentecost (Acts 1:15). They were among the first people to become Christians and, as such, were part of the foundation of the early New Testament church.