As Jesus and his followers continue to make their way toward Jerusalem, Luke relates situations that continually elevate Jesus in status and authority. Jesus had already sent out the Twelve on a previous missionary journey (9:1-10), and he was apparently in the habit of sending smaller envoys to villages ahead of himself to announce his coming (9:52). Now, a truly ambitious mission is mounted, with Jesus sending out 70 (or 72?) messengers of the Good News.

Luke's vocabulary lends an almost political flavor to this current mission. The term "appointed" (anadiknymi) was commonly used in diplomatic contexts, while those "sent" (apostello) are ordered in the same manner as Greco-Roman political and military envoys or messengers. Luke's choice of words suggests that Jesus is acting here as woul…