“Heal
Their sick people!
Say to them!
‘The kingdom of God
Has come
Near to you.’”
καὶ θεραπεύετε τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀσθενεῖς, καὶ λέγετε αὐτοῖς Ἤγγικεν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ.
Luke indicated that Jesus told these 70 disciples to heal the sick people (καὶ θεραπεύετε τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἀσθενεῖς). There was no mention of casting out demons or evil spirits. They were to tell the people (καὶ λέγετε αὐτοῖς) that the kingdom of God (ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ) had come near to them (Ἤγγικεν ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς). There was no exact equivalent to this passage in the other gospels. However, Matthew, chapter 10:8 said that the 12 apostles were to do what Jesus had been doing. They were to heal or cure the sick or ailing people. They were to raise up the dead, a difficult task. They were to cleanse the lepers, and cast out the demons. Since they had not paid to get this gift to be an apostle, so thus they should not receive any payment for their work as an apostle. They should give freely of their own time since this was not a money-making project. The idea of the kingdom of God coming near was also present in Matthew, chapter 10:7. There, Jesus wanted the 12 apostles to go and proclaim that the kingdom of heaven was at hand or near. This was exactly the same teaching as John the Baptist, word for word, as in Matthew, chapter 3:2. This connection of the message of John and Jesus was very strong in Matthew. Luke was more precise, since the kingdom of God was coming near, they ought to be alert. Do you think that the kingdom of God is close at hand?
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 