Return of the Seventy: Jesus Christ as the Listener of Ages

Luke 10 is the record of the commissioning, sending, return and debriefing of seventy disciples sent out to preach and minister. The Return of the Seventy illustrates that debriefing. It’s a unique account, in that instead of seeing Jesus Christ taking center stage, his job here was to listen, enjoying the company of some of his trusted friends.

The disciples had been sent out in pairs. Here is one such pair, with one man speaking and the other listening. I’ve been in meetings like this, in which all are invited to share. It can be tedious, but this particular meeting was electric. The disciples’ account of the devils’ subjection thrilled everyone there. But nobody was more thrilled than their Teacher.

The Return of the Seventy, revolving around a man telling a story, was a chance to show how many different listeners reacted to that story. Some found it funny. Others were more introspective. Out of the group, only one man is looking at the Master, wondering what he thinks about all of this.

God showed His Son “Satan descending as lightning,” having to personally put his kingdom back in order after the Seventy had thrown it into chaos. We pictured the lightning storm in the corner of the canvas, even though it was only a vision. Not wishing the Enemy to have any sort of dominion over these disciples, we made certain no one was physically seated beneath that storm. The still life doesn’t symbolize anything; it’s just there so the section wouldn’t be empty.

The time of year of many records in the Gospels, including this one, can be pinned down with some precision. This event took place sometime between the end of the Feast of Tabernacles and the beginning of the Feast of Dedication. On our calendar, that’s a period of time beginning on October 13 and ending December 10th. Notice that the grass has turned brown, the sky is an autumn sky, and the people are dressed in layers. As much as possible, whatever scholarship can tell us about an event to be portrayed is strictly adhered to.

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