Jesus commissions 70 men and sends them out in pairs to the cities he's about to visit. Numbers are a big deal in the bible. They would have provided rich symbolism to the readers of the day. For instance, the number 7 was a symbol of God's perfection. The creation story took place in 7 days. In the Old Testament Jacob served for 7 years for obtain his wife Leah, and another 7 years for his wife Rachel. There were 7 loaves and fishes, and we are told forgive 70 x 7.
The number 40 was a symbol for a "period of testing." Noah's flood lasted 40 days. The children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days.
The number 70 was also symbolic to Jews. Seventy elders were chosen to help Moses lead and direct the people in the wilderness. There were seventy Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews. And Genesis refers to 70 nations of the world.
Numbers can also be confusing in the bible. You might note that the translation we are using doesn't say 70 it says that Jesus sent 72 men. Biblical scholars many times debate certain wording in original Greek manuscripts. This is one of those times. It's estimated that various translations use the number 70 about 50 percent of the time, and the number 72 the other 50 percent of the time. The exact number may not matter- just that Jesus was preparing to evangelize the non-Jewish world.
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