Meredith Sprunger's Synopsis of The Urantia Book
Synopsis of Paper 163
ORDINATION OF THE SEVENTY AT MAGADAN
1.Jesus and the twelve began a course of intensive training for this special group of believers, and from this well‑trained and experienced aggregation of disciples the Master subsequently chose the seventy teachers and sent them forth to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom... The seventy were ordained by Jesus on Sabbath afternoon, November 19.. .This corps of seventy consisted of Abner and ten of the former apostles of John, fifty one of the earlier evangelists, and eight other disciples who had distinguished themselves in the service of the kingdom.
2. Before Jesus laid his hands upon the heads of the seventy to set them apart as gospel messengers, addressing them, he said: "The harvest is indeed plenteous, but the laborers are few; therefore I exhort all of you to pray that the Lord of the harvest will send still other laborers into his harvest... I am about to send you to Jew and gentile as lambs among wolves... Remember, as you go forth proclaiming peace on earth and good will among men, you must contend with bitter and self‑deceived enemies; therefore be as wise as serpents while you are also as harmless as doves...if the people of any city refuse to receive this gospel, still shall you proclaim your message as you depart from that unbelieving community, saying... 'Notwithstanding you reject the truth, it remains that the kingdom of God has come near you.’”
3. One earnest disciple came to Jesus, saying: "Master, I would be one of your new apostles, but my father is very old and near death; could I be permitted to return home to bury him?" To this man Jesus said: "My son, the foxes have holes, and tie birds of heaven have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. You are a faithful disciple, and you can remain such while you return home to minister to your loved ones, but not so with my gospel messengers. They have forsaken all to follow me and proclaim the kingdom. If you would be an ordained teacher, you must let others bury the dead while you go forth to publish the good news." And this man went away in great disappointment.
4. Then Andrew brought to Jesus a certain rich young man who was a devout believer, and who desired to receive ordination. This young man, Matadormus, was a member of the Jerusalem Sanhedrin...said the young man: “But, Master, I am not content to be your disciple; I would be one of your new messengers.” When Jesus heard this, he looked down upon him with a great love and said: "I will have you to be one of my messengers if you are willing to pay the price, if you will supply the one thing which you lack." Matadormus replied: "Master, I will do anything if I may be allowed to follow you." Jesus, kissing the kneeling young man on the forehead, said: “If you would be my messenger, go and sell all that you have and, when you have bestowed the proceeds upon the poor, or upon your brethren, come and follow me, and you shall have treasure in the kingdom of heaven."
When Matadormus heard this, his countenance fell. He arose and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. This wealthy young Pharisee had been raised to believe that wealth was the token of God's favor. Jesus knew that he was not free from the love of himself and his riches. The Master wanted to deliver him from the love of wealth, not necessarily from the wealth.
5. Almost every human being has some one thing which is held on to as a pet evil, and which the entrance into the kingdom of heaven requires as a part of the price of admission. If Matadormus had parted with his wealth, it probably would have been put right back into his hands for administration as treasurer of the seventy. For later on, after the establishment of the church at Jerusalem, he did obey the Master's injunction, although it was then too late to enjoy membership in the seventy, and he became the treasurer of the Jerusalem church, of which James the Lord’s brother in the flesh was the head.
6. Thus always it was and forever will be: Men must arrive at their own decisions. There is a certain range of the freedom or choice which mortals may exercise. The forces of the spiritual world will not coerce man; they allow him to go the way of his own choosing.
7. Riches have nothing directly to do with entrance into the kingdom of heaven, but the love of wealth does... Jesus never taught that it was wrong to have wealth... The Master regarded the wise investment of excess earnings as a legitimate form of insurance against future and unavoidable adversity... But there was one economic abuse which he many times condemned, and that was the unfair exploitation of the weak, unlearned, and less fortunate of men by their strong, keen, and more intelligent fellows.
8. Jesus turned around to face the apostles and said: "You see how difficult it is for those who have riches to enter fully into the kingdom of God! Spiritual worship cannot be shared with material devotions; no man can serve two masters. You have a saying that it is 'easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for the heathen to inherit eternal life.' And I declare that it is as easy for this camel to go through the needle's eye as for these self‑satisfied rich ones to enter the kingdom of heaven."... Peter said: "Who then, Lord, can be saved?”...And Jesus replied:... “much which is impossible to man is not beyond the reach of the Father in heaven; rather should we recognize that with God all things are possible."
9. Jesus spoke to all the twelve: "Verily, verily, I say to you, there is no man who has left wealth, home, wife, brethren, parents, or children for my sake and for the sake of the kingdom of heaven who shall not receive manifold more in this world, perhaps with some persecutions, and in the world to come eternal life. But many who are first shall be last, while the last shall often be first.
10. "The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who was a large employer of men, and who went out early in the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers to pay them a denarius a day, he sent them into the vineyard... Again he went out about twelve and about three and did likewise... When the men who were hired at the beginning of the day saw how the later comers were paid, they expected to receive more than the amount agreed upon. But like the others every man received only a denarius. And …they complained to the householder... "Then answered the householder: ‘My friends, I do you no wrong. Did not each of you agree to work for a denarius a day?...do you begrudge my generosity because I desire to be good and to show mercy?’"
11. Early that morning, in his last talk with the seventy, Jesus placed emphasis on the following:
1. The gospel of the kingdom must be proclaimed to all the world, to gentile as well as to Jew.
2. While ministering to the sick, refrain from teaching the expectation of miracles.
3. Proclaim a spiritual brotherhood of the sons of God, not an outward kingdom of worldly power and material glory.
4. Avoid loss of time through overmuch social visiting and other trivialities which might detract from wholehearted devotion to preaching the gospel.
5. If the first house to be selected for a headquarters proves to be a worthy home, abide there throughout the sojourn in that city.
6. Make clear to all faithful believers that the time for an open break with the religious leaders of the Jews at Jerusalem has now come.
7. Teach that man's whole duty is summed up in this one commandment: Love the Lord your God with all your mind and soul and your neighbor as yourself. (This they were to teach as man's whole duty in place of the 613 rules of living expounded by the Pharisees.)
12. Peter exhorted the seventy to cherish in their experience the following virtues:
1. Consecrated devotion ...He admonished them to neglect not their daily worship.
2. True courage.
3. Faith and trust.
4. Zeal and initiative.
5. Kindness and courtesy.
6. Ministry to the sick.
13. Jesus and the twelve now prepared to establish their last headquarters in Perea, near Pella...David, with the help of his messenger corps, loaded on to the pack animals the camp equipage, then stored in his father's house, with which he had formerly conducted the camp of Bethsaida by the lake... in less than a week he was prepared to offer hospitality to almost fifteen hundred pilgrim visitors...David did all this on his own initiative, though he had taken counsel with Philip and Matthew at Magadan, He employed the larger part of his former messenger corps as his helpers in conducting this camp; he now used less than twenty men on regular messenger duty. Near the end of December and before the return of the seventy, almost eight hundred visitors were gathered about the Master, and they found lodging in David's camp.
14. On Friday, December 30,..the seventy messengers were arriving by couples, accompanied by numerous believers, at the Pella headquarters ....it was truly inspiring to hear these newly ordained teachers of the gospel personally tell how their message had been received by hungry Jews and gentiles. At last Jesus was able to see men going out to spread the good news without his personal presence. The Master now knew that he could leave this world without seriously hindering the progress of the kingdom.
15. And it was at this time ...that Jesus experienced one of those rare moments of emotional ecstasy which his followers had occasionally witnessed. He said: "I thank you, my Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that, while this wonderful gospel was hidden from the wise and self‑righteous, the spirit has revealed these spiritual glories to these children of the kingdom...I am mightily moved as I realize you are about to deliver all authority into my hands, that only you really know who I am, and that ,only I really know you, and those to whom I have revealed you. And when I have finished this revelation to my brethren in the flesh, I will continue the revelation to your creatures on high."
16. When Jesus had thus spoken to the Father, he turned aside to speak to his apostles and ministers: "Blessed are the eyes which see and the ears which hear these things. Let me say to you that many prophets and many of the great men of the past ages have desired to behold what you now see, but it was not granted them. And many generations of the children of light yet to come will, when they hear of these things, envy you who have heard and seen them."
17. Jesus went apart with the seventy and said to them: "I did indeed rejoice with you when you came back bearing the good tidings of the reception of the gospel of the kingdom by so many people scattered throughout Galilee, Samaria, and Judea...And now, while I would not quench your spirit of rejoicing, I would sternly warn you against the subtleties of pride, spiritual pride. If you could understand the downfall of Lucifer, the iniquitous one, you would solemnly shun all forms of spiritual pride.
18. "To you and to all who shall follow in your steps down through the ages, let me say: I always stand near, and my invitation‑call is, and ever shall be, Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am true and loyal, and you shall find spiritual rest for your souls."
19. And they found the Master's words to be true when they put his promises to the test. And since that day countless thousands also have tested and proved the surety of these same promises.
20. Jesus and his associates were about to enter upon their last mission ...It was no longer necessary for Jesus to go abroad to teach the people. They now came to him in increasing numbers each week and from all parts, not only from Palestine but from the whole Roman world and from the Near East.
21. The women's corps also prepared to go out, two and two, with the seventy to labor in the larger cities of Perea. This original group of twelve women had recently trained a larger corps of fifty women in the work of home visitation and in the art of ministering to the sick and the afflicted. Perpetua, Simon Peter's wife, became a member of this new division of the women's corps and was entrusted with the leadership of the enlarged women's work under Abner. After Pentecost she remained with her illustrious husband, accompanying him on all of his missionary tours; and on the day Peter was crucified in Rome, she was fed to the wild beasts in the arena. This new women's corps also had as members the wives of Philip and Matthew and the mother of James and John.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the practical applications of the instruction to be as “wise as serpents while you are also as harmless as doves?”
2. How do we increase the number of people carrying the good news of the kingdom to the world?
3. If Jesus had explained to Matadormus why he was asked to dispose of his wealth, do you think the young man might have done so?
4. How do we distinguish between a “pet evil” we need to get rid of and a special talent that we can use in serving others?
5. What are the ways in which the strong, able, and more intelligent people exploit their less able and intelligent fellows?
6. What is the spiritual meaning of the parable of the vineyard workers?
7. How do we recognize spiritual pride?
A Service of
The Urantia Book Fellowship