The Seventy Sent; the Good Samaritan
Seventy more are appointed and sent ahead of him, two by two, into every place he means to come. They return astonished that even the devils obey. Then a lawyer asks who counts as a neighbor, and the answer is a story about the one man on the road who stopped.
Note. The Joseph Smith Translation reverses the saying about Satan’s fall, turns “who the Son is” into “that the Son is the Father,” and, in the parable, supplies the motive the King James leaves out: the priest and the Levite did not want it known that they had seen him.
? How to read this edition
The reading is the Joseph Smith Translation, in the text of the Covenant Christian Edition, carried beside each Gospel and set against the King James baseline. Headers give both numbering systems: the CCE chapter and verse, and the traditional KJV reference.
1After these things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place where he himself would come. 2And he said unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the laborers few. Pray ye therefore Ask therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send forth laborers into his harvest. 3Go your ways. Behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves. 4Carry neither purse nor scrip, nor shoes, nor salute any man by the way. 5And into whatever house you enter, first say, Peace to this house. 6And if the Son of Peace is there, your peace shall rest upon it; if not, it shall turn to you again return to you. 7And in the same house remain whatever house they receive you, remain, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his hire; go not from house to house. 8And into whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you, 9and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God has come near to you. 10But into whatever city you enter and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same and say, 11Even the very dust of your city which cleaves on us, we do wipe off against you. Notwithstanding, be ye sure of this: that the kingdom of God has come near to you. 12But I say unto you that it shall be more tolerable in that day in the day of judgment for Sodom than for that city.
13Then he began to upbraid the people in every city wherein his mighty works were done who received him not, saying, Woe unto you, Chorazin. Woe unto you, Bethsaida. For if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon which have been done in you, they would have repented, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, which are exalted to Heaven, shall be cast down to hell. 16And he said unto his disciples, He that hears you, hears me. And he that despises you, despises me. And he that despises me, despises him who sent me.
17And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject to us through your name. 18And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. As lightning falls from heaven, I beheld Satan also falling. 19Behold, I will give unto you power over serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. 20Notwithstanding, in this, rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.
21In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit and said, I thank you, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent them who think they are wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes. Even so Because, Father, for so it seemed good in your sight. 22All things are delivered to me of my Father, and no man knows who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him that the Son is the Father, and that the Father is the Son, but him to whom the Son will reveal it. 23And he turned himself unto his the disciples and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that you see, 24for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which you see, and have not seen them, and to hear those things which you hear, and have not heard them.
25And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and tempted tested him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26He said unto him, What is written in the law? How do you read it? 27And he answering said, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself. 28And he said unto him, You have answered right; this do and you shall live. 29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor?
30And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves who stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31And by chance, there came down a certain priest that way, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side of the way. 32And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked upon him, and passed by on the other side of the way — for they desired in their hearts that it might not be known that they had seen him. 33But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34and went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35And on the next day, when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to took money and gave to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him, and whatever you spend more, when I come again, I will repay you. 36Who now of these three do you think was neighbor unto him who fell among the thieves? 37And he said, He who showed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou and do likewise.
Other Seventy Sent to Labor; a Brother for the Stranger
The Calling of Seventies
Richard C. Galbraith’s Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith keys this instruction to Luke 10:1 and 10:17, the appointing of “other seventy” and their return. Sitting in council with the Twelve at Kirtland, Joseph applies the chapter directly: more laborers are called when the first are all employed, they are sent out to labor, and they live by their ministry, which is this passage’s “the labourer is worthy of his hire.”
Grand council, 2 May 1835, Kirtland, Ohio · History, 1838–1856, volume B-1, p. 590 (the History of the Church text, which is what Scriptural Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith (Galbraith), p. 75 reprints; History of the Church 2:200–201) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Also recorded in the minutes themselves: Record of the Twelve, 14 February–28 August 1835, p. 7; William E. McLellin’s report of the same council (Minutes and Discourse, 2 May 1835–A, p. 188).
If the first Seventy are all employed, and there is a call for more laborers, it will be the duty of the seven presidents of the first Seventy to call and ordain other Seventy and send them forth to labor in the vineyard, until, if needs be, they set apart seven times seventy, and even until there are one hundred and forty-four thousand thus set apart for the ministry.
The Seventy are not to attend the conferences of the Twelve, unless they are called upon or requested so to do by the Twelve. The Twelve and the Seventy have particularly to depend upon their ministry for their support, and that of their families; and they have a right, by virtue of their offices, to call upon the churches to assist them.
The circumstances of the presidents of the Seventy were severally considered, relative to their traveling in the vineyard: and it was unanimously agreed that they should hold themselves in readiness to go, at the call of the Twelve when the Lord opens the way.
Pour In the Oil & Wine
Joseph Smith is not expounding the parable here and does not name it. The passage is shown because he takes the Samaritan’s act, oil and wine poured into a stranger’s wounds, and makes it the duty of Nauvoo toward every stranger who arrives afflicted. He said it at the funeral of Lorenzo D. Barnes, a missionary who had died far from home in England; the phrase “good Samaritan” never appears, which is why a phrase search missed it.
Discourse, 16 April 1843, Nauvoo, Illinois · Joseph Smith Journal, kept by Willard Richards, p. 139 (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 294) · Joseph Smith Papers ↗Almost all who have fallen in these last days, in the church, have fallen in a strange land, this is a strange land. to tho[s]e who have come from a distance. we should cultivate sympathy for the afflicted. among us. If there is a place on earth. where men should cultivate this spirit & pour in the oil & wine in the bosom of the afflicted it is this place. and this spirit is manifest here— and although he is a stranger & afflicted. when he arrives, he finds. a brother— & friend ready to administer to his necessities.—