[This is excerpted from a much longer writing about the instructions given by Jesus to his disciples, as they were sent out in ministry. The two should be read together, as one; but due to the length, I have broken it in two.]
What was not stated to the twelve, but was stated to the seventy is “The Lord … sent them on ahead of him in pairs.” This would be the reality of the Apostles, as found stated in the letters of Paul. It can then be presumed to have been the conditions stated to the twelve, while not recorded in words. What holds for one holds for all. This means understanding why Jesus commissioned pairs, rather than singles.
On the metaphysical level, a “pair” is a body with a soul. It represents the duality of life. Luke’s first verse is translated (NRSV) to state, “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go.” That is a poor representation of the truth written. First of all, the NRSV rejects the number seventy-two, translating only the “seventy” and footnoting that others see a “two.” The Interlinear of Bible Hub shows Luke 10:1 as such: “Meta de tauta , anedeixen ho Kryios <kai> heterous hebdomēkonta <dyo> kai apesteilen autous ana dyo dyo pro prosōpou autou eis pasan polin kai topon hou ēmellen autos erchesthai .” In this Greek text, two words are written between “angle brackets,” being “kai” [my bold] and the first of three uses of “dyo” in the verse. It appears that the NRSV has tossed out these bracketed words, which does make sense of their reduction to the number of disciples sent out as only seventy. To betters grasp what is stated, here is a literal translation of the above, maintaining everything written: “Change Afterwards moreover these , proclaimed the one Lord <kai> seconds seventy <two> kai sent forth them again two two in front of the face of him into every city kai an opportunity that about to be he to go .” Due to the importance of a word that begins with a capital letter, “Meta” becomes an important statement, which is spiritually elevated to state “Change Afterwards,” rather than simply “after.” According to what is written by HELPS Word-studies: “metá (a preposition) – properly, with (“after with”), implying “change afterward” (i.e. what results after the activity). As an active “with,” 3326 (metá) looks towards the after-effect (change, result) which is only defined by the context.” Therefore, to capture spiritual implication, “Change Afterwards” becomes a major indication that Luke’s tenth chapter takes place after a change has occurred, with the change being Holy Spirit related, effecting the disciples of Jesus – “moreover these.” With the first segment of words making the important announcement that a change had come over the disciples of Jesus, that change is then stated as an ability to “proclaim” or “show forth, show clearly, lift up and show,” as “the Master” or their “Lord” Jesus. This is where the angle brackets surround “kai” come into play, as the change is relative to a union (“and”) that is unseen (“< >”). As such, the Greek word “heterous” does not translate as an innocuous “others,” but relative to “two” that comes in an unseen union, as “seconds” or “another” version of “the Lord.” This is where “seventy” now means a number of disciples who have become extension of Jesus. Rather that the angle brackets surrounding “dyo” meaning an additional “two,” as seventy plus two, but it is a confirmation of the prior angle brackets use around “kai,” so that unseen addition is then confirmed by the unseen statement that seventy were then “two” as one – themselves in body, with Jesus as an extension of their soul. This means the presence of kai acts to introduce the importance of the words “sent forth them again two two.” That is an important statement that the twelve had indeed been sent back out into ‘practice’ ministry. It also forces one to see the double statement of “dyo dyo” as not implying “two by two,” where the imagination sees two rows of marching men, side-by-side. Instead it is another confirmation of “<kai> … <dyo>,” where a pair of disciples are sent together (“dyo”) as two, with each one of them a duet of “self” (“dyo”) – soul united as one with Jesus. This is where the Greek word “prosōpou” should be fully realized as meaning “the face, countenance, surface.” This is a Greek statement that is parallel to the Hebrew word “panim” (or “paneh”). The first Commandment states (Exodus 20:3) (in Hebrew): “lo-yihyeh lə·ḵā ’ĕ·lō·hîm ’ă·ḥê·rîm ‘al-pā·nā·ya”. This literally states, “not shall have you gods other before face,” where “al-panaya” is Hebrew for the Greek stated here: “pro prosōpou.” The Commandment says (in essence), “If you want to serve Me, then you will only wear My face before you,” implying your refusal to lower the face of self and replace that with God’s face is pandering to self-ego, which is akin to worshiping a [much] lesser “god.” With this seen, Matthew wrote how Jesus became the “face” worn by all of the seventy, as all of the seventy were “paired” with a soul united with the Holy Spirit, AND alongside another disciple who was in the same state of being. All wore the face of the Son of God, because they would be the extensions of God’s face that would go to all cities in the name of Jesus Christ. The last presence of “kai” introduces the importance of everything stated prior, as God had made “an opportunity” be present in the world, through His Son in the flesh. But, His Son in the flesh was too limiting for one man to walk the entire globe and go everywhere. Thus, Jesus needed dedicated disciples who would become extension of himself – as him reborn with oneself – so that wherever Apostles went in ministry, so too would go the face of Jesus – as “two” within the body of one. This first verse states everything one needs to know about who qualifies as a priest of Yahweh. When Luke then recorded the verses that summarize “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few,” that is a limitation as to who can truly be recognized as one reborn in the name of Jesus Christ – a Saint. This then factors into what Jesus would later warn his disciples about, saying “Beware that no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah!’ and they will lead many astray.” (Matthew 24:4-5) That prophesied the coming of today’s ‘puppy mills’ that are seminaries generating hired hands for sale to sheepfold builders; and, that was when Luke said Jesus said he was sending out priests of Yahweh like lambs sent into the pastures with wolves about. Understanding that the seventy were married to God’s Holy Spirit then becomes the ‘given’ that must be met by all would-be priests, prior to any instructions being given about what to do in ministry. No one would talk to a toddler about military exercises and then let a child have a loaded weapon, before being told, “Go out and kill soldier!” In the same way, someone who wants to think one is prepared to go out in ministry, but is not, cannot be allowed to go forth and become misleading and a danger to others, as well as himself or herself. Practicing preparing sermons and then pretending to preach the Word to other seminarians (the choir) is not a real world expectation. No one is ever going to pretend to be a violent animal while attending little sister’s pretend tea party. Whereas imaginary tea being poured out into little plastic tea cups fools no one, a ‘child’ priest pouring out imaginary sermons to the innocent ‘children’ of God in the pews does egregious harm.