We heard in today’s Gospel lesson that before sending more disciples out on a mission, Jesus provides a warning to them, followed by instructions for an appropriate attitude for traveling through life. So, Jesus provided a warning and instructions for a proper attitude…
Danger and Attitude.
I think Luke is showing that missionary work is not to be limited to the Twelve. So, he gives us here a set of rules for missionary activity that were previously set forth for the Twelve earlier in Luke 9. So, Jesus repeats them here as He prepares a larger group to be sent out.
Now, the number seventy-two, or seventy in some manuscripts, probably symbolizes all the nations of the world, and is not meant to be taken literally.
For example, in Genius 10, the nations were counted as seventy in the Hebrew text and seventy-two in the Greek translation. Thus, the context and meaning here is that Jesus is commissioning disciples to go beyond the confines of Israel to the whole world.
This number also reminds us of Moses’ gathering of seventy men, plus the additional two, Eldad and Medad, who were left behind in the camp. These 72 men were all given God’s spirit to help lead the people in Moses’ absence (Numbers 11: 16-25).
Thus, like the original Twelve, these disciples were endowed with the Spirit in order to make the Kingdom of God present in real time.
The purpose of pairing these disciples up was not merely to provide mutual support and help, but it was meant to meet the Law’s requirement of two witnesses for validity of actions.
Now in verse two of our Gospel, Jesus said that the HARVEST is abundant. The word…
“Harvest” is a metaphor for the final gathering of God’s people.
In Matthew 13 and Revelation 14, the harvest is carried out by the angels and the Son of Man. Here, however, Jesus shares it with his disciples, who will preach in his name.
He needs more workers because the crop, including you and me, must be quickly picked before it spoils. Then, in verse three of our Gospel, Jesus said “Go. I am sending you out…”
“like lambs among wolves”.
Their task will not be easy. Their trials will not be enviable. Their enemy will not be immediately obvious. And they must be realistic, not naive.
The disciples are not to let themselves become overwhelmed by initial enthusiasm, which quickly fades in the face of difficulty. They are NOT to let their dreams of instant and easy success substitute for real commitment.
Sound familiar? I believe if Jesus was preaching among us today, He would be telling us exactly the same things.
He goes on in verse four and tells them that they are to depend on…
“nothing of their own”
…no wallet, purse, suitcase or sandals. They are to go “as is”, and not dally over what Jesus thinks are inconsequential frivolities. They are to be single-mindedly set on the goal.
Remember this is set in the context of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem for His sacrifice … His goal, which He began in Luke 9.
Jesus wants His disciples to show by their behavior that they trust in God; and then, show by their poverty and peaceableness, they have the character of the beatitudes.
Jesus teaches them that “Peace” would be the normal greeting, and Christ’s peace is a gift to be accepted or rejected. If rejected, the blessing is forfeited, and you are to move on. If accepted, you stay and develop relationships.
Do not pick only the most comfortable homes to stay in. Peace, not comfort, is the criteria. Eat what they have and ignore the food taboos of the Law, as well as, their own personal preferences. The work is too urgent to let lesser values deter activity.
Then, Jesus says cure the sick and say to them, healing and preaching amount to the same thing. Physical cures must be used for the sake of bringing a person into the kingdom. Physical health is not enough by itself.
Jesus then teaches that shaking the dust from one’s feet is a symbolic action of complete disassociation from those who reject the preaching.
For in rejecting the messenger, they reject the message. And rejection of Jesus has dire consequences.
When the missionaries return, Luke’s verses are meant to speak to the situation when the disciples of Jesus could no longer imitate and reproduce his mighty works.
The point Luke makes here is that they should always rejoice regardless … getting their strength from their faith in Jesus.
In verse 18 of our Gospel, Jesus says He saw Satan fall like lightning from the sky. From His eternal perspective, this vision represented the defeat of Satan altogether, a sudden and unexpected defeat, like a flash of lightning, surprising even Satan himself.
This vision was most likely a symbolic way of saying that Satan had suffered a notable defeat, with many more to come.
finally, in verse twenty, Jesus says do not rejoice because you can perform miracles, “rejoice that your …
names are written in heaven.”
Power over evil spirits is great for sure, but not nearly as great as experiencing eternal salvation. The dramatic powers of these early disciples served their purpose, but have passed away.
Only Luke tells us of this missionary charge to the seventy-two disciples. I think Luke wanted to highlight the point that every disciple shares in the mission effort of the Church.
And the weapon that Jesus wants us to use to keep Satan at bay are the Beatitude behaviors, such as being…
• Poor in spirit
• Those who mourn and are meek
• Hunger and thirst for righteousness
• Be merciful and pure in heart
• Be a peacemaker, and
• Willing to be persecuted because of your love for Jesus
So, you can see that Jesus’ instructions to his disciples in today’s Gospel lesson was but another version of the Beatitudes … be poor in spirit, merciful in healing, peacemakers, be single-minded.
Jesus tells them, in effect, that these behaviors would be more effective in the long run than any dramatic miracle performed for its own sake.
Jesus tells them to pay less attention to the miracles they worked, and more attention to the fact that their names are written in heaven.
While the disciples were to use any means at their disposal to advance the Kingdom, they were not to use them to make themselves more comfortable than they need be. The Beatitudes stress the importance of being uncomfortable for the sake of the Kingdom.
While disciples need food and shelter just like everyone else, they neither need nor deserve any extras. They are not to actively seek comforts for their own sake.
Jesus also teaches His disciples that when we “suffer persecution for righteousness sake”, we are to move on, and not get bogged down by hurt feelings or resentment or revenge. The situation is too urgent, too important to become mired in such inconsequential matters.
A disciple loses his or her most important asset … credibility … if he or she shows concern for the sort of things that non-believers do.
Rather, one is to adopt the stance of a “reaper”. The word “reaper” is defined as a person or machine that cuts and collects crops, or harvests crops.
And Jesus is saying today that we should be intense about our role as a reaper … without being concerned with the inconsequential.
Let yourself be persecuted, hated, excluded, insulted for Jesus’ sake, and you will be rewarded, both now and later for eternity.
Like crops ripe for the picking, Jesus views people in the world as itching to be touched by the soothing, healing power of God. He sees the world as a …
harvest with time running out.
And He sees those who have already accepted him, the first fruits of the harvest, as his helpers in seizing the opportunity to prevent Satan from letting people rot on the vine.
Jesus not only gives his disciples a job to do, he also gives them the power to do it by sharing with them his own power.
Jesus teaches us that we are neither to run away from every opposition nor to stay and fight no matter what. It all depends upon whether we sense the presence of the peace of Christ himself.
Jesus has promised us that his Spirit will tell us when to do what and what to say or not say, if we let him, if we consult with him (Luke 12:12)
Besides the issue of staying or moving on, the disciple who remains in a stable everyday life, can also get easily sidetracked from the essential mission.
For example, we can get caught up in the “issues” of the day, such as “church issues” like worship style, doctrinal positions, church finances, type of music; and we can get caught up in social and political issues.
While disciples of Christ are always to apply His teachings to the policies and procedures of the church and to the social and political issues of the day, Jesus warns us against giving them an importance they do not deserve in the eternal perspective of the Kingdom.
He does not want his church to be reduced to a political platform of reforming society, good and desirable as that might be in itself.
He teaches that evil is to be expelled … not reformed, and that is done by living the Beatitudes, as we previously discussed.
Matthew’s version of the Beatitudes puts it this way … be single-minded.
The “issues” of the day have always been with us. They cannot really ever be “solved” until the evil that fuels them is dissolved or exorcized by the power of Christ acting through those who let Him act through them.
Wasting time and energy in trying to solve them is like staying too long in a place … long after it has become clear that they are stubborn and lost.
Jesus further admonishes his disciples not to get sidetracked by idle chatter. When he says, “Greet no one along the way” he is referring to the custom of Jesus day when long and frequently flattering greetings were exchanged. And on into the marketplaces where chatter that shared gossip with too much ego and too little truth was common.
While none of these activities would ever be fruitful, they are particularly futile in the light of the short time available. Jesus encourages us to spend our time much more wisely … and much more joyfully.
You and I are God’s reapers. Meaning that He wants us to only gather in what He has planted and grown. God does and has done the hard work. He is asking us to do the easy part …He is asking us to be His reapers. And I believe we are up for the task, and with God’s help, we can do it well.
“I am a Reaper, and I can do it well”. Amen.