Luke 10:1-9 Jesus sends out the 72
Today is the Feast of St Luke in the church calendar. Christians around the world are invited to honour and celebrate the life and contributions of this beloved saint and evangelist. Luke was a highly educated physician from the city of Antioch in Syria. Today we know him as the writer of the Gospel of Luke and also Acts. His attention to detail was meticulous and he gathered a great deal of eyewitness accounts before he came to write down a detailed account of the life, mission and ministry of Jesus and then the early church as documented in the books of Acts.
So let us take a closer look at our gospel reading and hear what Jesus is saying to his people as recorded by Luke.
I’ve got two simple headings to help us.
1. The Mission (vv1-4) & 2. The Message (vv5-9)
Let’s think about 1. The Mission (vv1-4)
Luke tells us Jesus appointed seventy-two others and sent them out in pairs ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
Jesus tells them the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. So, what are they to do? They are to pray to the Lord of the harvest and ask him to send more workers into his harvest field to bring in the harvest.
On the face of it, the mission is very simple. But as you read on, there is a warning. Jesus says he is sending them out like lambs among wolves. This is going to be dangerous work. Furthermore, they are not to take a purse or bag or sandals. Basically, travel light; comb and toothbrush and no extra luggage as the Message paraphrase bible puts it. And then Jesus says they are not to greet anyone on the road!
So, what’s going on in this section? A few things to note. This mission is very different from the earlier mission in chapter nine where Jesus sends out the twelve Apostles whose names we know. There are similarities in the instructions that are given in both instances. But, in chapter ten, you will notice that it is ordinary, anonymous disciples who are called and commissioned by Jesus to go to the towns and villages ahead of him.
There is also a sense of urgency about the mission because Jesus knows the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. He wants the good news of the kingdom of God to be heard by all. And that is only possible as workers are sent out into the harvest field.
And that is the heart of the mission in these first few verses. Notice that it is Jesus who sends them. He is the master of the mission. They go under his direction and instruction. And they don’t go it alone. No, Jesus sends them in pairs because the work he is sending them to do is dangerous. They will encounter opposition and challenge. Going in pairs means they can support one another.
But before they rush off, he tells them to pray and ask the Lord of the harvest to send more workers into the field. And that’s really important. Because in their own strength and strategy they will not be able to achieve anything. All mission has to be undergirded by prayer to the Lord of harvest.
That’s all very well, you might say. But how does it relate to us today?
The wonderful news is that God still works in and through us to share the good news of his kingdom with others. Today, just like in Jesus’ day, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Our God-given mission is to be witnesses to the saving love of God in Christ Jesus wherever God has placed us. We are if you like, ambassadors, sent by Jesus, with his message and authority to deliver it.
But we do this in prayerful dependence on God. The beautiful thing about this is that God loves to use the local church – you and I – to be his hands and feet, to labour in his harvest field and share his message. And he promises to be with us, encouraging, equipping and enabling us to share the life changing message of love, forgiveness and belonging in his family.
Which brings me to my second heading:
2. The Message (vv5-9)
At the heart of the kingdom of God is the message of peace. The messengers were to say ‘peace to this house’, looking to see whether anyone who lived there shared in peace. Many if not all who were following Jesus had listened to his teaching and witnessed his miraculous powers. But they didn’t want peace with their traditional enemies the Samaritans or the feared and hated Romans whom they loathed.
When Jesus came on the scene, they thought their prayers were answered. They saw in him someone who could stand up to their enemies – a delivered sent to rescue them. As far as they were concerned, the best thing would be an all-out-war that would bring God’s swift justice and end their suffering once and for all. Surely Jesus was the one to accomplish this!
But Jesus’ vision of God’s kingdom – what that looked like and the outworking of it – was completely opposite to theirs. Jesus knew that fighting evil with evil achieves nothing. Violence only leads to more violence with terrible consequences.
But that was not all. Jesus knew Israel’s God as the God of extravagant grace, mercy, forgiveness, and powerful, healing love. God’s healing life flowed through Jesus and he was fully committed to ushering in God’s kingdom of peace.
And it is this message that he wants his messengers to deliver as they set out on their mission. They had to go with a word of warning as well as a word of invitation. Refusing the message would mean going in the opposite way from God’s invitation to peace.
If there’s one thing the world desperately needs, it is peace. Peace in our families, in our communities, peace among the nations and peoples of the world. Human solutions alone cannot achieve it. But we have a God whose heart yearns for us to be at peace with each other and at peace with him.
The good news is that he has provided the way by which we can know this peace which passes all understanding. And that way is the person of Christ Jesus, our Saviour and prince of peace.
We, his people, his church, have the wonderful privilege of being messengers who carry with us a message of hope in Christ Jesus. It is a message of peace and reconciliation – with God and with one another.
We are called to share this message with others and so bring hope to many troubled hearts. We are to hold out the kingdom of God as a place where true and lasting peace can be found. And we can do that confidently because Jesus has done all that is necessary to make peace possible. Yes, it might not seem like it as we look around us. But God’s word tells us that one day it will be so. And yes, even today, God’s kingdom is breaking in and God’s peace can be known when people encounter the saving love of Jesus.
In this season of vacancy in our benefice, it is good for us to reflect on the fact that we are all part of God’s mission in our local communities. Each of us has a part to play in sharing the message of Jesus with our friends, families, neighbours and colleagues. Not easy to do; but vitally important.
At a time when there is much that troubles peoples’ hearts, we have the wonderful privilege of speaking words of peace as we talk about Jesus and his kingdom where all are welcome.
Let us pray and seek God’s guidance and strength to do just that as we go into a new week.
Amen.