The kingdom of God has come near to you

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you. And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you.

"And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades.

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me."

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name."

- Luke 10:1-17

In yesterday's reading, we learned of preparation for discipleship. As Jesus has decided to go to His fate in Jerusalem ("set His face to go to Jerusalem"), they enter a Samaritan town where no one will receive them. His apostles ask if they should destroy them with fire. But Jesus taught them that they do not know what manner of spirit they are of -- that they are here to save, not to destroy. There are others who wish to be disciples, but Jesus warns that even He has no home; they must be prepared for the same lack of security. Another is called but wishes to go home to bury his father; Jesus tells him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." Another wishes to go to his house and bid them good bye, but Jesus tells him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Jesus has set His face toward Jerusalem, He is preparing for discipleship in the world after His "exodus" -- He is preparing us all for the advent of the kingdom into the world through discipleship and the anointing of the Spirit. See Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.

After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. Luke gives us accounts of discipleship and apostleship by teaching us about the Seventy. The Seventy were eventually to go out into the world, many becoming bishops and martyrs abroad. Some, like Titus and Barnabas, feature prominently in the missions of Paul and the accounts of the early Church. Here we hear their preparation for their first mission, going before Christ to "each city and place where He Himself was about to go." This is a kind of reflection of the preparation for the fullness of the kingdom: through discipleship the kingdom seeks to be borne into the world, through those who will carry it within them.

Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." They are to pray for more help, for those who will do likewise and become laborers for the kingdom. But, we are assured, the harvest is great: there are many waiting for this good news. It seems to me these words are as timely now to us as they were then to the seventy.

" Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves. Carry neither money bag, knapsack, nor sandals; and greet no one along the road. But whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house.' And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest on it; if not, it will return to you." They will enter into a world hostile to their mission. As such, the keynote of humility is essential: they must remember who they are! They are not in the world to be as the wolves but to be the lambs that they are, to bear the kingdom. And here is what I sometimes call the "karma" of the kingdom: as kingdom-bearers, they offer their peace wherever they are welcomed. A son of peace is no doubt one who can receive the word they offer. Note also the instructions to "greet no one along the road" - my study bible says, "The missionary of Christ travels light, moving easily from place to place, and avoids superficial conversation." The emphasis on humility, what they are truly about, therefore, focuses them keenly on their mission.

"And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you." Again, the emphasis on humility. They are not to look for better accommodations, but the house of peace, so to speak, is the place for them. They are there to bring the kingdom to those who will receive it.

"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' " Here, for me, is the great key to missionary work; in a sense it is the key to the kingdom. My study bible puts it this way: "The gospel of Christ is not simply that there is a divine Kingdom somewhere, but that the kingdom of God has come near to us. It breaks into our lives through the work of Christ and His sent ones."

"But whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, 'The very dust of your city which clings to us we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you.' But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city." The rebuke for refusal is to shake off the dust from their clothing and sandals. But the presence of the kingdom has a kind of effect we might associate with the popular understanding of the word "karma." (I do not use this in its Eastern spiritual context, but as it is used in popular language in the West.) In effect, the coming near of the kingdom, and the revelation of its works, confers a kind of responsibility in the response it provokes in those who witness, to whom it has been revealed.

"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades." My study bible says, "Judgment is more severe against those who witness Jesus' mighty works, or hear His word but reject it, as in the case of these Galilean cities." Capernaum, which receives special mention here, was Jesus' headquarters in Galilee. These are all cities where Jesus has performed "mighty works" -- and so, He is teaching about rejection of what one has witnessed. The exposure or revelation of the power of the kingdom confers a responsibility for our own choices in response. The reality and presence of the kingdom brings with it a kind of energy, its own grace, and we make choices for whether or not to respond and to receive it. This spiritual battle is what goes on within ourselves, deep within us. Can we accept?

"He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me." Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." What is it to be a kingdom-bearer? How is this kingdom brought into the world? Jesus has commissioned and chosen the Seventy. We must remember the words He taught them, how this kingdom works in the world and is at work in the world. Through grace, we receive and may bear it in the world.

So, let me ask a question which has been common to the readings in Luke we have received over the past couple of weeks: What is it to be a disciple? As Ascension Day was last week, we have Christ's last words to His apostles, the Great Commission, and they teach us that He is with them always. We have the Comforter to call upon. We have the blessings of grace that allow us to receive Him and the Father through the work of the Spirit. So how does the kingdom "break through" for you? How does it come near? And do you labor so that it may come near through you? Let the light of that love shine and be receive in your heart, so that you may bear it for others. The pain of its rejection in the world -- by the "wolves" -- may only be seen as proof of how necessary it still is. Jesus characterizes it as peace. Let us be sons of peace and bear that kingdom in the ways we can.