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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 wouldhave 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 read that when the time had come for Jesus to be received up, He steadfastly set His face to go to Jerusalem, and sent messengers before His face. And as they went, they entered a village of the Samaritans, to prepare for Him. But they did not receive Him, because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, "Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?" But He turned and rebuked them, and said, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them." And they went to another village. Now it happened as they journeyed on the road, that someone said to Him, "Lord, I will follow You wherever You go." And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Then He said to another, "Follow Me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father." Jesus said to him, "Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God." And another also said, "Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house." But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for 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. My study bible tells us that "only Luke reports a sending of the seventy others besides the Twelve, but the instructions to the two groups are similar. The Seventy appointed by Christ may fulfill the type of the seventy elders appointed by Moses." In the Tradition of the Eastern Churches, these Seventy are called saints, and there are many, many stories of their missionary work throughout the Roman Empire. Some of their more prominent members include Barnabas, companion to Paul and fellow student of Gamaliel. My study bible tells us, "Originally named Joseph, he was called Barnabas (Son of Consolation) by the apostles (Acts 4:36) because he had a rare gift of comforting the hearts of people." Also prominent among the Seventy was the Apostle Titus, whom Paul called his brother (2 Cor. 12:18) and his son (Titus 1:4). These Seventy appear here to act as heralds of the Kingdom, going to each city before Jesus, "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." My study bible notes, "Missionary endeavors are accomplished by God's initiative and power. We pray to the Lord, and it is He who calls and sends out the workers. We have the assurance, however, that the harvest truly is great." In John's Gospel, Jesus speaks of the "fields white for harvest" as the Samaritan townspeople (said to be dressed in white) are brought by the woman He met at Jacob's well, and come toward Him. In that passage He also taught the disciples: "He who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves." My study bible teaches that "lambs speaks of the sacrificial life of the missionaries, their innocence, while the world into which they are sent is hostile and cruel."
"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." My study bible tells us that "the missionary of Christ travels light, moving easily from place to place, and avoids superficial conversation." Greetings on the road also indicate a kind of formal ostentation of the time period, which they are to avoid, as it's not really in keeping with the nature of the humility associated with their mission, and their message. Another note tells us that "going from house to house implies looking for better accommodations." The Kingdom begins wherever it is welcome.
"And heal the sick there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.'" My study bible tells us, "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. 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 wouldhave 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 tells us that "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."
"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." Here Jesus teaches about relationship; those who are truly disciples represent Him, and the Kingdom, in the world. It is a kind of person-to-person reality. Therefore if they are rejected, He is rejected, as is the One who sent Him. This reminds us of His saying about the little child: His disciples should recognize Him, and the One who sent Him, in each "little one" who comes to them. That "even the demons are subject to them in His name" tells us also about that representation, and the depth of relationship involved in real discipleship.
Relationship tells us a lot about Christ's Kingdom. We can see how the Seventy are involved in relationship on every level. As they go to a town, they are not to provide themselves with ostentatious retinue or accommodation or greetings along the way; they carry themselves with a kind of humility that makes for direct relationship -- the sincerity of the message of this Kingdom. This is even though -- and illustrative of the idea that -- they are as lambs among wolves. The blessing of peace they are to give, and the necessary reception of that peace by the ones with whom they will stay also teach us about the basis for relationship in this Kingdom. It's not about a formal place, but rather among a particular community. The action of giving and receiving tells us about people, not just places. To accept what is given by those who receive their peace, in accommodation, in eating and drinking, is to support relationship -- a relationship of faith that will be built and nurtured. In this nurturing is also the gift of healing. We note the mutuality of the giving, the cementing and deepening of relationship in this picture. The same applies to the rejection of the message of the disciples, and is deepened in the rejection of Christ Himself and the works of grace performed in various cities, to be ultimately rejected. All of these things speak of relationship: relationship sustained, fulfilled and deepened, a mutuality that is unmistakable among all (it's not just the disciples who give, but each both receives and gives). But where this relationship does not take root and grow, there is also a "reciprocity" that results from rejection, a spurning of the grace that is offered: the more profound the gift, the deeper the rejection and the more powerful the response, in His name. The depth to which our faith may take root in our lives and among community also conveys the depth to which we may participate in discipleship and apostleship: we give to the world as the fruits of discipleship take root in us, and we, too, may enter into others' labor (as the quotation from John's Gospel tells us). Let us take note that rejection simply means wiping the dust off, and moving on, moving ahead to the next place. All is in His name, and it is He who is the author of the good works, the grace. Let us remember today that whatever grace we may express through our faith acts as an ambassador to others. Let us walk in His Way. Let us remember, ultimately, who is the Lord of the harvest, and our prayers constitute a relationship also with the One who sent Him.
