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."

- Luke 10:1-16

Yesterday 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.  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."   Yesterday we read that Jesus sent His apostles before His face as He determined to go toward Jerusalem.  Here we read of the appointment of seventy others who now do the same, sent out two by two to every city He will enter on His way toward Jerusalem and His Passion.  These seventy were also hand-chosen, made up of members well-known to the Church, including Barnabas and Titus.  My study bible suggests that we note Christ teaches us to pray not only for the harvest of believers, but also for laborers who will minister to them.  Wolves are those who would prey on the lambs of Christ; lambs are animals that are associated with sacrifice and characterize the lives of apostles and Christ's followers.  Peace is the hallmark of the journey, peace is what unites those who bring the Kingdom near and those who receive it.  Wolves here is used figuratively as those who seek to frighten and devour those who follow Christ (John 15:18).  Note once again the command for gracious behavior:  they are to accept whatever hospitality is first offered, and that includes foods.  This touches on the fasting disciplines traditional in the Church and particularly for monastics:  hospitality takes precedence!  Christ gives two commands emphasizing this:  graciousness, mercy, and charity figure into this practice of receiving what is set before to them.  They are to heal the sick, and here is perhaps the most important word Christ gives:  they are to say, "The kingdom of God has come near to you."  Its impact is felt in the next statement:  where that Kingdom is rejected, there will be judgment.  All the apostles are to do is to wipe off the dust of the city from themselves, but the emphasis here is given twice as well:  "know that the kingdom of God has come near you."  My study bible says that the gospel message isn't simply that there is a Kingdom in the future, but that this kingdom of God has come near.

"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."  My study bible explains that judgment is severe for those who reject Christ after experiencing His grace.  But in contrast, it's important to note that those who have never known Christ due to genuine ignorance are without sin in that regard (John 15:22-24).  It is their God-given conscience that counts (Romans 2:12-16).  Indeed, there are Orthodox writers who say that around the world many who have never heard the name of Christ have nevertheless sought to reach toward Him in their own faiths.   Once again we note that Judgment is left to God; all these apostles are to do is wipe off the dust from themselves as a rebuke to the city where they and Christ's kingdom are rejected.

Jesus' words regarding Judgment are extreme, and therefore powerful.  Certainly there is no doubt this is intentional speech.   We see the seemingly great contrasts between these words and His teaching and instruction on the character and behavior of the Seventy.  Twice He teaches them they must graciously accept whatever hospitality is offered to them.  Rather than expressing any form of retaliation where they are rejected they are simply to wipe the dust off them in rebuke.  The gracious message, "The kingdom of God has come near to you," is always the refrain no matter what the city's response is.  But Judgment isn't something that can be taken lightly, and we really shouldn't see contradictions in any of this.  Christ teaches us about spiritual reality and the responsibility of being messengers of this Kingdom.  Their every word and deed is to reflect the true graciousness of this Kingdom, and the fact that they are ushering in a spiritual kingdom into the world.  "The kingdom of God has come near" is a message that teaches about what is coming into our world, what exists within us and among us as those who wish to be a part of this life of the Kingdom, even as we live in this world.  And that's where we take our start in understanding the true message of the Gospel and Christ's mission into the world.  We are all still a part of this mission, where the Kingdom is near, and we have a choice to accept or reject.  Christ makes it very clear that the message of the Kingdom, the spirit which guides these apostles, must be present in all that they do.  It's not just about nominally joining a Church, it's about how one lives all of one's life.  It is about action.  Grace is the great hallmark here, but we are always invited into choice.  We are responsible for what we reject, how we choose.  He tells us that there will be plenty of wolves out there for His sheep, but they are to rely on humility and grace; they serve Him, not a worldly master.  In times of difficulties and uncertainty, we need to remember the grace and peace of this life that He offers.  Our peace -- His peace given to us -- is the connecting tie  between those who bring the good news of the Kingdom and those who receive it.  To be a son of peace is to be a child by adoption, via faith.  It is to carry His Kingdom with us and within us.  His Judgment is always present with it, but so is the grace that responds to repentance or change of mind.  Let us remember this and persevere in His peace, in what He offers and calls us to in mission, in the good news of the Kingdom.  Let us not forget the importance -- the great significance -- of this choice we are called to make each day.