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

 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 Him to be received up, Jesus 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.  As in yesterday's reading, we observe Jesus' actions as He heads toward Jerusalem, as Christ the King coming to His Bride, the Holy City.  He sends out seventy other apostles, as a king would send out emissaries before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.  There are many stories in Church tradition about the Seventy; they were prominent hand-picked men known for their devotion and perseverance.  One among them was Barnabas, whom my study bible says was a Jew of the tribe of Levi, born in Cyprus to wealthy parents.  He is said to have studied under Gamaliel with Saul of Tarsus, who became Paul the apostle.  He was originally named Joseph, but was called Barnabas, meaning Son of Consolation, by the apostles (Acts 4:36), as Barnabas had the gift of comforting people's hearts.  My study bible adds that it was he who sought out Paul when everyone else was afraid of him, and brought him to the apostles.  Barnabas is the one first sent to Antioch together with Paul.  This relationship was broken only when Barnabas wanted to take his cousin Mark together with them on a missionary journey, but Paul at that time did not yet trust Mark.  Later they were reconciled to one another (Colossians 4:10).  My study bible notes that many ancient accounts say that Barnabas was the first to preach in Rome and Milan, but was martyred in Cyprus, and later buried by Mark at the western gate of the city of Salamis.  Another one prominent among the Seventy was the apostle Titus, whom Paul called "brother" (2 Corinthians 12:18) and "son" (Titus 1:4).  Titus was born in Crete and educated in Greek philosophy, but after he read the prophet Isaiah, he began to doubt the value of what he had been taught.  He joined some others from Crete who were going to Jerusalem to see Christ for themselves.  After he heard Jesus speak and saw His works, he joined Jesus' followers.  He was baptized by St. Paul, and worked with and served Paul in his role as apostle to the Gentiles.  He traveled together with Paul until Paul sent him to Crete, making him a bishop.  My study bible notes that tradition says Titus was in Rome at the time of the beheading of St. Paul, burying the body of his spiritual father before returning to Crete.  There he converted and baptized many, remaining bishop until he rested at ninety-four years of age.  Many more among these Seventy would become prominent in the Church, such as bishops Aristarchus (Acts 19:29; Colossians 4:10; Philemon 24), Sosthenes (Acts 18:17; 1 Corinthians 1:1), Tychicus (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; 2 Titus 4:12; Titus 3:12), and Simeon (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3), nephew of Joseph, and successor of James as bishop of Jerusalem.  Aristobulus (Romans 16:10) was the brother of Barnabas; he preached the gospel in Britain and died peacefully there. 

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."  Christ instructs us to pray not only for the harvest of those who follow Him, but also for the laborers who will go to  them. 

"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."  My study bible says that the image of lambs speaks to the sacrificial life of the apostles, and of all followers of Christ.  The wolves are those who would seek to frighten and devour those who follow the Lord (John 15:18).

"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."  The instructions to the Seventy remind us of Jesus' earlier instructions to the Twelve (9:1-6).  Both sets of instructions emphasize humility in their conduct.  My study bible points out that Jesus twice commands the apostles to eat whatever is offered to them.  This has a double significance.  First, they must be content with whatever is offered to them, even if the food is little and simple.  Second, the gracious reception of the hospitality of others takes precedence over personal fasting or dietary disciplines.  This notion of hospitality extended to the early monks of the desert.  St. Cassian the Desert Father is cited by my study bible as saying that when he visited a monastery, the fast was always relaxed to honor him as a guest.  His host told him (somewhat paraphrasing the words of Christ), "Fasting is always with me, but you I cannot always have with me.  Fasting is useful and necessary, but it depends on our choice, while the law of God demands charity.  Thus receiving Christ in you, I serve you with all diligence, and when I have taken leave of you, I resume the rule of fasting again." 

"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."  Here is the gospel message in its truth.  It's not only that there is a Kingdom in the future -- it's that the kingdom of God has come near.   It remains important to consider what it is that we reject when we refuse to receive this message.

"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."   In Luke's reported Sermon on the Plain, Jesus strikingly gave for "woes" in addition to His beatitudes (see this reading).  Here also, Luke includes "woes" which Jesus pronounces for the cities that reject the testimony of the presence of the Kingdom.  My study bible says that judgment is severe for those who reject Christ after experiencing His grace.  By contrast, those people who have never known Christ due to genuine ignorance are without sin in this regard (John 15:22-24).  They are instead judged by their God-given conscience (Romans 2:12-16).

There is a lot to consider in today's reading.  Jesus sends out the Seventy, yet more laborers for the harvest, sent out like emissaries before His face as He sets His course for Jerusalem.  The presence of the Emperor or any of his official state representatives denoted the presence of the Empire, and so it is for Jesus.  Those whom He sends out as apostles bring the Kingdom near to the people they encounter on their journeys.  Again, as with the sending out of the Twelve, we note the humility with which Jesus' emissaries or ambassadors are meant to conduct themselves.  Hospitality is the highest rule; acceptance of whatever is put before them, and whatever lodgings are offered is a core instruction by Christ.  But there is an important kind of power at work here, an imperative that also is a sort of hospitality -- and that is the response we give to the gift that is offered.  To be offered participation in this Kingdom is to be offered the gift of life itself, and more.  It is life in abundance, everlasting life.  It is life in all the possible aspects of renewal one could contemplate, and beyond.  To reject this grace isn't simply to pass on something, to mutter, "No, thanks," as if in polite company.  It is, instead, to reject something necessary to our souls.  It is a rejection of the fullness of life, of the gift made of Christ's power and authority which He lays before us, offering us participation in it.  How can we grasp what we lose when we turn down this offer?  It is something beyond our capacity to estimate.  Let us consider the laws of hospitality and how far they extend into our very nature as human beings.  Communion and grace are the very substance He offers us, to make a part of ourselves; to refuse is to deny our true nature.  To accept is to find ourselves.  How do you participate in this harvest which is ongoing?