The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest

 

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.  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 comments that we are to pray not only for the harvest of converts to Christ, but also for the laborers who will reach them.  

"Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves."   Lambs form an image of the sacrificial life of the apostles, and of all followers of Christ.  The wolves, according to my study bible, are those who 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."   My study bible remarks on the fact that Jesus twice commands the apostles to eat whatever is offered to them.  It says that this has a twofold significance:  First, the apostles must be content with whatever is offered, even if the food is little and simple.  Second, the gracious reception of others' hospitality takes precedence over personal fasting or dietary disciplines.  It adds a note regarding St. Cassian the Desert Father, one of the earliest founders of monasticism.  When he visited a monastery, the fast was always relaxed to honor him as a guest.  He explained, paraphrasing the words of Jesus in 5:34, "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."  In this way the ascetics would obey Christ's command here and also His command not to "appear to men to be fasting" (Matthew 6:18; see also Romans 14:2-6, 1 Corinthians 10:27, Hebrews 13:2).  

"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."  My study bible points out for us that the gospel message isn't simply that there is a Kingdom at some time in the future, but rather 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."   Jesus gives new "woes" naming cities which have failed to respond to the testimony of mighty works to the presence of the kingdom of God.  My study bible comments that judgment is severe for those who reject Christ after experiencing His grace.   In contrast, it says, those who have never known Christ due to genuine ignorance are without sin in that regard (John 15:22-24), and are instead judged by their God-given conscience (Romans 2:12-16).  

As Jesus "sets His face" toward Jerusalem and His Passion (see yesterday's reading, above), Jesus sends out the Seventy, on a new apostolic mission.  My study bible comments that although these Seventy are not so prominent as the Twelve, they carried out their missions with fervor and enthusiasm.  The Tradition of the Church confirms that they remained true to the Lord and to their calling, and fulfilled a vital role in the spread of the gospel.  My study bible notes that these seventy apostles are not random choices or accidental volunteers.  They are true disciples and apostles, whose labors carried the message of Christ throughout the Roman Empire and beyond.  Records of them remain in many accounts handed down through the centuries from various locations and shared among the Church.   One notable example is Barnabas, a Jew of the tribe of Levi.  He was born in Cyprus to wealthy parents, studied under Gamaliel with Saul of Tarsus (who would become St. Paul).  His original name was Joseph, but he would be called Barnabas (Son of Consolation) by the apostles (Acts 4:36), because he had a rare gift of comforting hearts.  My study bible notes that he sought out Paul when everyone else was afraid of him, and brought him to the apostles.  It was Barnabas whom the apostles first sent to Antioch with Paul.  Their association broke only when Paul did not trust Mark -- a cousin of Barnabas -- to go on a missionary journey with them at that time.  But they were later reconciled (Colossians 4:10).  According to many ancient accounts, Barnabas was the first to preach in Rome and Milan.  He was martyred in Cyprus and then buried by mark at the western gate of the city of Salamis.  Another one of the Seventy was Titus, whom Paul called his brother (2 Corinthians 12:18), and son (Titus 1:4).  He was born in Crete and educated in Greek philosophy, but reading the prophet Isaiah, he began to doubt the value of what he knew.  He joined others from Crete to go to Jerusalem to hear Christ; after hearing Jesus speak and seeing His works, Titus joined those who followed Christ.  He was baptized by Paul, and served him, traveling with Paul as apostle to the Gentiles, until Paul sent him to Crete and made him a bishop there.  It is said that Titus was in Rome when St. Paul was beheaded, and buried his body.  Returning to Crete, he converted and baptized many, governing the Church on the island until he died at the age of ninety-four.  There are many more stories of the Seventy, among whom are other names known to all Christians as they are mentioned by St. Paul, such as Aristarchus, Sosthenes, Tychicus, Simeon son of Cleopas (brother of Joseph, the betrothed of the Virgin Mary) who would succeed James as bishop in Jerusalem.  Aritobulus (Romans 16:10) was the brother of Barnabas; he preached the gospel in Britain and died peacefully there.  Each story (and there are many more preserved from ancient times, including full lists of the Seventy) teaches us something about the fruitfulness of Christ's ministry, this one mission covering so much ground and planting so many seeds across the ancient world.  In light of Luke's focus on the Gentile Church, it's important to see Christ's work in establishing this living Kingdom even as He knows it is time for Him to set His face toward Jerusalem and begin His journey to the Passion.  It tells us how well-provided the Church was for the future, and teaches us about the timing of all things in God's sight.  It is a reminder of Jesus' words about the grain of wheat that falls to the ground, and produces much grain (John 12:23-26).  Even as Christ heads toward Jerusalem, He commands the Seventy to go out on a mission, scattering seeds and producing much grain.  It is a lesson for us about God's work in the world, and our own understanding of mission.  Whatever we do in life, and do so prayerfully, we can be assured that God's hand in that living Kingdom in which we participate will seek as well to plant seeds and produce grain for Christ's truth in the world.  Let us bear ourselves in accordance with His instructions, as befits those who would bring the kingdom of God near to others in this world.