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by Dr. William R. Long
Scripture: Luke 10:1-12, 17-20
Though the text is fairly long, I give it here, in the NRSV. It is always good to "hear it again" before expositing it.
"After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town....17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Introduction
The Gospel of Luke presents two aspects of Jesus' personality. On the one hand he is the accepting, merciful Savior, the one who has tremendous patience with recalcitrant disciples, the one who will accept the poor, lame, blind and maimed (14:13) into his great feast, the one who stops and listens as concerns are brought to him. He is a Savior not only for the Jews but for the whole world. But, on the other hand, in this passage and other places he also has a sternness about him, a focus and an intensity that is almost a driven-ness or, to use the language of our day, an obsession. We see this in 13:33, for example: "Yet today, tomorrow, and the next day I must be on my way..." Or, we see his sternness in his words to his disciples, "Whoever comes after me and does not hate (the other Gospels "soften" this word) father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes and even life itself, cannot be my disciple" (15:26).
The passage for the morning presents the "second" Jesus. In fact, our passage today is intimately related both to Jesus' words in 9:1-6, when he sends out the 12, and 9:51-62 (last week), where he rather harshly dismisses potential followers who have to "take care of things" before they follow Jesus. Now he sends out 70 (some texts have 72. The textual reading here is difficult, because both make sense and both are attested in good manuscripts. Thankfully, however, they both represent the same thing--the "number of nations" in the world. We see this in the pseudepigraphic Letter of Aristeas and the apocalyptic 3rd Enoch. Thus, it symbolizes a mission which is, in Luke's language, "to the ends of the earth") with the same kind of focused intensity as he sent out the 12 in Luke 9.
It is significant to note that the disciples will receive a varied reaction to their word of peace (v. 6). What Luke is interested in showing for the rest of the Gospel is the divided reaction that people have to Jesus. This is already spoken about in 2:34, where Simeon prophesied to Mary, "This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed." Jesus' message, then, not only slices to the heart of her own soul (2:35), but also will slice people in half. Some will heed it; some will oppose it. Indeed, the life of discipleship is to live with the Word of God, which slices deeply into our heart, divining its thoughts and intentions (Heb. 4:12). Now, then, is division time. Now is the time where decision has to be made. Some of the miracles will continue, but very few; the parables continue, but they emphasize the need to choose. That is the point of this story.
And, of course, this is a relevant issue for us in the 21st century. The time comes for us to choose, not only a partner or a career, but whether Christ will be Lord, whether God will be a "ruling category" in our lives. We may have lots of knowledge or friends or money or good health, but we still have to make a choice with respect to God. This passage helps us focus on that choice.
If you are teaching/preaching on this passage, I would mention some of the foregoing, but I would also divide it up into three smaller points:
(1) the urgency of the disciples' task;
(2) the vulnerability of the disciples' lives;
(3) the unexpected joy of discipleship.
Let's consider each very briefly.
I. The Urgency of the Task
Jesus begins by using an agricultural metaphor. "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few." The disciples are to do two things in response. They pray for other laborers and they "go on your way" (v. 3). Commentator Joel Green say:
"When the fruit has ripened, only weeks, sometimes only days, are allowed to bring in the crop, with the result that laborers are added to the normal workforce," Gospel of Luke, p. 413.
The disciples therefore know that they, like Jesus, must be on their way. They have healings to do (the text doesn't tell us how they are to do the healings) and a kingdom to proclaim. We miss the nature of discipleship if the urgency dimension is missing. We arise each day and think that we are owed one more day of life, that our plans will materialize, that our expectations will be fulfilled. But Jesus puts the Gospel and its proclamation on an entirely different footing here; he would agree with the words of Paul, "necessity is laid upon me" (cf. I Cor 9:16).
Is there an urgency in your tasks today--in your proclamation, equipping of others, service to those in need, work in the world? We don't hear Jesus' words to us well if we don't hear the urgency that breathes through them.
II. The Vulnerability of the Disciples
It is sometimes even irresponsible just to have urgency about a task. Tasks need to be undertaken with due attention to risks involved. Just because we are told that the harvest is there, for the picking, doesn't mean that we have to head into the prickly fruit plants with no protection on our hands. The second theme for the morning emphasizes the perils of discipleship. When the disciples go out they will be vulnerable to rejection and persecution. Jesus says it most succinctly in v. 3:
"See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves."
Strict rules of engagement are given to the disciples principally because they/we are so vulnerable in the world. What is the nature of the disciples' vulnerability? Well, they bring a message of change and hope, but it is a message of realities that cannot be seen. People will sometimes do anything in order to keep from changing their lives. They will ignore you, attack you, ridicule you and dismiss you. In addition, because the message of the disciples is a rather abstract one (the Kingdom of God is coming is not a 'visible' concept), the disciples are open to additional ridicule and rejection. Surely the ministry of healing will be something for all to see, but if people are inclined against you they will say something like, 'he casts out demons by the prince of demons.'
Be aware of your vulnerabilities as you serve Christ. We often just focus on our equipment or capabilities and the urgency of the task. But Jesus not only tells them that they are vulnerable (sheep in the midst of wolves) but gives them such specific "rules of engagement" because otherwise the disciples might be discouraged, or worse, from the rejection.
III. The Unexpected Joy of Discipleship
The 70/72 return to Jesus after being sent. And, the last verses of the passage (vv. 17-20) are sandwiched by the concept of joy. They return with joy (v. 17), and Jesus urges them to "rejoice" that their names are written in heaven (v. 20). Often we associate urgency and vulnerability with a glumness or seriousness that has no room for joy. We hunker down to ride out some kind of storm. We grimly gather our resources to wait through the night. We sullenly lower our eyes and wonder how things could get any worse. But this isn't the spirit with which Jesus sends out the disciples, nor is it the one with which they return. They report that the demons submitted to them. We might use the language of demons and Satan today, but normally we use language such as "obstacles" being overcome. Nevertheless, in Jesus' mind and in the mind of the NT authors, the spiritual world is quite alive, being "peopled" with spirits good and bad. Paul is convinced that we are engaged in spiritual warfare as disciples of Jesus (Eph. 6:10ff.). Indeed, Jesus interprets the disciples' words about demons being subject to them in a prophetic manner. This means that he "foresees" the fall of Satan, the ultimate destruction of the powers of darkness. Thus, the joy of the disciples is real; words spoken, deeds done, lead to the fall of the influence of the evil one.
Conclusion
Therefore, there is a lot at stake in the sending of the disciples and in our mission today. The ultimate truth is that a spiritual reality is being played out beyond our field of vision. But this only happens if we have the courage and energy to see the urgency of the task and the vulnerability of our lives as disciples. Seeing this, however, will lead, more often than not, to the joy felt by the disciples. That is the Good News for today.
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