Reflection on Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

 

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two 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; 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 a person of peace is there, 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.’

16  “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

17 The seventy-two 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 Indeed, 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.”

Reflection 

“You can have all this world.  Give me Jesus.”

I have loved the words of the song "Give Me Jesus" for a long time.  I think it is because it reflects the childhood relationship that I had with Jesus.  Like many of you, I did not have a whole lot when I was young.  I would stare at the big toys on the upper shelves of the toy aisle, and I would dream of what it would be like if I could have one of those big toys.  But, I knew those big toys were not in the cards for me.  You do not need to ask your parents (who are doing the best that they can to scrape by) if you can have one of those big toys too many times before you learn that the big toys are not for people like you.

Do not feel too bad for the childhood me.  I could not have the big toys, but I could have the biggest person I could image.  I could have God.  I could have Jesus right there with me at all times.  Not only could I, but I did have Jesus right there with me at all times.  I honestly think that I had a stronger faith when I was a kid than I have ever had as an adult.  I am not exaggerating. 

I talked with Jesus all of the time.  I talked with Jesus while riding my bike, discussing the struggles that I faced as I road round and round the farm.  Granted, it is not like I had drastic concerns.  My parents were great.  My friends were loyal.  But, I still had concerns none-the-less.  I had worries about family members’ health.  I had struggles with trying to follow the rules.  You know, I had everyday kid struggles.  And, I talked with Jesus about every single one.  I thanked Jesus for the beautiful clouds I saw and for the wondrous animals I followed in the woods.  At no point did I ever even slightly think that Jesus would not be right there with me, listening to my every word. 

“You can have all this world.  Give me Jesus.”  The words of that song were my life.  I could not have the big toys, but I had Jesus.  Those words were my reality.

What happens when we become adults?  I fear that the lyrics, “You can have all this world.  Give me Jesus,” are likely more of a prayer for many adults than they are a reflection of daily experience.  The words of the song reflect more a desire to be able to give up everything in this world and trust in Jesus than they are a declaration that we have actually pulled it off.

After-all, we know that the story found in Genesis, chapter 3 is the very real story of our lives.  When Adam and Eve choose to listen to a voice of darkness, the snake, and choose to trust their own wisdom, rather than God’s wisdom, it results in them being pushed out of the garden where God resides.  The gate to the garden is shut, cherubim guard the gate, and flames obscure the entrance.  The faith of their youth is shut away, and they look back, yearning for those good times walking and talking with God.

And, people still look back toward the gates to the garden today.  People still yearn for what is beyond the gates.  People still have a desire for the kingdom of peace that is found there.  People are ready to have an encounter with the holy; to have a share in the life of the kingdom.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;” Jesus says (Luke 10:2a).  People are ready to share in that kingdom life.  People are still looking for Jesus. 

I just want to note that many people who are looking for Jesus have not lived a life that remotely resembles a kingdom life.  They have lived rough lives, with rough morals.  Many people who are looking for Jesus come from a pretty dark place.

I remember talking with a woman who was desperate to help feed her children.  Not only that, she was desperate for a new life and wanted a new life.  But, when she came into a Christian aid organization, seeking help and prayer, the literal word for word response she got was, “Why should we help you?  You needed to spend your money better, and then you would have money for your children.”

Sobbing, she told me, “I know I needed to spend my money better.  I know my life has been terrible.  That is why I went to them for help!  I thought I would find Jesus.  I didn’t.”

Maybe, there is a reason that Jesus plans to send his disciples out with nothing.  Maybe, they need to understand what it is to come with hands open, with no way to help their own situation; completely dependent on others; completely dependent on God.  People are still looking for Jesus, and they hope to not be turned away from God’s grace.

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

People absolutely still yearn for the love and life that Jesus has.  So, Jesus is going to need some followers who actually depend on him, people who actually desire to provide his healing, and who actually desire to share Jesus’ vision for what life could be like.  He needs followers who will not get distracted and simply do whatever they want to do.  And, that means that his followers will not be getting the big toys.

“Go on your way; I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the road” (Luke 10:3-4).

A number of years back I did a confirmation trip with a student where I wanted him to understand this type of trust.  We set out on a three day road trip to learn about Jesus and experience what it is to trust God.  Though I did have destinations in mind, no planning was done, no meals were packed, no housing was secured, and no contacts were made.  We just got in the car and drove.  We had to trust that God would provide for our needs and we had to be open to whatever hospitality God had put into the hearts of the people we would encounter.

To be completely honest with you, I did secretly pack a tent in the back of the trunk, just in case.  In some ways, my confirmation student probably had more trust than myself.

But, amazingly, all three days we were welcomed into people’s homes, given meals, and they were all more than willing to participate in the confirmation lessons and learn with the student about Jesus. 

With our concerns for student safety these days, this is not an experience that will ever happen again, but it was one of the most profound experiences of trusting and serving in Jesus’ name that I have ever experienced.  We never lacked for food or water.  We never were stranded or cast away.  In fact, someone even treated us to a nice meal at a Mexican restaurant.  How great is that!  Who knew that tacos could convince someone that Jesus was with us?  And, they all wanted to learn about Jesus with the confirmation student.  The whole experience made it feel like I was a kid again with Jesus right there beside me.  On that trip, we both learned to depend on Jesus, and we both learned to share our faith with those who welcomed us.

We did not need to shake any dust off of our feet in protest of anyone’s lack of hospitality, as Jesus suggests when running into resistance.  Instead, Jesus taught us to trust in him.

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning’” (Luke 10:17-18).

The seventy-two men and women returned, astonished that they had connected with those who were searching for God; astonished that they were accepted into their homes and given food and a bed to sleep in; astonished that they were able to help these people with whom they were staying; astonished that Jesus was able to provide healing through their very own hands; astonished that Jesus was able to cast out demons through the words of their lips; and astonished that they were a part of God’s cosmic plan to bring light into dark places.  God is good.  God is God.

“Indeed, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will hurt you” (Luke 10:19).

God’s light conquers the darkness, and these disciples saw it happen right before their very eyes.  People were healed because Jesus was using their very own hands to recreate his Garden of Eden kingdom right where they were.  The stories of these healed and restored people are the stories that these disciples are going to tell over and over again to their children and their children’s children.

“Hey, listen up.  Once Jesus sent me to stay with a family, who we found had a boy who was suffering a demon hidden away in the back room.  I do not know how Jesus did it, but when I was able to duck the flailing arms of the boy and get my hands on his head, the boy calmed right down and was back to normal, just as he was when he was much younger.  God is good!  Jesus is Lord!”

Jesus uses the disciples to smash the dark and dangerous scorpions of the wild.  Jesus uses the disciples to step on the head of the ancient chaos snake, bringing light and order to people’s dark worlds.  But, it is not the disciples who have this power; it is the power of Jesus at work in their lives.  It is the presence of God’s Eden kingdom seeping into our world.  Rejoice, whenever you are able to be a part of that kingdom’s seeping.  “Rejoice that you names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). 

As Jesus says: “Do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20).