On a Mission for God—Lectionary Reflection for Pentecost 4C/Proper 9C (Luke 10)


Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 New Revised Standard Version UpdatedEdition

10 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. 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. 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. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ And if a person of peace is there, your peace will rest on that person, but if not, it will return to you. 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. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 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.”

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                The plot line in Luke’s Gospel moves Jesus and his team toward Jerusalem. In Luke’s version of the story, Jesus decided to move from Galilee to Jerusalem by way of Samaria, which was not the typical path Jews would take since Jews and Samaritans did not like each other. As one might expect, Jesus wasn’t welcomed into the Samaritan towns and villages (Luke 9:51-56). But the journey continues as Jesus begins to prepare the way forward by sending out a group of missionaries to the towns where he intended to go. You might call this an advance team. What is interesting is that we tend to think of Jesus’ team as including just a group of twelve men, led by Peter, James, and John. But in this case, there are seventy people who were sent out in pairs on this new mission. Where did the seventy come from? There are likely good answers to that question that involve looking back through a later lens, especially since the instructions given here look like they fit a missionary effort taking place later in the first century. In addition, only Luke records this story, with Matthew and Mark recording Jesus sending out the twelve (Matt. 9:35-10:16; Mark 6:7-11).

                With this preface concerning the issues inherent in this story, we can turn to the story itself, noting that the Revised Common Lectionary, as it often does, omits the word of judgment on the villages that refused to listen to the message (that is, the woes on the impenitent ones). So, we have seventy missionaries (or seventy-two) who are sent out to prepare the way for Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem. Jesus tells this group of seventy elders that “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few” (Luke 10:2). This harvest imagery has long been used to describe evangelistic efforts. It also has apocalyptic elements, as we see in the way the story plays out. So, we’re told that “the Lord of the harvest” will send out laborers to bring in the harvest.

                Jesus gives this group of missionaries specific instructions, telling them that they will need to travel light. He also lets them know that he is sending them out as lambs among wolves. This will be no vacation. They may face dangers, even death. So, Jesus sends them off on this mission, telling them not to carry a purse or bag (thus no money or extra clothing). They weren’t even allowed to wear sandals. They went out barefoot (discalced). Interestingly, they weren’t supposed to greet anyone as they traveled along the roads. When they arrived at a particular house, Jesus instructed them to offer a greeting, telling the people in the house, “Peace to this house.” If the people in the house receive this blessing, then they will be blessed. If not, the offer of peace will return to the missionary. The next word has to do with the practice of domiciling with residents of the communities visited. So, if a household welcomes the missionaries to stay with them, that is wonderful. However, they’re warned not to jump from house to house. Stay in one place, eat and drink what is offered. Finally, he tells this group of missionaries to cure the sick, while proclaiming the good news that the realm of God has come near to them.  

What we see here in this set of instructions is a description of early Christian itinerant mission. As Fred Craddock notes, “The missionaries were to depend entirely on the hospitality of their hosts, very likely a practice common among early Christian groups, including the missions of Paul and his associates” [Luke: Interpretation, p. 145]. One other thing, Jesus tells his erstwhile representatives, not to condemn those who refused them hospitality. Remember that Jesus' disciples wanted him to call down judgment on the Samaritans who rebuffed him (Luke 9). These villagers would face their own judgment day in that they had missed an opportunity to experience God’s realm. The instructions given to the missionaries are simple: If a town fails to welcome them, simply declare: “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” (Luke 10:11).

The omitted verses (Luke 10:12-16) are challenging. They offer a strong word of judgment, suggesting that when the kingdom of God arrives, it would be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than these villages (Luke 10:12). Then come a series of woes against Chorazin, Bethsaida, since if the deeds of power done in these villages had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented with sack cloth and ashes. So, Tyre and Sidon would be better off. Even Capernaum receives a rebuke, such that it would be brought down to Hades. The final word is that “Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Luke 10:16). So the message here is that one should listen to Jesus’ representatives, or things could go bad for them. The words here are uncomfortable, but we must not lead contemporary Christians into believing that Jesus never spoke of divine judgment.

After the omitted section, Luke describes the return of the seventy missionaries and their report to Jesus. They’re excited about what has transpired during their journey. Not only did they proclaim the coming of God’s realm, but when they told demons to submit in the name of Jesus, they did just that. Although the instructions Jesus gave didn’t include exorcisms, that appears to be what happened while they were off preaching. Everyone loves a successful campaign, and apparently that’s what happened.



Jesus responded to their report by sharing what he saw happening while they were on campaign. He told them that “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.” This is apocalyptic language with which Jesus is reporting the defeat of Satan due as their activity stands in line with the proclamation and demonstration of the coming of God’s realm into their midst. It also parallels a word found in Isaiah 14:12:

How you are fallen from heaven,
    O Morning Star, son of Dawn!
How you are cut down to the ground,
    you who laid the nations low!
13 You said to yourself,
    “I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne
    above the stars of God;
I will sit on the mount of assembly
    on the heights of Zaphon;
14 I will ascend to the tops of the clouds;
    I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to Sheol,
    to the depths of the Pit.  (Isaiah 14:11-15).

You might think here in terms of a divine invasion, such that the spread of God’s realm leads to conflict with Satan’s realm. This is a description of spiritual warfare, something many mainline Christians shy away from. Although Jesus envisioned Satan’s fall from heaven, the battle is not yet complete. Remember that Jesus is heading to Jerusalem, where he will be crucified, die, and be buried. Satan may be wounded, but has yet to concede defeat.  We can demythologize this text, but in speaking of cosmic powers, perhaps we can see the spiritual dimensions underlying real-world realities, as we face what Ephesians calls the “principalities and powers” (Eph. 6:11-13). Richard Beck suggests that we might be missing something by “snipping out the devil” from our Christian story. Back points out that “exorcism was at the heart of Jesus’ ministry and the focal demonstration of his kingdom proclamation. That people were being set free from the power of the devil was the sign that God’s kingdom had been inaugurated in the person of Jesus. The kingdom of God and exorcism go hand in hand” [Beck, Reviving Old Scratch, p. 32]. As the church faces what surely are spiritual forces at work, threatening democracy in the United States and elsewhere, let us not forget that social justice work is a spiritual matter. Racism, for example, is a spiritual evil that must be confronted, and this work requires spiritual resources. So, as the church defends the poor, the marginalized, the seekers of asylum, it’s not just political work. It is kingdom work, and that requires spiritual fortitude and empowerment. It’s also why this work is risky!

After Jesus shares this vision of the fall of Satan, he speaks of the authority given to his followers. This authority includes treading on snakes and scorpions (I wonder if this is to be taken metaphorically?) while exerting power over the enemy, such that nothing will hurt them. As we ponder this word, we might want to consult the Book of Revelation, which speaks rather clearly about the possibilities of martyrdom.

The final message here is a caution. While this group of seventy missionaries was excited about their success in conquering the demonic, such that Satan fell from heaven, they should rather rejoice that their names are written in heaven. This is simply a reminder to all of us that we must remain humble as we participate in kingdom work.  I close with this word from Richard Beck, who reminds us that this kingdom work involves interrupting the world with love. He writes: “Beyond interrupting the world through resistance and solidarity, we can also interrupt the world with acts of inclusion and kindness. If Jesus had a favorite tactic it was his practice of table fellowship, breaking bread with the outcasts of society” [Reviving Old Scratch, p. 183]. Yes, we can start by emulating Jesus’ table fellowship, which is a reminder that our gatherings at the Lord’s Table serve as a foundation for such work [see my book Eating with Jesus, for more on this].

 

 

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