LUKE 10

Jesus sends out “the seventy”, in pairs of two. The number seventy corresponds to the number of nations as in Genesis 10. The notion of sending out in pairs seems functional and practical, yet to those who would hear the message, two witnesses were needed in order for any condemnation to be addressed. Two witnesses were needed for an accusation to have been deemed credible. And thus the message of the kingdom of God had to be told, prefaced by the condemnation for the rejection of that message.

The harvest then, as now, is described as plentiful, and workers then, as now, were and are still needed. And we take heart in what the seventy did. If the message is rejected, it is Christ who is rejected, not us personally. Likewise, if the message is accepted, it is Christ who is accepted, and not us personally. Either way, the glory is God’s, through all of His grace, forgiveness, justice, and holiness.

When the seventy return and report to Jesus, they are thrilled at the success they have seen by their power over demons. Jesus warns them to rejoice for the right reason, that their names are recorded in Heaven. They are eternally secure, and that needs to generate more excitement than the power they have demonstrated.

Those following Jesus, His disciples, and those close to Him, are indeed privileged to be able to see and hear what the prophets of old could not. The prophets could only foretell by relating whatever message God had them deliver. Those walking with Christ saw and heard what they wrote about; they saw it all come to life and reality in the person of Jesus.

Again, questions are asked of Jesus, this time from a lawyer. “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” is followed by “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus tells the story parable of the Good Samaritan. We know it well. A priest and a Levite both pass by the injured man, but a Samaritan helps. To this audience, this would be the last person they would want helping them. Samaritans were Jews who had intermarried into another culture and religion, resulting from the kingdom split after Solomon and the eventual Assyrian invasion that destroyed the northern kingdom. They were regarded as “half-breeds”, sort of related to the Jewish people, but very much despised for being an “unclean” race. The hatred between the Jews and the Samaritans was very mutual. So when a Samaritan does the right thing, the audience takes note. “Go and do the same” is the message.

Martha and Mary interact with Jesus in their home, Martha is serving, Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet. The words used indicate that Mary was “continually listening”, very intently. The lesson brought forth is that Martha’s “service”, her worrying about the urgent, got in the way of her sitting to learn from the Lord. Serving is good, and focusing on what is important (sitting at Jesus’ feet) is best. At times we do need to feed the body literally, as Martha intended to take care of; Jesus, however, wants the major focus to be primarily on feeding the soul.

SO WHAT…?

So, do I have a good balance between service and listening to God’s Word? Am I too caught up in the “urgent”, sometimes social aspects of ministry, to the point of forgetting or minimizing Jesus’ primary goal?

So, am I willing to be a harvest worker? Many are still needed.

So, I must keep sharing the Word, sharing Christ, befriending all along the way, sensibly, knowing some will reject that message, some will accept. Their choice. All the while, I must remember the Gospel is not just for those who are just like me. In the parable, the Samaritan got it right. So, too, must I.