Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 (NRSV)
Read Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 10After 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. Verse 2He 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. Verse 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Verse 4Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Verse 5Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace to this house!' Verse 6And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Verse 7Remain 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. Verse 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; Verse 9cure the sick who are there, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you.' Verse 10But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, Verse 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.' Verse 16"Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me."
Verse 17The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" Verse 18He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. Verse 19See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Verse 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Devotion
The kingdom of God has come near. The seventy evangelists appointed by Jesus were to proclaim this to every person they encountered—whether those people welcomed or rejected them. It didn’t matter how the people received the message. What mattered was that the message was proclaimed.
We in the church may measure our worth by how many people accept the message about God that we proclaim. If our congregation is growing, we must be saying the message correctly. If our congregation is not growing, we must be doing something wrong. Yet, that's not how Jesus directed those seventy people to count their worth and success of their mission. Jesus said, "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." The power is not in the messenger. The power is in the one who sent the messenger. When we are true to the message, we are doing the work of God.
Prayer
Lord God, give us the courage to proclaim your presence even in difficult circumstances and especially when we might look foolish. Amen.