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
Most of the people I minister to these days have written off religion. Their message is the same: "We have simply given up on trying to fit in." I resonate with that; Christian faith is never about conforming to another's set of club rules.
Verses 16-20 of today's reading can be understood two ways. We in the church can assume a position of superiority. If those to whom we reach out listen to our witness and message, great. If not, then we move on, but with a sort of pity for them. Another way to understand this is to ask ourselves, "How is our witness being heard?" Are we a barrier or an access point to how people experience the good news of Jesus Christ that is for all people? There is a world waiting—waiting to hear what we say, watching what we do. Let's get to it! Remember, however, we don't rejoice at our successes, but rather that the gospel is for us too.
Prayer
Lord, with a world watching, let us be faithful to your gospel. Yet, whether we succeed or fail, we give thanks that you love us. Amen.