July 7, 2013
Disciple or Apostle?
Two Women waiting at the Pearly Gates strike up a conversation. "How'd you die?" the first woman asks.
"I froze to death," says the second.
"That's awful," says the first woman. "How does it feel to freeze to death?"
"It's very uncomfortable at first," says the second woman. "You get the shakes and you get pains in all your fingers and toes. But eventually, it's a very calm way to go. You get numb and you kind of drift off, as if you're sleeping. How about you, how did you die?"
"I had a heart attack," says the first woman. "You see I KNEW my husband was cheating on me, so one day I showed up at home unexpectedly. I ran up to the bedroom, and found him alone, watching TV. I ran down to the basement, but no one was hiding there. I ran up to the second floor, but no one was hiding there either. I ran as fast as I could to the attic, and just as I got there, I had a massive heart attack and died."
The second woman shakes her head. "That's so ironic," she says.
"What do you mean?" asks the first woman.
"If you had only stopped to look in the freezer, we'd both still be alive!"
The woman who had the heart attack was on a mission to find the truth, much like we find a mission in our focus scripture of Luke 10:1 through 11 and 16 through 20. We see where He, Jesus, appointed 70 (The eastern Orthodox believe 72) to be His advance team, as would the Billy Graham Crusades or Bill Gaither’s Homecoming concerts today. You can’t just show up at a site and expect thousands to be there and respond. Today as in ancient times, details had to be arranged. However, these scriptures show an interesting and intelligent way of approaching a world set in its ways, with a new thought while preparing the way of the Lord. This process of change is sociology 101, coupled with psychology as practiced by Yeshua. This idea takes some stigma away from psychology that many churches propose. Science is advancing on how the human psyche works, which is the same so-called “science” the Master practiced during His ministry on earth. Had Sigmund Freud studied the Bible first and learned of Messiah’s ways, he would have been way ahead of his results gleaned psychological experiments. Auguste Comte, a French philosopher, recognized as the Father of Sociology, founded the “positive philosophy” in an attempt to remedy the social malaise of the French Revolution, yet the likes of Karl Marx and George Eliot took the power Comte discovered and used it for evil. Isn’t such action expected of humanity when truth and love are eliminated from science and knowledge? Watch what happens in this section of the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus appointed the 70, the advance team, to go ahead of Him and cover every place where he intended to go. This passage in Luke is the only place these people are mentioned but the sending forth is covered in Matthew. They were not just disciples, but were named Apostles, which means, “one set on a mission”. The Greek for disciple means “student,” so there is a big difference in the two and should not be interchanged. In the purest sense of the words, we are apostles after a time of discipleship, such as a student would earn a degree then set out a mission to teach.
These people went out in teams of two, as instructed, with the words from Christ, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Well, there He was, the Lord saying to “ask the Lord to add to the laborers.” There were so many witnesses to this statement that it is obviously intended for generations to come, plus, keep them focused on the mission. This mission was to add to the number of believers, who would then also pray for and take action to bring additional laborers to the harvest. The way to win the world is through the multiplying concept, just as multi-level companies do today.
Wait! Isn’t it more efficient to send individuals out to prepare the way of the Lord? Did Messiah make a mistake here? Would there have been greater coverage had they gone out one at a time? Dr. Victor Choudhrie details the reasoning for pairs going out in advance. There is more power in prayer when two or more agree. Where at least two agree in His Name, He is there. This protective practice means more power in the face of adversity. In Bible times, many religions were practiced and some were quite prevailing. It was not uncommon for a follower of Christ to be tortured or killed. Strength in numbers was as important then as now. The Holy Spirit gives believers different gifts, which is also true of these and modern-day apostles. These practical gifts were valuable in the diversity of cultures and beliefs of the time. Another advantage is that there is always a witness for every action, meaning that continuing refinement or critique’ was taking place in the way the Gospel was presented. Having a reliable and ever-present witness also meant protection from accusations that could lead to death. When two were in mission, they often helped train the other in talent and ability of the other, strengthening them both. And, when two people show up to do a job, those around them take the mission more seriously. In effect, mentoring is constantly flowing both ways, making the mission doubly important to the recipient and the pair.
As if to say, “watch your backs,” they were told by Yeshua, “I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves.” Matthew 10:16 records these same instructions this way, “Behold, I am sending you as lambs among wolves; be therefore crafty as snakes and innocent as doves.” Was He warning them of persecution? Yes, so they were to avoid anything that would give their enemies ammunition against them. These apostles should not meddle in politics, selfishness or worldly things but confirm their faith in every action. Suffering is likely to happen, yet even though they were traveling in pairs, He would be with them.
Then Yeshua gave specific and detailed instructions most appropriate for the time. These instructions are loaded with psychology and purpose.
If you were to send out sales teams today, these would be comparable instructions. Start walking. Take no money with you and nothing to carry things in. Use shoes only when you have to and go straight to your intended destination. When you get to the house you intend to recruit, say at the door, “Peace to this house!” If you find a sharing of peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, your peace will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, because you deserve to be paid for what you are doing for them. Stay there, without moving from house-to-house, so they come to fully know God through your teaching, life and actions. Then when you have managed to reach all of them and are welcomed in the community, eat the local food set before you. In turn, cure the ill, and when you do, say, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” If they don’t welcome you, announce plainly in protest, that you are wiping off the dust from your shoes accumulated while there, yet let them know that they are missing the kingdom of God.
It feels strange in our culture to send people out as Christ did. This plan, however, was not out of character to Jews who followed the Torah. Hospitality to strangers was commanded and demanded. It was important for followers to never let your guests feel inferior. Please study the actions of Abraham who suspected he was hosting angels. However, the Torah requires that a human being who is created in the image of God is to be held in such high esteem that even someone who only has the appearance of a human being must also be treated the same way. For the apostles to take up residence with those who already had knowledge of a code of conduct relating to strangers was not an unusual thing. What was different was the message of Christ, the arrival of Messiah, something also foretold in the Torah. The word brought to these homes was confirmation that the Christ was among them.
Today, when witnesses for Christ testify to the saving grace He provides, there are many who would respond with, “Who cares?” and go back to playing their video games, or never switch their TV off during the conversation. These are not the vicious “wolves” Yeshua described. Still, these apostles were on a definite and important mission with full knowledge of the dangers, dangers such as you would face in Egypt today if Christians knocked on the wrong doors. How amazingly applicable are the Master’s instructions sounding for the world today! In the Middle East if you where a practicing apostle, you will find that you are in the middle of enemies who would call you “infidels” and treat you with hostility and even death. However, according to Christ, you must conduct yourselves with calm faith that God will guide you in your defiance to wrong, with endurance and common sense to avoid unnecessary danger. Still, wherever you go, there will be work to do. But oh, how those homes that welcome you will benefit from contact and instruction with and by God’s apostles.
How involved are we willing to be? If we play the role of apostle in our world, do we follow the Lord’s instructions as we do it? And what would happen if a pair of apostles showed up at your door? Would you take them in or call the police? What form would you think the apostles would take? Must they be of a particular denomination for you to be comfortable with them in your home?
Apostles of a different kind are those whose mission is deception. Humanity has seen apostolic lies, and what the wolves, the very cunning ones know, is how susceptible we are to the big lies. Naturally, we avoid examining the most painful parts of history, such as the atrocities by the most cunning and rude “wolves” of the world; the Adolph Hitler variety. In his 1925 autobiography, Mein Kampf Hitler disclosed his thinking that he would and did use to fool the world. Citizens of Germany who were paying no attention to Hitler’s manipulation suffered greatly! In chapter 10 of his book we read his words; “…in the big lie there is always a certain force of credibility, because the broad masses of a nation are always more easily corrupted in the deeper state of their emotional nature than consciously or voluntary, and thus in the primitive simplicity of their minds they more readily fall victims to the big lie than the small lie, since they themselves often tell small lies in little matters but would be ashamed to resort to large-scale falsehoods. It would never come into their heads to fabricate colossal untruths, and they would not believe that others could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously. Even though the facts which prove this to be so may be brought clearly into their minds, they will still doubt and waver and will continue to think that there may be some other explanation. For the grossly impudent lie always leaves traces behind it, even after it has been nailed down, a fact which is known to all expert liars in this world and to all who conspire together in the art of lying.”
Now we have the opposites; the strategy of truth verses plan of those who perpetrate lies. One gets close and personal with truth while the other uses a collective to question truth and promote big lies at the detriment of humanity, or at least the ones easily fooled, which appears to be a majority in any time or generation. By staying in homes with families long enough to receive and believe the truth of Christ, apostles sent out by Messiah equipped hearers of the Word with truth and strength to resist the collective lies that led them to destruction. This Gospel mentoring took understanding of the Torah and the reality of Immanuel to the level of knowledge and faith to be shared by the described method in repetition. Can you now see how and why Christianity sprang up in small groups, meeting in homes?
What a beautiful declaration was to follow those who accepted the truth. “The kingdom of God has come near to you.” This was not a declaration that the kingdom would happen someday in the future, but HAS happened because truth and love were delivered through apostles on a mission. These recipients of the apostles time and efforts now experienced peace in their homes, just as was declared at the first meeting. Now we know how peace comes to a home, but where are apostles today? Are we willing to deliver the message of peace through truth so humanity can be strong enough to withstand and understand the lies by deceptive apostles?
When Jesus approached the Twelve and asked them to be “fishers of men,” in Matthew 4:19, He knew there would be a training period when they were truly disciples and students. When they graduated to apostleship, they would each have their mission and place in the process.
What is your place? Where are you in the learning process? How close are you to taking on the identity of apostle with a mission, just as the 70 who were sent out? And where are you called to mentor another in the ways of truth and love? When enough people are strong in the faith, the world will be changed for the positive, not because a sociologist or philosopher has devised a way to control the human spirit, but because our spirits are free and grounded in the truth of the Anointed One. Of course, the truth will set you and everyone else free, as we learn in John 8:32, but who has been called to declare the truth that actually leads to love? Could it be that you have been called? Will you answer?
We all have the option of running all over the proverbial house, looking for those who cheat us or cheat on us and spouting suspicion at every turn. And like the woman who died of the heart attack trying to find her husband’s lover, we can chase the wrong, spending all our energy just to prove it so. The better search is for truth to bring inside our spirits so we can live by that truth and not in spite of it. And, like the woman who died in the freezer to avoid detection, we are much better off if someone who knows the truth finds people who are freezing in their hiding places.
Do you remember in last week’s lesson how the Samaritans were not happy to see James and John. You would think the whole crew would be ready to call off the trip, yet Jesus called on 70 more to accomplish the task. Obviously, He didn’t give up. Disappointments and rejections meant nothing to Him and should never discourage you. Do you have a family member who seems to not listen to the truth of Christ? Repeat the Gospel message, and begin with, “Peace be to your house.” And, like the lunatic who became the preacher at Gergesa, their best days are in front of them. You keep the faith so they can come to know faith in God to know love.
In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, amen. ©2013, J. Tilton
