Scripture
In the first nine chapters of The Gospel of Luke we were introduced to the identity of Jesus as the Messiah sent by God to seek and to save the lost. From Luke 9:51 onwards Luke introduces us to Jesus’ teaching on discipleship.
A disciple is simply a follower, a learner, a student. So, a disciple of Jesus is someone who follows Jesus, learns everything about him, and puts his teaching into practice in his or her own life.
Last time (in Luke 9:57-62) we saw Jesus interact with three would-be disciples. He taught them the cost of discipleship, and so far as we know none of them became a disciple of Jesus. Today, we see that Jesus had at least seventy-two disciples who did count the cost of discipleship. Jesus sent these seventy-two disciples on a short-term missions trip.
Let’s read about the mission of the seventy-two in Luke 10:1-16:
1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.” (Luke 10:1-16)
Introduction
In his book titled Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power David Aikman tells a story about the China Gospel Fellowship, also known as Tanghe. The Tanghe is a large network of Chinese house churches.
Early in 1994 the Tanghe began collecting money for a special missions trip. The Christians in the Tanghe were poor, but they gave sacrificially in order to support the missions trip. Some of them even gave money they had been saving for marriage. Regardless of the cost, they wanted God to be glorified in this missions trip.
After the funds had been raised, the Tanghe had a special commissioning service. They commissioned seventy young people, some even in their teens, to go in pairs to each of China’s thirty provinces to proclaim the good news of the gospel. These young evangelists were given only enough money to get to their provincial destination, and were told to trust God to supply the rest of their needs.
God was indeed faithful to supply all of their needs. Six months later all of the missionaries returned home safely. They reported the wonderful news that through their ministry new churches were established in twenty-two of China’s thirty provinces!
In carrying out this missions trip the Tanghe were modeling the mission of the seventy-two in Luke 10:1-16.
Lesson
The analysis of Jesus sending seventy-two disciples on a short-term missions trip in Luke 10:1-16 gives us several principles regarding missions.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. The Lord Sends Laborers Into the Harvest (10:1)
2. Pray for More Laborers (10:2)
3. Danger Will Be Present (10:3)
4. Trust in God’s Provision (10:4-8)
5. Proclaim the Gospel (10:9)
6. Announce the Danger of Rejecting the Gospel (10:10-16)
I. The Lord Sends Laborers Into the Harvest (10:1)
First, the Lord sends laborers into the harvest.
Luke said in verse 1 that after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
By beginning this pericope with the words, “after this,” Luke was contrasting the lack of response by the three would-be followers in Luke 9:57-62 with the obedient response of the seventy-two in Luke 10:1-16.
The important thing to note from this verse is that it is the Lord who appoints and sends laborers out into the harvest.
There are some people who claim to be Christians and are involved in some sort of ministry, but they are merely making money off their profession of faith. For example, a lead singer of a Christian rock band recently confessed that he and other members of his band “kept claiming to be Christians so they could keep making money selling records to Christians.” Another example is of a well-known televangelist and so-called faith healer who “reportedly has a net worth of $42 million.” Beware of self-sent ministers.
However, it is important to note that Jesus sends every true disciple of his into the harvest. Every Christian has a part to play in reaping the harvest of new believers for the kingdom of God. Not every Christian has the same task, of course. God gives all kinds of spiritual gifts to Christians so that by using our individual gifts we are working together as a whole to save souls.
II. Pray for More Laborers (10:2)
Second, pray for more laborers.
Then, in verse 2, Jesus said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
Jesus sent the seventy-two out into the harvest of unsaved souls. And yet, even as he did so, he urged them to pray for more laborers.
Over the centuries Christianity has certainly grown into the largest world religion. In fact, almost one third of the world’s population professes to be Christian. However, in recent decades the rate of growth for Christianity has declined. And, according to some observers, in the next forty years Christianity will grow at a rate of little over 1% whereas Islam will grow at a rate of over 5%!
We urgently need to continue to put Jesus’ command into practice and “pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
III. Danger Will Be Present (10:3)
Third, danger will be present.
Jesus was mindful of the fact that his disciples would face all kinds of danger as they shared the gospel. He said in verse 3, “Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
Ministry will not be easy. It will be difficult. It will be challenging. It may even result in death. But, faithful disciples obey their shepherd and go and proclaim the good news.
You know this, don’t you? You have shared the gospel with someone and got rebuffed. You have mentioned Christ and got a weird look. People resist the good news of the gospel, even though it is the only news that will save their souls.
Don’t stop sharing the gospel. Don’t let the attitude of our listeners supersede the commission Jesus gave us to share the good news of the gospel.
Let us be mindful that danger will be present.
IV. Trust In God’s Provision (10:4-8)
Fourth, trust in God’s provision.
Jesus said in verses 4-8, “Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.”
Jesus’ directive in these verses is to trust in God’s provision. Now, Jesus’ instructions in these verses were unique to this particular mission. Later, when Jesus was in Jerusalem at the Last Supper on the night of his betrayal, Jesus said to his disciples, “When I sent you out with no moneybag or knapsack or sandals, did you lack anything?”
They said, “Nothing.”
Then he said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack” (Luke 22:35-36a).
Jesus was teaching his disciples that it is wise to make appropriate preparations for ministry. But in every instance disciples must trust in the God’s provision for ministry.
V. Proclaim the Gospel (10:9)
Fifth, proclaim the gospel.
Jesus said to the seventy-two in verse 9, “Heal the sick in it [i.e., the town] and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
Their ministry was to be a ministry of deed and word. Jesus gave his disciples the ability to heal the sick, presumably in a miraculous way. That was done to authenticate them as Jesus’ messengers. Today, even though we are not given miraculous powers to heal, we are nevertheless called to a ministry of mercy. The gospel we proclaim must be adorned by the mercy we demonstrate.
Chris Heuertz is the international director of Word Made Flesh, an organization that helps the world’s poor. In his book Simple Spirituality, Heuertz writes that one night in particular stands out in all his world travels. While walking the streets of Kolkata, a destitute region in South Asia, Heuertz and his companions – Josh, Sarah, and Phileena, Heuertz’s wife – stumbled across a person lying under a filthy, fly-infested blanket. A three-foot trail of diarrhea was making its way toward the gutter. It was obvious to anyone passing by that the person under the sheet was either dead or dying. Heuertz writes:
My pal Josh tapped the body on the shoulder to see if the person was dead. The body moved. Josh pulled the blanket down from the face that it covered to see a helpless young man, maybe twenty-two years old and visibly stunned by our approach. As soon as he realized we were there to help him, he began weeping uncontrollably. A crowd gathered. He continued to cry.
We didn’t have much to work with, but our friend Sarah grabbed a bottle of water and some newspaper. She began cleaning the young man, wiping the diarrhea off with the newspaper and rinsing him with the water. We asked him his name. Tutella Dhas. He was lost, afraid, alone. His body was a leathery-skinned skeleton, and his bulging eyes accentuated the shape of his skull. He kept crying.
We tried to get a taxi, but none would stop. The crowd grew. No one wanted to help. Two more friends happened to be walking down the street just then, and they were able to find a taxi. They took Tutella Dhas with them and headed off to Mother Teresa’s House for the Dying. Phileena, Sarah, Josh, and I stood there in disbelief.
I lifted my head and caught sight of a church and its sign less than five feet where we found the dying Tutella Dhas. The sign read, “All are welcome here.” It may have been what inspired someone to drop Tutella in front of the church. But was he welcome? People from the church watched as we helped Tutella, yet the gate remained closed.
We welcome all to our church, don’t we? Or do we?
Let us not only proclaim the love of God to all but also show the love of God to all. Let us tell others about Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Let us tell them about how God will give rest to all who are weary and burdened and come to him. Let us tell people that God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, if we confess our sins to him. But let us also show our love for others in demonstrable ways.
VI. Announce the Danger of Rejecting the Gospel (10:10-16)
And finally, announce the danger of rejecting the gospel.
In verses 10-16 Jesus told the seventy-two that they were to announce the danger of rejecting the gospel, “But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
“The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
There is much that could be said about this passage. But the main point is simply that we must announce the danger of rejecting the good news of the gospel.
My first pastoral assignment was as an Associate Pastor serving under Lee Eclov. Pastor Eclov is a faithful pastor and constantly engages people with the good news of the gospel.
Hanging out at a bagel shop one day he asked a couple of non-Christian friends, “What’s the most important thing I can pray for you?”
The woman was taken back. “Health, I guess,” she said.
“Health? That’s not the most important thing,” he said. “Sooner or later your health is going to go, no matter who prays for you. There must be something more important than that.”
She was stumped. “What’s more important than that?”
“What about your relationship with God?”
“I never thought about that,” she said.
Then her husband said, “You mean God is going to haul us into court or something?”
Now Pastor Eclov was surprised. “Yeah,” he said, “I guess you could say that.”
We will all stand before God when we die. There is a Day of Judgment that awaits every one of us. For those of us who have put our faith in Jesus Christ have nothing to fear. By God’s grace we will be welcomed into his presence, where we will enjoy his love for all eternity.
But, if we have not put our trust in Jesus Christ, we have much to fear. We will be sent to hell, where we will spend all eternity experiencing the wrath of God.
The writer of the book of Hebrews puts it well in Hebrews 10:26-27: “For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
So, let us tell others about the danger of rejecting the gospel.
Conclusion
Therefore, having analyzed Jesus sending seventy-two disciples on a short-term missions trip in Luke 10:1-16, we should apply these principles to ourselves.
When Jesus calls us to himself in salvation, he also sends us out to share this good news with others. We must then pray for others, not only for their salvation, but also that they will join us in laboring for a greater harvest. We must not be surprised that others will oppose our message. We must trust God to provide for all our needs. We must share the good news of the gospel with others as well demonstrate our care for them in practical and demonstrable ways. And finally, we must announce the danger of rejecting the gospel to all.
So, how will you respond to Jesus?
If you are not yet a Christian, I urge you to ask God to forgive you and then turn from your sin. If you do not become a disciple of Jesus, you shall be brought down to Hades.
And if you are a Christian, I urge you to respond to Jesus by sharing the gospel with others. Amen.
