Greet no one on the way…
Luke 10:4 “Carry no money belt, no bag, no shoes; and greet no one on the way.”
The words of Jesus ‘greet no one on the way’ kind of intrigued me, so I set off thinking…
I would like to start off by sharing my testimony, which God reminded me that I did myself, even though I was not a seasoned Evangelist then. I had just got saved, joined back work after pregnancy leave (I had an encounter with Jesus during my second delivery) and I started off my ministry in full swing, while still working for a multinational bank , as an Executive Secretary for the Vice President, young mom of a teenage daughter and my infant son. I wasted no time. No excuses whatsoever…
Happy Women’s day! March 8, 2023! (written on this day)
Jesus sent out a group of seventy-two disciples to "every city and place where he was about to go." (10:1) The disciples were being sent out as Christ's ambassadors. While giving instructions, Jesus clearly warned them: the harvest is huge, workers are few, there are wolves out there, don’t carry your purse , just trust me and no vain greetings… The prohibition of greeting is what we are discussing today. Wow, look at the 70 disciples that Jesus sent out for work, despite the opposition, Jesus had gathered a ‘group’ that was ready to work for Jesus and not mere ‘hallelujah chorus group’, that would leave the church after Sunday service to watch TV rather than lift their little finger for Jesus.
As a novice in the field of evangelism, I had strictly prepared my agenda for evangelism, I had one day allotted during the week for ‘outreach ministry’ which I did alone. I would carry few Bibles, gospel tracts and set off on my scooter during lunch break. It was business trip for the Lord, so I would focus on my job and greet no one. Did you get that? Once during my outreach ministry in a particular Shopping mall, my old friend met me and she was thrilled. She asked me where I was working and I gave her the name of the bank where I worked. She was shocked because it was not that easy to get that job, when she was trying to ask me more questions, I quickly gave her my salvation experience and said, “ I need to go and do my work for the Lord now.” As she watched with dropped jaws and eyes widened, I entered a shop, gave gospel tracts, said goodbye to her and zipped past her. Time was short and I couldn’t afford greetings, this is what Jesus meant as greet no one on the way…..
THIS WAS NO SHOPPING TRIP: THIS WAS MISSION TRIP:
Jesus did not want His disciples to be distracted on the way, satan’s strategy is to pull you away from the plans and presence of God. I once invited a young man to join me during my early morning prayer, he said ok. While he was getting ready to leave his house and come to me, his friend came knocking the door promptly, this young boy should have ignored him and carried on with his work but he did a mistake. He paused, greeted him and spoke with him, within a short span of time, the friend convinced him to accompany him to the gym rather than to come to me for early morning prayers. The sad story is that this young boy never made it for the morning prayers, eventually became a gay, joined a group of movie gang and vanished into the lost world, never to return to me again. I am still looking for him……
There is great depth in Jesus warning His disciples ‘not to greet anyone on the way’…..
A) We read of a wonderful incident in the second book of Kings of how two people handled crisis:
2 King 29:22 She(woman from Shunem) sent a message to her husband: “Send one of the servants and a donkey so that I can hurry to the man of God and come right back.”
23 “Why go today?” he asked. “It is neither a new moon festival nor a Sabbath.”
But she said, “It will be all right.”
She spoke no further but said; “It will be all right.”
Women who speak less accomplish more! She did not make arrangements for burial of her dead son but was preparing for his resurrection. Hallelujah!
In the same chapter, Elisha instructed his servant in 2 Kings 4:29
Elisha said to Gehazi, "Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don't greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy's face."
Since Gehazi was being sent to revive a dead child and it was no small mission, therefore clear instructions were given.
B) There is also the story of the man of God from Judah in 1 Kings 13:
1 King 13:9 For the LORD gave me this command: ‘You must not eat or drink anything while you are there, and do not return to Judah by the same way you came.’
When the king invited the young man of God to come to the palace, he replied to the king: 8 “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. 9For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’?”
Thus far it was good; however, the devil was not giving up, later on, an old prophet (verse 14) found him sitting under an oak tree and asked, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?”
“I am,” he replied 18 But the old prophet (lied) answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the LORD: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him. 19 So they went back together, and the man of God ate and drank at the prophet’s home.Alas, he disobeyed! Finally he was killed by a lion. 24 as he went on his way, a lion met him on the road and killed him, and his body was left lying on the road, with both the donkey and the lion standing beside it.
Moral of the story: OBEY GOD AND DO NOT GREET ANYONE ON THE WAY.
c) Elisha Tells a Prophet to Anoint Jehu
2 King 9:9 Elisha the prophet called one of the men from the group of prophets[a] and said to him, “Get ready and take this small bottle of oil in your hand. Go to Ramoth Gilead. 2 When you arrive, find Jehu son of Jehoshaphat, the son of Nimshi. Then go in and make him get up from among his brothers. Take him to an inner room. 3 Take the small bottle of oil and pour the oil on Jehu’s head. Say, ‘This is what the Lord says: I have anointed you to be the new king over Israel.’ Then open the door and run away. Don’t wait!”
4 So this young man, the prophet, went to Ramoth Gilead. 5 When the young man arrived, he saw the captains of the army sitting. He said, “Captain, I have a message for you.”
Jehu asked, “Which …
The young man said, “For you, sir.”
6 Jehu got up and went into the house. Then the young prophet poured the oil on Jehu’s head and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, says, ‘I am anointing you to be the new king over the Lord’s people, Israel. 7 You must destroy the family of Ahab your king. In this way I will punish Jezebel for the deaths of my servants, the prophets, and the deaths of all the Lord’s servants who were murdered. 8 So all Ahab’s family will die. I will not let any male child in Ahab’s family live. It doesn’t matter if that male child is a slave or a free person in Israel. 9 I will make Ahab’s family like the family of Jeroboam son of Nebat and like the family of Baasha son of Ahijah. 10 The dogs will eat Jezebel in the area of Jezreel, and she will not be buried.’”
Then the young prophet opened the door and ran away. Later people around called the young prophet who accomplished the job perfectly as ‘mad man’; this is what the world would call you if you obey God; nevertheless, obey God one hundred percent.
DO THE JOB AND RUN AWAY!
