Good Morning. Two weeks ago, we looked at one of the most frustrating passages of Scripture there is, you could say, from a “dad” point of view, when we looked at how the Corinthians treated St. Paul. Paul had been their founding pastor and spiritual father for 18 months before sailing on to Ephesus to plant a church there. In Ephesus, he heard how sin was making a mess of their witness, so much so the pagans were grossed out and wanted nothing to do with them.
So Paul writes them encouraging them to get their act together, but they put their fingers into their ears and refused to listen, telling him to send a resume and credentials if he wanted to address them.
I used Paul’s response, 2 Cor. 3, to explain Paul’s vision of the Upside-Down Kingdom of God. Our value system is upside down from what the world values. We have a king who rules by dying. A kingdom where the last are first, and where victory comes through realizing we’re inept and can’t do it, but God can.
The world prizes status, and self-sufficiency. Jesus doesn’t. He tells us not to rely on ourselves, our gifts, but to rely on God. Today, we see this put into practice in our Gospel lesson from Luke 10, where Jesus sends out 72 disciples with instructions that sound utterly impossible by the world’s standards.
v.1: After this the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
Big clue- it says 72 others, because by turning one page in your Bible, we read Jesus sent out 12 apostles in Luke 9 (Mt 10, Mk 6).
Their instructions are the same except one key point, they were told to only preach to the Jewish people.
The 72 were told to go everywhere Jesus was going to go. Luke gives a number picture here that he wants his readers to connect to the Old Testament. Just as the 12 Apostles went to the 12 tribes of Israel, the 72 are sent. And there’s only one big 72 in the Old Testament, in Genesis 10 and 11, it describes 72 nations scattered after the Tower of Babel fell. 72 Gentile nations Jesus message will go, by the power of the Holy Spirit, after the day of Pentecost.
This massive mission is launched not with a strategic plan or a massive fundraising campaign, but with four principles that, like Paul’s letter to Corinth, completely reverse the world’s priorities. Let’s walk through the lessons Jesus gives us on how to operate in His upside-down kingdom.
First, Pray Before anything else, because without God, we fail. v.2
The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. So get out there? Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
First, the fields are ripe. They need workers to get out there so roll up your sleeves and get out there?” NO! Jesus flips it. Whatever we do, work, eat, sleep, we should begin with prayer. Martin Luther is famous for the quote, I have so much to do today that I will have to spend the first three hours in prayer. In the world, you size up a challenge, gather resources, and attack problems. In Christ’s kingdom, you stop and pray, because dependence is the source of real power.
Second, just like Jesus, we go as Lambs Among Wolves. Jesus gives a terrifying piece of job description in v. 3:
Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Wolves eat lambs. Lambs don’t defeat wolves. The Jewish people, scattered in exile among the 72 nations, always saw themselves as lambs among wolves.
The disciples are being sent into a world of hostility, and Jesus says they are defenseless without their shepherd, which is why we “Go as lambs.”
The kingdom of God advances not through human effort but through divine power. When we go out feeling dependent, and knowing only God can do this, God promises to be there. Our weakness is the very channel for His strength.
Third, vs. 4 says we travel light and trust in God’s Provision. Jesus gives an intimidating instruction on how to prepare for the journey: v.4
Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.
Nick and Cecelia are away this weekend celebrating their 2-year anniversary. Knowing him, I am sure he is packed for a week. When we travel, we have suitcases, our wallet, and always bring extra shoes. What happens if your shoes get wet. And don’t forget snacks, someone always wants enough snacks in case we’re stranded. But Jesus says, “Nope. Leave your shoes and snacks behind.” Why? Because that’s the only way to truly trust in God’s provision.
Yes there’s metaphor here. Take your license with you. The point, like Hebrews 12 says: “Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
Imagine watching the 100 yd dash at the Olympics, and seeing someone in snow boots and a parka. Even Usain Bolt doesn’t stand a chance. Yet how often do we try to follow Jesus while lugging around extra baggage like possessions, grudges, anxieties, distractions? Jesus says: travel light and trust Him to provide.
Fourth, expect Opposition, but know that rejection is not failure. v. 10,11
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.
Jesus is very clear that the mission will not always be easy or met with success, at least success that we can see. Sometimes the work is planting seeds that are watered at other times. In the world, rejection means you messed up. In the kingdom, rejection means you were faithful in delivering the message. Our job is not to convince everyone; our job is to witness Christ and declare, “The Gospel, the kingdom of God!” The results are up to God. Rejection is part of faithfulness.
Everything Jesus teaches here runs against the grain of the world.
The world says: pack enough; eye of the tiger, only results count.
Jesus says: travel light; go as lambs; rejoice in offering God’s free grace.
What does this mean? If you feel weak, you’re qualified. If you feel inadequate, you’re in the right place. If your not a great talker or quick thinker, it’s ok, the results are in God’s hand. The kingdom does not advance through super-Christians, but through ordinary disciples who depend on an extraordinary Savior. Think about it, we don’t know the names of the 72 as Luke doesn’t list them. But God knows their names. Their names are written in heaven. And that’s enough.
It’s tough to live opposite of how the world lives, but that is our calling, to keep our eyes on our Savior, and to be in His Word, so that we know the rules of His kingdom.
