First this Sunday's Gospel reading (last Sunday's can be found here):
1 After 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. 2 He 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. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, "Peace to this house!' 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain 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. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 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.'
16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
Now let's notice some key connections:
-The first is that these readings are following one another in the Gospel. Prior to the addition of chapter and verse numbers and perichope sectioning they would perhaps even more naturally than now simply flow together within the narrative of Luke. Luke separates them with as the NRSV translates it "after this" which on one hand does mark a new episode but at the same time does not mark transitions such as when Jesus changes locations or there seems a more certain/implied time difference. Particularly because our translation actually hides a conjunction of the two texts. It more literally reads "and after this" or "but after this". While I am admittedly not familiar enough with this construct to say much about it, the presence of de [and/but] not only marks the new event, but marks it in particular distinction from the prior event. As I will show, to say "and after this" is probably a more appropriate translation than simply "after this" because what Jesus does really illustrates/follows precisely what he said in the preceding reading. The immediate relation suggests a more immediate transition: Jesus was calling and challenging these would-be disciples "and after this" he appointed seventy others.
-In 9.51 Jesus sends messengers ahead of him, now he continues this sending disciples to every place he intends to go. In the backdrop here is also how last week marks the beginning of his path being intent on going towards Jerusalem. Our NRSV translation is a bit ambiguous in the language of "he intended to go" which could mean where he intended as in this is where he is planning on going or intended as in this is where he planned on going until he set his face towards Jerusalem. Other translations leave less doubt "where he was about to go" and this understanding is more likely given these heralds are sent out "ahead" of him. The verse therefore continues the clear intent on Jesus' journey to fulfill what was written in the prophets and psalms about him (a major theme in Luke's Gospel), it also continues the pattern set in the previous chapter when messengers were sent to Samaria. It is interesting to have him send messengers, and then after Samaria send seventy "other" messengers. But what we see is the end of chapter nine becoming a backdrop to the entire sending story here in the start of chapter ten. It first is mirrored in basically the same commission happening in Samaria - Jesus sending people ahead of him as he journeys towards Jerusalem.
-"the laborers are few" this is after Jesus just found the responses of three would-be laborers inadequate and he challenges each response (it might be going too far to assume none followed him, but the harshness within their call and their apparent hesitations indicate precisely what Jesus is referring to). This would be akin to when Jesus following his rebuke to Peter turns to the rest of the disciples and says "if any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves..." (Math 16.22-24). Granted however this is a looser connection.
-It might be best now to look at each of the three would-be disciples of the previous chapter and how their conversing with Jesus immediately shows up in this story:
The first is an eager "I will follow you wherever you go" and is met with a warning that there is no place to lay one's head. They are on the move. Immediately they are sent out now - more than that, they are sent with rejection being a real possibility. While they are not to move house to house (v.7), they are completely at the hospitality of others. There is no home set for them, no place prepared. They are to go without any certainty of a house which will receive their peace (v.6). And ultimately this is going ahead of Jesus, not settling anywhere, it is part of the Jerusalem movement and it entails not simply going where Jesus is, but going ahead of Jesus.
The second disciple asks for time, time to bury his father (which commentators for various reasons all note this may be a longer request than it sounds like, especially if the father is not even dead yet). He is met with the earnestness of mission. Jesus tells him "let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." The call to spare no time in proclaiming also surfaces in this commissioning. Jesus says "Go on your way" (v.3), take nothing and greet no one (v.4) - acts which emphasize wasting no time, particularly ignoring the common Jewish custom to greet people on the way. Not going from house to house or being picky over food given likely is tied to this earnestness too, don't waste time getting settled: accept what is offered (even rejection) and follow instructions. What are the instructions? The same as Jesus told this man: say to them "The kingdom of God has come near to you" (v.9). They are told to go and proclaim the kingdom (and do acts which mark the kingdom's coming such as healing). Even to those who reject, the instructions for rejection also waste no time and yet include this instruction to say "Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near to you" (v.11).
The final disciple wishes to follow, but must first go home to say goodbye. Jesus particularly challenges looking back. Here now he sends them "ahead", away from home into strange places, and likewise there is no second-guessing in the message. People can either receive the message or not, it comes more clean cut than we would see our lives and all experiences within it. Our lectionary skips some scary verses that emphasize this including a promise of things worse than Sodom (remember what happened when Sodom was being destroyed and Lot's family was instructed not to look back? if not read Genesis 19.17-26 here) and woes for cities that do not repent. Our reading picks up with these words "whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me" (v.16), these words also emphasize that there can be no confusion in loyalty and answering a call. Even rejecting those Jesus' sent is a rejection of this message. We should also emphasize the plow metaphor which as commentators notes, if one looks back they won't plow straight. Yet this entire sending is set within Jesus' clear intent. Each place must be prepared ahead of him, there are no detours even for family and goodbyes.
-Now if I can back up a bit, in the last chapter when Samaria refused the disciples wanted to rain down fire from heaven (another Sodom connection too by the way). First from this we notice the transition in their faith: that is, they transition from trusting in their ability to bring God's judgment to their ability to even cast out demons (v.17), they experience a transition in what they are doing when they prepare a city - perhaps this comes with both the commission to preach the kingdom and with the judgment Jesus makes for those who reject them. Either way the transition is notable. What it also shows is that following this fiasco over judgment Jesus gives them clear instructions now on how to handle rejection - not by raining down fire from heaven, but to dust off your sandals and proclaim the kingdom of God anyways (v.10).
-Finally, note how the two sections end. Chapter nine ends with this scary statement about not being fit to enter the kingdom of God (9.62). Our current one ends with the promise to "rejoice that your names are written in heaven" (v.20). It is an immediate contrast from the last one. It truly wraps up the texts: if discipleship our way on our terms ends in not being fit for the kingdom, being sent out by Jesus - following according to his call, not being weary of homelessness or delayed or torn in proclaiming the kingdom comes with it the promise that your name is written in heaven. We obviously must be careful how we construe that - it does not mean do it right you get in heaven do it wrong not fit for heaven. It means Christ's way is the right way. It means faith in Jesus, trust in him, so trusting one could go without home or long goodbyes, so central it matters more than burying family, following this Jesus to Jerusalem in spite of all this means going then where he makes one fit for the kingdom and writes one's name in heaven. It is salvation on God's terms, not ours, and God's terms are in Christ. The best way to put it might be this: they are told to proclaim the kingdom has come near - they witness it and are in awe and wonder. Jesus tells them to rejoice not just in the wonders they brought about, but in the wonder brought about to them. That message comes when they return to Jesus, that message comes by Jesus. All the wonders of the kingdom which we witness as his disciples, have with it a promise unseen but far greater - that God is saving us.
I found last week a lot of folks took real personally the deep, uncompromising calls of Jesus in chapter nine, so much so it was difficult to hear. Hear with it now chapter ten, which will hopefully make this chapter more personal and carry with it the promise that those aching hearts longed for last week when Jesus called them. Have a blessed Sunday reading.
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