Luke 10:1-20 July 4, 2010
Teaching to Send
Patrick: Good morning Graham. These past couple of weeks I have been reading a book about Mennonites. It is called The Naked Anabaptists. Fortunately, there aren’t any pictures, but there are a couple of good sections. I want to share with you a few thoughts Stuart Murray has about the way the early Mennonites read and interpreted scripture.
· They were confident that ordinary Christians, who had not received theological training or official accreditation but who were attentive to the Holy Spirit could interpret the Bible responsibly,
· They believed that the congregation, not the seminary or preacher’s study, was the place where the Bible should be interpreted; understanding the Bible was a community practice
· Their focus was on practical application—discovering what the Bible meant for discipleship, rather than just searching out its original meaning.
Stuart Murray, The Naked Anabaptists: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith, p. 63
I thought it might be good to try out this style of biblical study and sermonizing. Graham, have you ever been to a theological school? But do you take the Bible seriously? Do you think there might be some application from this story for people on your baseball team, or in your school, or in this church? Well then, in Anabaptist terms you too have something to contribute to our interpretation of the text for our time. Let us give this passage a try together.
Before we go too much further, though, we should let the congregation know that this isn’t the first time we have gotten together to talk about Luke 10, right?
Graham: (Talk about our visit on Sunday night)
- We read several passages and settled on Luke 10; say why you liked Luke 10 rather than Isaiah 66 or Colossians
- We talked about some of the words and images in the text. We spent a lot of time talking about a couple of verses:
o First, the section where Jesus tells them to go out with no purse, no bag, no shoes, and no greeting
o And, second, the part where they go out in pairs
Patrick: Indeed, the first thing that caught our attention and that I wrote down in my notes was this business about going out without a purse, bag, sandals, and to greet no one. It is a big deal to leave on a trip without any of these things, isn’t it? We talked about some of the reasons why Jesus might send them out with so little.
Graham: Yea, we came up with several reasons Jesus would send them out with practically nothing.
o It would slow them down. Apparently the trip they were on was really important, and any extra weight would only slow them down.
o A second thought we had is that a light travel pack would force them to ask for help. If they have no purse they can’t pay for a hotel. If they have no pack they can’t camp. If they have no sandals they will be in desperate need of a foot bath and massage at the end of the trip. Since they don’t have a purse, bag, or sandals they will need to ask for help.
Patrick: In the spirit of Anabaptist application we need to pause just a moment, Graham. This observation about asking for help is a really big one for we people of North Americans. We don’t like to rely on others for needs. We like to be self sufficient. Capable smart people ought to be able to take care of themselves, we are taught. But there is something important about the relationship that forms when two people help each other. Trust develops. Those who host and help become part of the team. Sometimes we may be called to set aside our privilege, our comfort, our strength and ask others for help. Sure we have packs and purses back home, but for the sake of the mission we sometimes need to ask for and accept assistance. Our vulnerabilities create openness and opportunities.
Graham: Let’s get back to the text. You and I were both a little confused why Jesus would send his followers out with instructions to greet no one. They are on some kind of mission trip, after all. We would actually expect those sent out to share their message with everyone they meet.
Patrick: But that is not the case. Why, we wondered? Biblical historian Robert Tannehill had some words about this that made sense to me. He wrote that perhaps “the mission requires contact with people in their homes and towns, while brief contacts on the road are insufficient” (Robert Tannefhill, Luke; a biblical commentary in the Abingdon New Testament Series , p.175). I agree with Tannehill that the Good News of Jesus is not something we can or should reduce to random encounters on the street or in a restaurant. Regularly sharing meals with others or dealing with the problems in town over the course of time (as happens in our story for today) are the kinds of actions that give our words meeting. No purse also means no buying of food. And food is another curious part of this story. Do you remember I asked you about being served food you don’t like?
Graham: Yea.
Patrick: Well, tell me a story of being served food you don’t like.
Graham: Tell a story. With stories, the wilder the better!!
Patrick: It was probably like that for the early Christians too. In addition to food they didn’t like, there were some homes that served food their parents had told them never never to eat. Things like pork, or blood mixed with milk, or pots not scrubbed just right. Jesus simply says, “eat what is set before you”. Forget about the food laws or what you like and don’t like, eat what is set before you. Being a respectful guest is important if you want the hosts to respect you and your message. No bags, no purse, no sandals, no greeting people on the road, be a good guest--- you and I talked a little bit how we might apply this part of the scripture.
Graham: Right. We talked about things that keep us from going where Jesus sends us.
o First I said that we sometimes get too comfortable with our lives to do the things that Jesus asks of us. We don’t want to eat strange food or leave our easy lives behind.
o Next you said that sometimes we are afraid to go out without purse, bag, or sandals. Those things give us security and sometimes we become scared without them. We have more trust in things than we do of Jesus. We don’t trust God will send people to help us.
o I said that sometimes the treats of this world, like playing sports (or going for ice cream rather than doing homework) take our attention from a goal Jesus might have for us.
o You said that sometimes people refuse to go out because they fear they can’t do it perfectly. Some people never shoot at the net because they just don’t have the perfect shot. And you know what they say, you will miss 100% of the shots you never take.
Patrick: That is quite the list we came up with and a part of me says it bad news that too often we find ourselves in this condition. I have been pondering the good news which might be an antidote to the bad news. It is good news that even though Jesus sends the 70 ahead of him, he is with them on the way and in the town. I see two different camps in this story who both must remember that Jesus is active in other places.
o In this story we have the stable town folk who must make the choice to share or not share in the peace offered by the stranger. Dare we believe that God might bring us a visitor who can aid us?? Jesus has sent us visitors and new people to grant us peace, bless us, and heal us. This is good news and should help to ease our fears of the stranger.
o In the other camp we have the mobile and potentially mobile. These are those of our community trying to figure out if and how to move forward with a relationship; those contemplating relocation; those trying to figure out a vocation; those facing bankruptcy and retirement. We forget that Jesus sends us out, but that he is also there waiting for us in the place to which we are sent. It is good news for us to remember that Jesus has gone before us into the future. Will it be tough? Probably as challenging as being a sheep amongst wolves. But Jesus is there waiting for us. What is necessary of us in these situations?
§ An expressed willingness to do God’s work wherever we are sent
§ A listening ear to what God is saying to us. This often comes out in dreams or symptoms of the body. If biology classes nauseate you, don’t become a lab technician. If work gives you ulcers and headaches, consider other options.
§ We also discern through the counsel of others. We talk honestly to our friends and hear them out.
Graham: Friendship was also something we noticed in the text last Sunday. People are sent out in pairs.
Patrick: I am sure you remember some of the observations we made.
Graham: We said pairs
- Give support when the trip is hard
- That they can help give each other directions if they get lost
- That there is twice the amount of peace that can be given when they get to town
Patrick: There were a couple of other things that occurred to me on Monday while I was typing up our notes.
- Two was, and still is, an important number when giving testimony. In the case of judicial hearings in biblical times two people were the minimum to confirm evidence in a court case (see Dt 19:15 & Mt 18:16). Perhaps it is for this reason that pairs are sent out in Luke 9, 10 and throughout the book of Acts. Two witnesses help confirm the Jesus story.
- Another reason for pairs is a deeply spiritual understanding of support. Matthew 18:19 says that if two or three agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them”. There is great spiritual integrity and strength when you have two people earnestly praying for God’s leading on how long to stay some place, where to go next, how to respond to a difficult situation. It is good to have partners in ministry.
Graham: There were a few other topics that caught our attention last Sunday--- like the giving and receiving of peace. We could probably say a lot about the ways in which we give and receive peace with the people around us.
Patrick: Do you have some thoughts about that? But be quick because we are nearing the end of our time.
Graham: Well I know the kinds of words that bring me a sense of peace. I like it when people tell me that I am kind, or I am fun to be around. And when I am playing baseball I try to give peace to my teammates. I tell them that they did a good job when they make a nice play. Or if they missed a ball in the field or struck out I tell them that they will get it next time. These are ways I give and receive peace.
Patrick: Those are good ways to bring peace whether we are on a ball diamond, in a family, or part of a team at work. And I want to tell you publically, Graham, that it was very meaningful to work on this sermon with you. I was glad when you choose this Luke 10 for the scripture passage that we would work on together. It was very fitting for the two of us to collaborate on sermon in which the disciples are sent out in pairs. It was also fitting to work with a passage in which we are encouraged to pray for additional labourers in the Lord’s harvest. I do pray that God will draw you, other young people and young adults into a relationship from which congregational leadership will seem natural. I sometimes worry about the church of the future and hope there will be good leadership-- pastoral leadership and lay leadership. I worry about it, but today’s text helps me and us all remember that Jesus has gone into the future to meet us there. For today it is enough for me to extend peace with the people in this house, eat and drink among them, and offer the encouragement and healing Jesus inspires me to do. Earlier this year I was inspired to ask if you would want to work on a sermon with me and you said yes. I am grateful for that and I hope it was meaningful for you too. It is good for me to be reminded that Jesus is in the future and will take care of the church whatever happens.
- Let us all remember the love of God in Christ that goes before us at all times.
- Let us affirm gifts of ministry in our congregation and community. In some cases this will mean celebrating the many generous people who help underwrite the ministry of the church and church workers. In other cases it will mean encouraging those with spiritual and relational gifts to consider congregational leadership and even ministry.
- Let us pray to God that labourers and hosts alike might be stirred in our hearts, for the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.
Amen