ISAIAH 66:10-14
PSALM 66
GALATIANS 6:14-18
LUKE 10:1-12, 17-20
My sisters and brothers.
Luke's Gospel today continues with Jesus as he "sets his face and journeys to Jerusalem."
Jesus (according to Luke) will take his time "journeying to Jerusalem."
Jesus will teach, heal, and visit various towns and cities.
Jesus will try to give the disciples lessons that will
last a life time,
give life,
save lives and
bring eternal life.
Today in the Gospel Jesus sends out seventy disciples.
We are accustomed to Jesus having twelve key followers who are called disciples, apostles, and followers.
Today there are seventy two or seventy disciples who are sent forth on the mission.
The number seventy or seventy two depends on which early manuscript of the Gospel of Luke the translator chooses to use.
The number seventy or seventy two may refer to the number of nations that people believed existed at the time of Jesus.
In other words the disciples, symbolically if not literally,
are sent to and visit the "whole world",
"all the nations"
or "the ends of the earth" to proclaim the kingdom.
Jesus is no starry eyed dreamer when he sends out the seventy two.
Jesus speaks to the disciples in stark terms:
"I send you out like lambs among wolves."
Jesus asks the disciples to focus upon his message of peace and the fact that the kingdom of God is "near" or "at hand."
The disciples are to be faithful to the message of peace and the "closeness" of the kingdom even when they meet opposition.
The disciples return from their mission.
The disciples can hardly believe the power they have experienced.
The disciples with enthusiasm and no little pride declare;
"Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name."
There is an echo here of James and John in last Sunday's Gospel asking Jesus if fire should be called down from heaven to destroy the Samaritan village that did not receive Jesus when he was on his way to Jerusalem.
The disciples are "boasting" about the power of Jesus' name.
This power is amazing, intense, dominating and dangerous.
The power is dangerous, as Paul indicates in the second reading today; when the disciple or follower forgets it is power in and from the Lord.
The power is dangerous when a person boasts as if the power was their own to be used as they like or feel comfortable with.
Paul boasts in the cross of Jesus because the cross indicates how little human power Jesus really had in the end.
Followers of Jesus who believe they are to judge and rule, condemn and punish have confused God's power with their own need to control, direct, fashion the world and others according to domination of others and not service of others.
Jesus tells us and those boastful, self impressed first "successful" (according to themselves) missionaries tow things.
First of all their and our joy must not be in "our" power.
Secondly, the power of the kingdom allows them and us to have "their (and our) names written in heaven."
The church, we disciples must often be reminded that our gifts,
the gifts of the kingdom that we receive are meant
not to be kept or horded,
not our property,
not a way to exploit, manipulate and control others.
Our boast, in so far as we have anything to boast about, is
our identification with the
suffering,
service,
life and death
of Jesus.
As disciples we are privileged to eat and drink the meal that comes to us at the great price of Jesus giving his life in service to us.
May the body and blood we share help us to boast and glory in the cross of Christ that causes our names to be written in heaven.
