14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Primary Texts –
Isaiah 66:10-14
Galatians 6:7-16
Luke 10:1-10, 16-20
In our passage today, we see Jesus sending out a large group of people. Seventy in fact. As we know from the gospels, it was not just the twelve disciples moving about with Jesus. It seems he collected quite a following as he moved from place to place. This sending out echoes a very similar sending out of the Twelve in chapter 9. The instructions were quite similar but the details were more sparse for the Twelve.
Just before these instructions, we see Jesus talking to the wider group of followers who have professed a desire to follow Jesus wherever he goes. Except when the call comes, one wants to go and say goodbye to his family and another needs to go bury his father. Jesus is not impressed by these “excuses” and the call to follow him is wrapped in an urgency and willingness to lay aside all else.
The Seventy are the advance party for Jesus and the work he is planning to do in the area. Sent out in pairs, there will be 35 groups heading out to 35 villages in the area. In a similar fashion to John the Baptist, they are going ahead of Jesus, preparing the way. With a message of Good News for all they meet.
But the way they are sent out is worth some thought.
- I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves.
- This is not super encouraging. It suggests a level of defencelessness and danger in the mission ahead. Perhaps indicative of the fact that not everyone is going to be happy to hear the news they are bringing.
- Don’t take a purse, bag or sandals
- I don’t know about you, but when I am getting ready for a trip, packing is a big part of the process. I tend not to be an underpacker. Will I need a coat? A nice outfit in case of a special occasion? Let alone how many shoes I might need! I always travel with a change of clothes in my hand luggage just in case my main bag gets delayed.
- Not bringing a purse is even more concerning. How will the costs of the journey be paid for?
There is a vulnerability and reliance on those they will encounter that these disciples will face on their journey. They are not coming to the villages with any sense of power or prestige.
As missionaries going into rural and remote areas, we were often considered to be wealthy. And by the realities of the places we visited, we were. We had often flown or at least driven to be there. I remember arriving in a refugee camp in Northern Uganda with more in my backpack than the displaced Sudanese refugees had to their name.
Our possessions can be a hindrance to the gospel. When we turn up to share the good news, our Apple Watches and $200 sneakers often speak before we can say a word. In South Africa, by virtue of being white, I already came into most communities with a perception of privilege and power that I needed to overcome.
Jesus sent out the 70 looking like beggars, no spare coat, no purse. Yet the simplicity of going to a place in a stripped-back way allows the message we carry to speak louder than our possessions.
Secondly, Jesus suggests the disciples need to stay with the people they are visiting and eat their food. Being invited into someone’s home is a true sign of welcome and hospitality. You get an insight into their lives. This seems counterintuitive to our desire not to be a burden to anyone. But there is a gift in offering hospitality to others. That hospitality doesn’t need to be flash; in fact, it can be very simple. Often, the simplicity is more impactful. I have experienced great hospitality in a simple peanut butter sandwich and cup of tea served with love and an open heart. There is much to be said for receiving the hospitality extended to us as ministers of the gospel.
When we receive from people and accept their hospitality, it will often open the door for us to share with them. I saw this principle in action when I struggled to get to know a family. Our relationship changed for the better the day I had car issues near their house and needed their help. I wasn’t just some woman who they perceived was there to tell them they needed Jesus. I was a fellow human in need of help. They made me dinner and welcomed me into their home while I waited for a friend to come and pick me up. It is safe to say that sometimes abundance stands in the way of the Gospel message. As Australian Artist and Activist Lilla Watson once said – “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” It is a call to follow the instructions of Christ and engage with anyone we meet as friends and peacemakers rather than power brokers.
We are unlikely to be heading out two by two without purse or jacket to share the gospel. A question we could ask ourselves relates to how we offer hospitality and peace to those we encounter. When people meet us, is their first impression welcome and generosity?
As a church, when people first encounter us, are we welcoming and hospitable?
Considering Jesus’ words on eating what is put before us, an aspect of our Sunday practice we could consider is access to the Lord’s Table. The Book of Common Prayer required parishioners to advise the Priest the day before the service if they were “fit” to take communion. The minister could refuse communion to those whom he considered to be in malicious and open contention with their neighbours, or other grave and open sin without repentance.
As recently as the early 80’s you needed to be confirmed to receive communion. In 1990 General Synod changed the canons so that any baptised person could receive communion.
However, there is much to be said for open access to the communion table for anyone who feels led. (In fact, Fr Tony wrote his master’s thesis on this very topic.)
The suggestion that baptism somehow enables us to miraculously understand the mystery of the Lord’s Supper or be worthy in virtue is tenuous at best. Anglican Theologian, Kathryn Tanner, points out that the disciples only began to pull together their threads of understanding of who Jesus was and his purpose after his death and resurrection. Additionally, they were certainly sinners when they ate that meal, as they went on to betray, desert and deny him.
The beauty of our liturgy is that our service on Sunday mornings takes us on a journey. We gather in the Lord’s name, preparing our hearts through our confession and receiving absolution, listening to the Word and sharing the peace. In this process, we acknowledge we have been made right with God and one another and are now prepared to partake in the Lord’s Supper.
In this way, the Eucharist informs and shapes our Christian lives as we participate in it.
We hope that those who arrive here like guests at a stranger’s dinner table will feel welcome to take a seat, find their place and join us as we celebrate together the hospitality we have all received from Jesus.
And as we do so may we all know that the Kingdom of God has drawn near to us.