Lesson for February 3, 2008 — Luke 10:1-12, 17-20

By June Galle Krehbiel

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Luke 10:2).
On a bookshelf in our office sit books of genealogies — volumes of Galles, Goerings, Krehbiels, Meyers, Rupps, Stuckys, Tolands, Webers, Wedels, Zergers and many other family names. Each family has its own story of immigration to the United States. Many came from Ukraine as a church, sending ahead of them scouts to find land. Others came in family groups. My Grandpa Meyer, however, traveled alone from Germany at the age of 17.

Leaving and going have their challenges, as Jesus must have known. In today’s passage he sends out the 70 (72, in some versions) for a mission assignment. I’m reminded of Horatius Bonar’s hymn, “Go, Labor On,” with its words, “Go forth into the world’s highway, Compel the wanderer to come in” (The Mennonite Hymnal, No. 431).

Instructions similar to Luke 10 are recorded in Matthew 9 and 10. The message is clear: Go out, cure the sick, preach the kingdom, avoid dallying, share the peace.

Pairs sent on ahead

I find it interesting that Luke indicates that Jesus sent them “on ahead of him.” We see this phrase also in Genesis 32 when Jacob sent messengers to meet Esau, in Genesis 45 when Joseph explained to his brothers that God had sent him ahead of them, and in Luke 9:52 and 19:32 when Jesus headed for Jerusalem. What other biblical accounts can you identify that show individuals or pairs “being sent ahead”? Are there similar mission stories from the past 100 years? What importance do those sent on ahead serve?

There’s meaning in twos. Eccl. 4:9 tells us, “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor.” In some translations of Luke 10:1, we find the idiom “two by two,” which reminds us a bit of the animals walking into the ark.

Our individualistic society teaches us that we can do anything — alone. But collaborative thinking, on which the best work is often based, is what Jesus refers to when he sends out the 70. While some of us prefer to work alone, what advantages does “two-by-two” work have over that of individuals or larger groups? Should we rethink how we do the work of the church — for example, assigning two people to every leadership position?

Returning from the mission

In this passage, going out to collect the harvest of souls includes coming back. In verse 17 we see the 70 returning “with joy.” They are excited to report that “even the demons submitted to us.” Jesus, however, counsels the disciples to not cheer at the spirits’ submission but to rejoice “that your names are written in heaven.”

Here is an example of the ancient custom of writing names in a registry. Our governments and churches continue to register names today for a number of reasons. Jesus’ words about registering go beyond some of the other biblical references to the book of life where names are blotted out. Instead, he implies that following his instructions means acceptance into God’s heavenly kingdom.

Many families, like mine, can trace their lineage. My roots go back to a Swiss village, a German church and an Irish castle. Many revel, like I do, in genealogies. Let this passage remind us that our task in life is not to sit at home counting cousins and ancestors. Our task, outlined by Jesus in the Great Commission (Matt. 28:19-20), is to “go, make disciples of all nations,” sharing the peace of Christ. After all, if we are Christians, we are all missionaries.