Luke chapter 9, starting in verse 51, and I'll read all the way to chapter 10, verse 24.
When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
And he sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him.
But the people did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
And when his disciples, James and John, saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?
But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.
As they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go.
And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.
To another he said, follow me.
But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father.
And Jesus said to him, leave the dead to bury their own dead.
But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.
Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those in my home.
Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.
After this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.
And he said to them, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.
Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Go your way.
Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.
Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter, first say, peace be to this house.
And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him.
But if not, it will return to you and remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide for the laborer deserves his wages.
Do not go from house to house.
Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.
Heal the sick in it and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.
But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you.
Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.
I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Woe to you, Chorazin.
Woe to you, Bethsaida.
For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.
But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.
And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?
You shall be brought down to Hades.
The one who hears you hears me.
And the one who rejects you rejects me.
And the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.
The 72 returned with joy, saying,
Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.
And he said to them,
I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions
and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,
but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding
and revealed them to little children.
Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father,
and no one knows who the Son is except the Father,
or who the Father is except the Son,
and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
Then turning to the disciples, he said privately,
Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.
For I tell you that many prophets and kings desire to see what you see
and did not see it,
and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.
This is the word of the Lord.
Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah, as we saw,
throughout chapter 9,
and Peter made the momentous observation of profession
that Jesus is the Christ of God,
in chapter 9, verse 2.
And in all three of the Synoptic Gospels,
Matthew, Mark, and Luke,
Peter's confession kind of is a pivot
in which the narrative turns
to Jesus' kind of unstoppable march toward the cross.
That's why he says he set his face to go to Jerusalem.
So he's about to go to die on the cross,
to be raised from the dead,
and to ascend to the right hand of the Father.
That's where he is headed now.
And coming to terms with the true messianic identity of Jesus
forces us to make a difficult decision.
Are we willing to follow such a Messiah?
If Jesus really is a suffering Messiah,
if Jesus really is going to the cross,
and following him involves bearing our own cross,
as Jesus taught us in chapter 9,
then is it worth it?
What does it mean to become a disciple of Jesus?
And this passage seeks to answer those questions.
And it does so in three parts.
First, we see the price of discipleship.
And then we see the proclamation of discipleship.
And then lastly, we see the privilege of discipleship.
First, let's look at the price of discipleship.
After Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem,
it says in verses 52 to 53,
that Jesus sent messengers ahead of him
who went and entered the village of the Samaritans
to make preparations for him.
But the people did not receive him
because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
In the Greek, the phrase,
sent messengers ahead of him,
is literally sent messengers before his face.
So there's actually a threefold repetition
of the word face in these verses.
Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem
and he sent messengers before his face.
But the Samaritans rejected him
because his face was set toward Jerusalem.
And we know from the Gospel of John
that there's some bad blood between Jews and Samaritans,
which we'll see more closely in the next passage,
next week.
But here, Luke doesn't mention any of that.
But I think there's a deeper reason for this conflict,
the rejection of the Samaritans of Jesus and his disciples.
And it's that Jesus' journey to Jerusalem
is his journey to the cross, as he taught us.
And when he set his face to go to Jerusalem,
he was embracing all that is entailed
in being the suffering Messiah
who will die for the sins of God's people.
And that radical redefinition
of what it means to be the Christ,
the king, the messianic king,
was controversial not only among the Jews,
but also among the Samaritans
who were also waiting for a Messiah.
And so he says in chapter 945
that they didn't understand
what Jesus was talking about.
So he seems that that's what's going on here,
that this is the price
that the disciple of Christ also has to consider
and pay.
That the king that is rejected
means his followers too will face rejection,
and that's not a popular result.
And so here, as Jesus is on his way,
he's so determined to go through
the territory of the Samaritans to Jerusalem,
he faces rejection
because of that determined course.
Jesus was earlier rejected in Luke 8, 37
among the Gentiles,
those who were non-Jews.
And now here he is rejected among the Samaritans
who are like the half-Jews
with mixed blood.
And soon he will be rejected
by the Jews themselves in Jerusalem.
And that's the pattern,
the kind of the trajectory
of the Gospel of Luke.
But the disciples don't take
this rejection very well.
They're the proud Jews,
and these are the half-breed Samaritans.
And yet they have the audacity
to reject their Messiah.
And so James and John,
whom Jesus nicknamed
the Sons of Thunder in Mark 3, 17,
they react with appropriately
thunderous indignation.
In verse 54,
And when his disciples,
James and John,
saw it,
they said,
Lord, do you want us to tell fire
to come down from heaven
and consume them?
Seems a bit dramatic,
but that's exactly what had happened
to those who opposed Prophet Elijah
in the Old Testament.
Those soldiers that were sent
to arrest him
were consumed by fire.
So they must have
that precedent in mind
as they suggest this.
But Jesus rebukes them.
He says,
He turned and rebuked them,
and they went on
to another village.
So it's not that Jesus
is totally against
any form of judgment.
He himself will later
speak of judgment
in verses 10 to 16.
But what he's teaching here
is that he came
in his first coming
in grace
to save his people.
He has not come to judge.
He will return
in his second coming,
in his glory to judge.
But for the disciples
who are ministering
and living in between
those two comings of Christ,
they are not to retaliate,
even in the face of rejection.
And this is a helpful correction to us.
We count it a virtue
to be well-liked.
We don't like to face rejection.
But as our culture
becomes increasingly post-Christian
and moves on from its
kind of Christian underpinnings,
the saving message
of Jesus Christ
is going to be
increasingly ridiculed
and rejected.
And so we shouldn't be surprised
by the kind of
the trials
and suffering
that we face
as followers of Christ.
That's the price
of discipleship
that Jesus is speaking of.
He doesn't sugarcoat that.
And as Jesus continues
on his way to Jerusalem,
he encounters
three potential followers.
And Jesus' conversation
with them
is very counterintuitive.
Usually when you have
potential followers,
you want to win them over,
lure them,
show them why
it would be worth it.
But this is how
he reacts to them.
He says in verses 57 to 58,
As they were going
along the road,
someone said to him,
I will follow you
wherever you go.
And Jesus said to him,
Foxes have holes
and birds of the air
have nests,
but the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay his head.
He's expressing a desire
to become a disciple of Jesus.
That's what the language
of following implies.
And in the ancient
Jewish context,
the disciple would travel
everywhere with their teacher
and sit at their feet
to learn the Jewish laws.
But Jesus knows
that following him
involves much more
than simply learning
like a typical Jewish disciple.
But it's a dangerous road.
It's a costly road
because the Son of Man
has nowhere to lay his head.
This is one of his favorite ways
of referring to himself
as the representative
of humankind before God.
And throughout his ministry,
Jesus was a homeless teacher.
He was at the mercy
of the hospitality of others.
And because he preaches
a counterintuitive
and countercultural message
of the cross
that he came to die
as the king
to pay the penalty
for the sins of his people,
the disciples also face
suffering and rejection
and they have to count the cost
before they can follow him.
Verses 59 to 60 continue.
It gets even harsher seemingly.
To another he said,
follow me.
But he said,
Lord, let me first go
and bury my father.
And Jesus said to him,
leave the dead
to bury their own dead.
But as for you,
go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.
This is a shocking statement,
right, to us.
But it would have been
even more shocking
in the ancient world
because there,
arranging for the burial
of your parents
was considered
a sacred duty.
One of the most important duties
within the family.
In fact,
even though coming into contact
with the dead
was ritually defiling
in Judaism,
the Old Testament scriptures
made special exceptions
when it came to
burying your relatives.
So it said in Leviticus 21,
1 to 3,
no one shall make himself
unclean for the dead
among his people
except for his closest relatives,
his mother,
his father,
his son,
his daughter,
his brother,
or his virgin sister
who is near to him
because she has had no husband.
For her,
he may make himself
unclean.
But Jesus tells this man
to leave the dead,
to bury their own dead.
But as for you,
go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.
Jesus is not teaching
his followers
to neglect their families.
We know that
because in 1 Timothy 5,
8,
it says,
but if anyone
does not provide
for his relatives
and especially
for members
of his household,
he has denied the faith
and is worse
than an unbeliever.
So Jesus is not making
a literal point here,
but he's using
a figurative language
to establish
a spiritual principle.
And we know
that this is figurative
because dead people
can't bury dead people.
They're already dead.
So Jesus is not referring
to the physically dead,
but he's referring
to those who are
spiritually dead.
So in Luke 7,
11 to 17,
if you guys remember,
Jesus touched
the funeral bear
of the dead son
of the widow of nine.
And in Luke 8,
49 to 56,
Jesus touched
the dead daughter
of Jairus.
But in both of those cases,
contrary to expectation,
instead of Jesus
being defiled
by coming into contact
with the dead,
the dead were instead
raised to new life.
Jesus imparted life
to them.
And that's because
Jesus,
as he taught in John,
that he said,
I am the resurrection
and the life.
Whoever believes in me,
though he die,
yet shall he live.
And everyone who lives
and believes in me
shall never die.
So Jesus' kind of
resuscitation of the dead
in the Gospels
functioned as a foretaste
of the eternal resurrection life
that he promises
all of his followers.
And that should inform
how we interpret
Jesus' command here.
Leave the dead
to bury their own dead,
but as for you,
go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.
That's what that means here.
Even the spiritually dead
can take care
of their own parents.
But only a Christian
can proclaim
the kingdom of God.
So you must go do it.
Even the spiritually dead
can work hard
to earn a living
for their families.
But only a Christian
can proclaim
the kingdom of God.
God.
So you must go do it.
Even the spiritually dead
can study hard
to earn their degrees,
win grants,
and make breakthrough
contributions
in their academic disciplines
and advance human knowledge.
But only a Christian
can proclaim
the kingdom of God.
This is not to belittle
the activities
and relationships
that preoccupy
our human lives,
but simply to express
the priority
and necessity
of proclaiming
the kingdom of God.
In short,
what Jesus is saying here is
there is no temporal duty
that is so important
that we should neglect
or delay
following Christ
for it.
Arranging for the care
and burial
of our aged parents
is important.
Schooling our children
and taking them
to music lessons
and little league games
are important.
Alleviating poverty
and abolishing
human trafficking
are important.
But while we do
all of these things,
we must not forget
the important truth
that the world's
greatest need
and our unique ability
as Christians
meet in the proclamation
of the kingdom of God.
That's our unique
responsibility
and prerogative.
This man had a very good,
reasonable request
to make of Jesus.
He just wanted to
honor his parents
and give them
a proper burial
before he left
to follow Jesus
as a disciple.
But Jesus says
even that
is an insufficient
excuse
for postponing
Christian discipleship
because an important
thing must never
take precedence
over the ultimate thing.
Because a good thing
must never take precedence
over the best thing.
Some people say,
well, after I have
graduated from school
and when I'm less busy,
I will really follow Christ
and serve Him.
After I climb
the corporate ladder
to a point where
I have built sufficient wealth
and job security,
then I will really
follow Christ.
After I'm married
and have a family,
I will really follow Christ
and serve Him.
After my kids
are grown up,
I will really then
apply myself
to following Christ.
That's not how
Christian discipleship works.
That's what Jesus
is saying.
His command
doesn't necessarily mean
that all of us
have to leave
our day jobs
and leave our families
to move to a foreign country
as a Christian missionary.
It might mean that
for some of us,
but that's not what
it necessarily means
for all of us.
But what it does mean
is that all of our lives'
purposes and priorities
have to be radically
reoriented with Christ
as the center.
Because following Christ
subordinates
and subsumes
all of our other
obligations.
So then,
are you faithfully involved
in the worship
and fellowship
of the church?
what are the relations
and activities
that you have allowed
to push out
your priority
of following Christ
and proclaiming
the kingdom of God?
Have you been sharing
the good news
of Jesus Christ
with your friends
and neighbors?
Because you may be,
very well be,
the only Christian
close enough
to them to proclaim
the kingdom of God.
Do you realize
that that's precisely
where our unique ability
as Christians
and the world's
most desperate need
meet?
That's what that means.
Leave the dead
to bury their own dead.
But as for you,
go and proclaim
the kingdom of God.
We encounter
a third candidate
in verses 61 to 62.
Yet another said,
I will follow you, Lord,
but let me first
say farewell
to those at my home.
Jesus said to him,
no one who puts
his hand to the plow
and looks back
is fit
for the kingdom of God.
This is an allusion
to 1 Kings 19
verses 19 to 21.
That's where
prophet Elijah
calls Elisha
to become
his disciple.
It says,
so Elisha,
so he departed
from there
and found Elisha,
the son of Shaphat,
who was plowing
with 12 yoke of oxen
in front of him.
And he was
with the 12th.
Elisha passed by him
and cast his cloak
upon him.
And he left the oxen
and ran after Elisha
and said,
let me kiss my father
and my mother
and then I will follow you.
And he said to him,
go back again
for what have I done
to you?
And he returned
from following him
and took the yoke
of oxen
and sacrificed them
and boiled their flesh
with the yokes
of the oxen
and gave it to the people
and they ate.
Then he arose
and went after Elisha
and assisted him.
So in this passage,
Elisha
literally looks back
while he's plowing
the field.
But more importantly,
he figuratively looks back
from plowing the field.
He's called
to the prophetic ministry
by Prophet Elijah.
But he says
he needs some time
to put his former life
in order.
He's going to settle
some accounts.
He's going to sell
all the things
related to his day job,
sell the oxen,
get some money
for his family.
He's going to kiss
his father and mother goodbye
and then he joins him.
And this was
an urgent mission.
They lived
in a desperate time
under the wicked king,
Ahab.
And yet,
and Elijah was given
a once-in-a-lifetime
opportunity to follow
one of the greatest
prophets of old,
Elijah.
Yet even in that context,
Elijah was given
the freedom
to return
and to settle
his accounts
and to first say
goodbye to his family.
But Luke
and Jesus here
is intentionally
drawing a contrast
to convey
the reality
that following Christ
is far more urgent
than that.
What Elisha
had the luxury
to do.
The disciple of Christ
does not have
the luxury
to do
because it's a matter
of eternal life.
And like the two
preceding cases,
this case too
is more illustrative
than literal.
What Jesus is saying
is you cannot
have split
allegiances.
You cannot follow
after two things
at once.
The Israelites
after their deliverance
from their slavery
in Egypt,
after the Exodus,
they looked back
on their time
of slavery
and they said,
well,
maybe it would have
been better there
than being in the wilderness
here in freedom.
Lot's wife,
if you guys remember,
when she was rescued
from Sodom
as he was being destroyed,
she looked back
longingly
at that city
that was being destroyed
and was turned
into a pillar of salt.
Jesus is issuing
a warning
that's similar.
He's saying,
don't look back
at your former life.
When you're called
to Christ,
don't look,
don't be lured
by the things
of this world.
Have no regrets
about following Christ.
Hold fast
to your confession
because no one
who puts his hand
to the plow
and looks back
is fit
for the kingdom
of God.
When you're plowing
a field
with an ox,
the goal
is to plow
a straight furrow
and just
a little distraction
looking around
and looking back
could veer you
off course.
And because of that,
in the ancient world,
in a lot of ancient literature,
that metaphor,
that image
of plowing a field
was used
to convey
a sense of discipline
and focus,
a dedication,
a single-minded dedication
to a task.
And that's what
Jesus is calling
Christian disciples
to an unwavering
discipline
and a focus.
And Jesus is not saying
that if you ever falter
in your faith
and look back
from following Christ
that you will automatically
be disqualified.
He's gracious.
Jesus later restores
Apostle Peter
even after he denies
Jesus three times.
But Jesus is saying
that following Christ
requires focus
and dedication
much like
plowing a field.
Following Christ
is an all-consuming
affair.
It's not a side gig
or a hobby.
Following Christ
should be
our first love,
should be
our great purpose,
our consuming passion,
our life's work.
Not just for ministers
and missionaries
but for every Christian.
And following Christ,
I admit
and many of you
can testify
will often feel
like an uphill climb.
That's because
we're fighting
our sinful flesh.
That's because
we're going up
against the currents
of the sinful world.
And as soon as
you align yourself
to Jesus Christ,
you become
the sworn enemy
of Satan
and his demonic minions
because we're engaged
in this cosmic
spiritual warfare.
And because of that,
there will be
hard days.
There will be
very hard days.
And there will be
suffering.
And there will be
temptations.
And there will be
persecutions.
But don't
look
back.
Keep your hands
on the plow.
Plow ahead.
Keep going
because your
great reward,
Jesus Christ
himself,
awaits you.
we need to
constantly
encourage each
other
with this
truth
in this way.
We're always
being tempted
to look back,
to look around.
But we need
to call each
other
when our eyes
begin to
wander.
Keep plowing.
That's the
price of
discipleship.
Nowadays,
sometimes it
feels like
churches are
in a mad
dash to see
how quickly
they can
lower the
bar of
Christian
discipleship.
you don't
have enough
people joining
your church.
Easy.
Just lower
the bar so
less people
are offended
and more
people are
comfortable
in the
pews.
You can
be a church
member without
coming to the
worship service
regularly.
You can be a
Christian without
believing what
the Bible
teaches.
You can be a
Christian without
changing your
lifestyle.
You can be a
Christian without
renouncing your
sins.
You can be a
Christian and
still live for
yourself.
These are
soul-destroying
lies.
Don't
believe them.
Jesus raises
the bar
impossibly high.
Why?
Because Christian
discipleship is
hard.
And unless you
set the bar
high, people
who climb
over are not
going to make
it to the end
of the journey.
That's the
price of
discipleship.
And then in
verses 1 to
16 of chapter
10, we see the
proclamation of
discipleship.
He had sent
out 12
apostles earlier
in chapter
9, but here
he sent 72
others and
sent them on
ahead of him
two by two
into every town
and place where
he himself is
about to go.
As you have
seen throughout
the Gospel of
Luke, numbers
are significant.
He sends
them two by
two so that
they can bear
a credible
witness to
whether or not
someone accepts
or rejects the
Gospel of
Jesus Christ.
That was the
standard given
in Deuteronomy
19.15 for
establishing a
credible witness.
And that's
why in the
cases of
church discipline
and excommunication
you need two
or three
witnesses.
It has to
happen in
the context
of the
gathered
church, the
corporate
body.
72 is also
significant.
Jesus chose
the 12 earlier
to represent
as an allusion
to the 12
tribes of
Israel to
signal the
fact that he
is reconstituting
God's people.
But now here
he picks 72
for this
reason because
in Genesis
10,
chapter 10
verses 1 to
31, it
begins this
way.
These are the
generations of
the sons of
Noah, Shem,
and Ham,
and Japheth.
Sons were
born to them
after the
flood.
So this is
kind of a
starting over
of the line
of humanity
after the
flood judgment.
And it
lists 72
names.
And it
says after
at the end,
these are the
sons of Shem
by their
clans,
their languages,
their lands,
and their
nations.
And from
these, the
nations spread
abroad on the
earth after the
flood.
That's what it
says in verse
31.
And that's why
Genesis chapter
10 is called
the table of
the nations.
And by sending
out 72
disciples,
Jesus is
signifying the
fact that
Christian mission
is not
restrictive,
it's not
merely to the
Jews, but
it's to all
national and
ethnic people
groups of
earth.
because our
God is not
a local
deity, he's
not a regional
deity, but he's
the God of all
creation, he's
the God over
all the
nations, and
so his
worship is due
from every
nation and
all tribes
and peoples
and tongues.
That's what
this is about.
It's the cosmic
mission that we
get to be a
part of.
Take a look
at this map
that I'm
projecting for you.
It's from a
book entitled
The Atlas of
Global
Christianity.
The colors
display the
percentage of
majority
religions.
Blue is
Christianity,
green
concentrated
heavily in
North Africa
and the
Middle East
is Islam,
pink
concentrated in
India is
Hinduism,
orange is
for Buddhism,
and the tan
color in much
of China
represents
agnosticism.
And that
multicolored
region in the
center represents
the areas of
greatest missions
need.
And that
map might make
us think that
Christians are a
minority in those
regions, those
countries, because
people there are
more resistant to
the gospel.
But that would be
a false
assumption.
Take a look at
this next map
that shows
people's
responsiveness
to evangelism.
the darker the
color, the
more responsive
they are.
There's no
reason why we
shouldn't be going
to those
places.
the harvest is
plentiful.
Laborers are
few.
I pray, hope, that
our church sends
many missionaries to
these places.
People are coming to
know the Lord in
these places.
And it's our
calling as the
people of God to
go to the ends of
the earth so that
God who deserves
all glory and
honor and praise
is worshipped from
every nation, tribe,
and tongue.
That's our
greatest consuming
desire to see him
glorified among all
the nations.
That's what this
mission is about.
And as Jesus
sends out the 72,
he tells them this
in verse 2,
the harvest is
plentiful, but the
laborers are few.
therefore pray
earnestly to the
Lord of the harvest
to send out
laborers into
his harvest.
This single
verse dispels
two of the most
pernicious lies
that prevent
Christians from
proclaiming the
good news of
Jesus Christ.
First is the
lie that evangelism
is futile,
that no one
wants to hear
the good news of
Jesus Christ.
but Jesus
tells us here
that the harvest
is plentiful.
Even here in the
United States of
America, even here
in New England,
the frozen chosen
they say.
The harvest
is plentiful.
Yes, we will face
rejection sometimes.
There is a
threshold of pain
to cross, but
there are still
plenty of people
who respond
favorably to the
gospel.
The harvest is
plentiful.
What is lacking
is not the
harvest as we
like to think,
but it is the
workers, the
labors that are
lacking.
The labors are
few, and one of
the purposes of
discipleship is to
increase the
labor force, the
workforce that
will go into
this harvest.
So, he tells us,
pray earnestly to
the Lord of the
harvest to send
out laborers into
his harvest.
This part exposes
the second line.
The second line
that says we are
responsible for
creating the
harvest.
It's our job to
get people
converted.
That's not our
job.
God is the
Lord of the
harvest.
He is the
Lord of the
harvest.
It's his
harvest.
He is the
one that gets
it ready.
We simply go
and tell people
about the
saving news of
Jesus Christ,
and it's up to
God to enable
them to hear
and believe it.
So, if you're
telling people
about Jesus,
which I know
many of you
are,
regardless of
how many or
how few of
them become
Christians as a
result of your
testimony,
you're being
faithful to your
calling.
You're being
faithful as a
Christian disciple.
Does Romans 10
not say this?
For everyone
who calls on
the name of
the Lord will
be saved.
How then will
they call on
him unless
they have
believed?
And how
could they
believe if
they have
never heard?
And how
can they
hear unless
someone preaches
to them?
And how can
someone preach
unless they
are sent?
And we can
add to that
this verse
in Luke 10.
How are they
going to be
sent unless
you pray
earnestly to
the Lord of
the harvest for
laborers?
It begins
with earnest
prayer for
more laborers.
And the
laborers go,
and then they're
sent, and
then they
preach, and
then they
hear, and
then they
believe, and
then they
are saved.
It's great
that we pray
for the
salvation of
our non-Christian
friends and
neighbors.
We need to
go beyond
that.
Pray for
ourselves, that
God may
embolden us as
his witnesses,
that God may
give us open
doors of
opportunity to
share the
gospel with
people.
We need
more laborers.
And these
laborers that
are raised
up must be
prepared for
suffering,
sacrifice, and
service.
Because Jesus
says in verse
3,
Go your way,
behold, I am
sending you out
as lambs in
the midst of
wolves.
If the
verses weren't
so morbid,
like it's
almost humorous,
right?
This is
their kind
of final
huddle before
they're sent
out into
this mission.
Everyone
bring your
hands in,
right?
Let's go.
Lamb among
wolves.
What?
Conquering
lions?
How about
that?
Lamb among
wolves.
Why?
Because Jesus
was the
slain lamb
of God.
And we
go as his
representatives.
And so
when we
represent him
and when we
obey him,
when we
live for him,
and as a
result of
that we
suffer,
ridicule
and suffering,
we become
pictures for
this world to
see of the
slain lamb
of God
himself.
That's the
privilege of
being lamb
among wolves.
We are
living
pictures,
metaphors of
Christ,
our king,
our slain
lamb.
That's the
glorious
calling.
And Jesus
continues his
challenging
instruction in
verse 4,
carry no
money bag,
no knapsack,
no sandals,
and greet no
one on the
road.
The task
is so
urgent that
the disciples,
like a farmer
who only looks
forward while
plowing the
field,
are to avoid
distractions by
greeting no
one on the
road.
They are to
go straight to
their destinations
and proclaim
the kingdom of
God.
And as they
go,
they're to
travel lightly
and deliberately
forego extra
provisions.
Jesus is not
telling them to
go barefoot.
What he's telling
them is do not
carry sandals.
They're already
wearing sandals.
He's telling
them not to
carry an extra
pair of sandals.
Don't pack
anything extra.
These instructions
for missions
work are not
normative for
us today,
as I mentioned
a couple weeks
ago.
And the reason
for that is
because Jesus
explicitly modifies
this instruction
later in Luke
chapter 22
verses 35 to
37.
He says to
them,
When I sent
you out with
no money bag
or knapsack
or sandals,
did you lack
anything?
They said
nothing.
He said to
them,
But now let
the one who
has a money
bag take it
and likewise
a knapsack
and let the
one who has
no sword
sell his cloak
and buy one.
For I tell
you that the
scripture must be
fulfilled.
in me
and he was
numbered with
the transgressors
for what is
written about
me has
its fulfillment.
So that's
the instruction
that Jesus
gives just
before he's
arrested and
dies on the
cross.
So he
explicitly
modifies this
instruction.
And the
reason why
he changes
it is because
now that
Jesus is
dying and
being treated
as a sinner,
he's being
persecuted and
killed on
account of him,
all those who
follow him
will face
similar
fates and
so they can
no longer
count on
the receptivity
and hospitality
of the people
that they
minister to.
So they
have to
take provisions
for themselves.
So that's
why that
changes later.
But even if
the specific
practice doesn't
apply to us
now, the
principle that
is taught here
in Luke
chapter 10
applies to us
because by, as I
mentioned before,
there's a Bible
commentator who
calls this a
calculated deficit.
by traveling
with no extra
provisions, the
disciples were
intentionally
handicapped,
intentionally given
a calculated
deficit so
that they're
forced to
depend on
God's
provision, so
that they
have to
minister by
faith and
not by
sight, and
so that they
have to
expect God
and pray to
God to
supply all
of their
spiritual and
material
shortfalls.
That's the
nature of
Christian
mission and
discipleship.
Similarly, you
might feel
inadequate for
the task of
evangelism and
discipleship.
Will I have
the right
words to
say?
What if I
don't have the
answers to
their questions?
What if they
reject me and
think I'm
stupid?
I'm so sinful,
am I even
worthy to be
an ambassador
for Christ?
But God
sends all of
us with all
of those nagging
questions,
because even
the most
seasoned and
gifted evangelists
among us are
sent with the
calculated deficit.
So we find our
sufficiency not in
ourselves, but in
the Lord of the
harvest.
And one of the
means that God
uses to provide for
his servants will
be people of
peace.
Jesus says in
verses 5 to
8, whatever
house you enter
first say, peace
be to this
house, and if a
son of peace is
there, your
peace will rest
upon him.
But if not, it
will return to
you and remain
in the same
house, eating and
drinking what they
provide, for the
laborer deserves his
wages.
Do not go from
house to house.
Whenever you enter a
town and they
receive you, eat
what is set before
you.
The biblical
concept of peace
is not just an
absence of
conflict, but it's
a spiritual
wholeness of
being rightly
ordered and
being in proper
relation to God
and to the rest of
creation.
It's a wholeness.
And so this is
not just a
greeting, but it's
a blessing.
It's really a
promise of
salvation should
they receive these
messengers and
believe in their
message.
And so these
people of peace, the
son of peace is a
reference to the
child of the
kingdom that Jesus
mentioned earlier.
These are those who
are like the child, who
believe in Jesus, who
come with humble
faith to Jesus and
receive and provide
for his disciples.
And when received
into home, the
disciples are to
heal the sick and
say to them, the
kingdom of God has
come near to you.
And they are to
announce the kingdom
of God and to give
evidence of the
kingdom of God by
healing the sick.
But it says in
verses 10 to 12,
whenever you enter a
town and they do
not receive you, go
into its streets and
say, even the dust of
your own town that
clings to our feet, we
wipe off against you.
Nevertheless, know
this, that the
kingdom of God has
come near.
I tell you, it
will be more
bearable on that
day for Sodom than
for that town.
So wiping off the
dust from your feet,
as we talked about a
few weeks ago, is a
dramatic gesture that
conveys that you have
nothing more to do
with this town.
It's a symbol of
judgment.
And the disciples are
still to tell them that
the kingdom of God has
come near.
But notice the
important distinction
between what they are
to say to those who
receive them in verse
9 and what they are to
say here to those who
reject them.
Earlier they were to
say to those who
receive them, the
kingdom of God has
come near to you.
But here they are
simply to say the
kingdom of God has
come near, but not
to you.
The kingdom of God
has come.
It is still near.
But to those who
reject the disciples
of Christ, it has not
come to them.
They are still on the
outside looking in.
And Jesus pronounces a
series of judgments.
He says, I tell you,
it will be more
bearable on that day
for Sodom than for
that town.
Sodom is kind of
the perfect example of
sin city in the Bible,
right?
So infamous for its
wickedness that God
literally destroyed it
with fire and brimstone
in Genesis 19.
That's where the
phrase fire and
brimstone comes from.
And Jesus says here
that that's how bad
Sodom was.
Yet on the day of
final judgment, what
God renders his
verdict, the towns that
reject Jesus' followers
will face a more severe
judgment even than
Sodom.
And then he pronounces
woes on several of the
cities in the Jewish
region of Galilee, that
their judgment will be
worse than the wicked
cities of Tyre and
Sidon from the Old
Testament.
And there's a reason
why the current
generation is accountable
for the current
generation since Jesus'
time, and that includes
us, we're liable to
greater punishment than
even the worst of the
past generations because
we have received the
greater revelation.
And therefore, we'll be
held accountable for
more.
Jesus explains this in
verse 16.
The one who hears you
hears me, and the one
who rejects you rejects
me, and the one who
rejects me rejects him
who sent me.
The disciples of Christ
represent the power and
authority of Christ
himself, and Christ
represents the power and
authority of God the
Father himself.
So to reject the
disciples of Christ is to
reject God himself, and
the past generations
didn't have this kind of
revelation, this kind of
privilege.
We've benefited from the
personal visitation of the
incarnate God.
We have benefited from
unprecedented demonstrations
of the power of the
Spirit, and for that
reason, we'll be held
accountable for more than
the previous generation.
That's the fearful
judgment that our
neighbors and friends who
do not know the Lord
face.
It's our responsibility to
tell them, to warn them
about it, and that's the
loving thing to do.
A 20th century American
pastor named Lee Rutland
Scarborough once said
this, if we could only have
a five-minute glimpse into
hell, our evangelism would be
changed for a lifetime.
Do you really know the
peril that awaits those who
perish apart from Christ?
People being tormented in
hell for eternity are not
going to be impressed that we
were too polite to warn
them.
We just don't get it
sometimes.
I include myself in that.
Do we really believe that
Jesus Christ is the only way
to salvation or not?
Do we really believe in life
eternal?
Do we really believe in God
our Father, in Christ the
Son, in the Holy Spirit?
Do we really believe in the
name of Jesus?
Because Jesus instructed his
disciples to greet no one on
the road because that's how
urgent this task is.
But are we so distracted by
the trinkets and frivolities
and pleasantries of this life
that we have lost sight of the
irreplaceability and the
urgency of this proclamation?
It's the proclamation of the
discipleship.
The price of discipleship is high
and the proclamation of
discipleship is imperative and
what motivates us still to pay
that price and proclaim the
gospel is the privilege of
discipleship that Jesus speaks
of in verses 17 to 24.
Please read verses 17 to 20
with me.
The 72 returned with joy
saying, Lord, even the demons
are subject to us in your name.
And he said to them, I saw
Satan falling like lightning
from heaven.
Behold, I have given you
authority to tread on serpents
and scorpions and over all the
power of the enemy and nothing
shall hurt you.
Nevertheless, do not rejoice in
this, that the spirits are
subject to you, but rejoice that
your names are written in
heaven.
They return with joy seeing that
even the demons are subject to
the name of Jesus Christ.
They have the authority to tread on
serpents and scorpions and that
meaning of that phrase is explained
by the next phrase, and over all the
power of the enemy and nothing
shall hurt you.
So serpents and scorpions
represent powers of the enemy.
So we shouldn't be going out in
search for serpents and scorpions
trying to step on them to test
this authority.
They symbolize, they're venomous
beasts that symbolize the poisonous
power of evil and they will not
prevail against true disciples of
Christ because God will protect and
preserve us from the power of the
enemy.
But it's not this authority and
power that's the chief source of
our joy.
Rather, the chief source of our joy is
that our names are written in
heaven.
Those who have been united with Jesus
Christ by faith are included in that
heavenly roll call.
We're in the census of heaven.
If refugees fleeing life-threatening
situations, they break down with
tearful joy that their names are on
that immigration list, how much more
should we rejoice that we have been
spared from eternity in hell?
That we will get to share eternity
with God, who is the infinite
perfection of all that is good and
right and beautiful and glorious.
That even though we face trials and
tribulations here, even though we are
strangers and exiles here on earth,
that we have a home in heaven, that we
have a citizenship in the kingdom of
God, that any, we have an inheritance
in the family of God.
That's the joy of knowing Jesus
Christ.
And if you're not yet a follower of
Christ, I want to exhort you.
This is how you come to know that joy.
Verses 21 and 22.
In that same hour, Jesus rejoiced in the
Holy Spirit and said,
I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and
earth, that you have hidden these things
from the wise and understanding and
reveal them to little children.
Yes, Father, for such was your gracious
will.
All things have been handed over to me by
my father.
And no one knows who the son is except
the father or who the father is except
the son and anyone to whom the son
chooses to reveal him.
Jesus is the one mediator between God
and man.
No one comes to the father except through
him.
And Jesus, as the son of God, has the
exclusive privilege of revealing God the
father to us and bringing us into
relationship with him.
And the initiative doesn't lie with us.
It lies with him.
No one knows who the father is except the
son and anyone to whom the son chooses
to reveal him.
It's his sovereign choice.
That's what the doctrine of election is
about.
It's Jesus who sovereignly chooses who
will be whom he will reveal God the
father to.
But then how can we know if we are among
God's chosen people?
Verse 21 tells us, you have hidden these
things from the wise and understanding and
reveal them to little children.
Those to whom God has revealed himself are
called little children.
And that's the key that unlocks the
privilege of discipleship.
Jesus said earlier in Luke 9, 48, whoever
receives this child in my name receives me.
And whoever receives me receives him who
sent me.
For he who is least among you is the one
who is great.
Those who rely on their own wisdom, their
own righteousness, their own morality
cannot come to know God.
Only those who become like little
children.
Only those who humble themselves before
God.
Only those who become the least.
Only those who acknowledge that their
righteousness is insufficient and repent
of their sins.
Only those who acknowledge that their
wisdom is insufficient and confess their
ignorance before God.
Only those who abandon all hope of
saving themselves and entrust themselves
and cling entirely to the Jesus Christ
who was sent to die for our sins on the
cross and was raised from the dead on the
third day and ascended to the right hand of
the father.
Those who cling to him alone like a child
that clings desperately to his parent.
He alone.
She alone will be saved.
That's the little child.
Only such people are the little children to
whom God has revealed himself.
So I urge you to do that today.
Humble yourselves today.
Become children of God today.
Amen.