The Mission of the 70 – March 6, 2022, the First Sunday in Lent

Luke 10:1-12, 17-24
March 6, 2022

As we’ve been saying, we are now in the season of Lent – Lent being that 40-day period of time leading up to Easter. (Not including the Sundays!)  And Lent is a time the Church has set aside as a “season of preparation,” a time when we think about where we stand before God, and a time to prepare hearts and minds for that most important celebration, the Resurrection of our Lord.

As we make our way through this season of Lent, it’s good to think about the life and ministry of Jesus.  So, today we’re thinking about “The Mission of the 70.”  And I’ve always been intrigued by this story.  At this point, it’s still early on in Jesus’ ministry.  And from the stories we’ve read up to this point, we know that the word about him had been spreading all around the region.  As we’ve read through these stories, we’ve often read some of the names of those places where people had heard about Jesus, and then traveled to wherever he was, so they could hear him speak.

I’ve asked you to try to picture what it was like when those huge crowds came from all over to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases.  A couple of weeks ago, we read the story of how they pressed in on him by the lake, so that he had to teach them from a boat out on the water.

So, the word was getting out!  And Jesus seemed to be doing just fine all by himself!  But then we come to this story where he sends out these 70 people to be his “missionaries.”  He sends them out to the places that he intended to visit.  They were to “prepare the way.”  And we can only imagine how that added to the size of the crowds that came to hear him!

But as I said, I’ve often wondered about that.  Because word of mouth seemed to be working.  And that’s a good thing.  We know that, in the early church, the Gospel spread like wildfire from one person to another.  But I think there’s more.  Because, besides word of mouth, there were also those who went around preaching and teaching.  There were leaders in the church in those days.  They were the Apostles and their colleagues.  And that was important, too.  Because, if you think about it, sometimes “word of mouth” is not all that far from “rumor.”  And rumor can sometimes get distorted.  And it became important that there was some guidance in what the people were learning, especially after the Resurrection and the Ascension, when Jesus was gone.

As we think about Jesus’ ministry, we might say that the “hype” around him was creating a “sensation.”  Because it was!  But I believe Jesus wanted more than that.  He wanted people, not just to know about him and get excited about him.  He wanted people to understand what he was telling them!  He didn’t just want just to be seen as a healer and miracle worker.  He wanted the people to know that the kingdom of God was in their midst!

I think that’s one of the reasons Jesus sent these people out.  He wanted to send out people who not just “knew of him,” but who knew him.  He wanted to send people who could give a better picture of what he was trying to say, and not just let the hype and the sensation “rule the day.”

And I think about that in our world.  Too often nowadays, the rumor and the hype do rule the day.  You’ve heard me say before how people in our world live by video clips and sound bites – and emotion!  People don’t want to go into depth about things anymore.  They take just one small view of something and think of just that. They don’t want to see the big picture.  And when they think about Jesus, they do the same thing.  They tend to hang on one word or phrase, or on one idea about him.  And too often it’s a negative one.  And I think that’s where it’s the church’s job to try to bring in some greater understanding.

There was certainly a lot of talk about Jesus when he was here.  And I’m sure there were a lot of questions and skepticism.  Who was this guy?  Was he really sent from God?  The people heard their own religious leaders questioning those things.  So there had to have been a lot of talk going around about him.

Now, in addition to that talk, in addition to that “word of mouth,” Jesus was sending people out who were called to go and tell.  They were given instructions so that they could give people a greater understanding of who Jesus was and what he was teaching about the kingdom of God.

And I want us to think about how we fit into that picture.  Because I think the mission of the 70 is our mission, too.  I think we are called to bring about that greater understanding in our world.  Because there are many people who think about Jesus, or who think about the Church, in the narrowest of terms.  They dismiss Jesus’ message because of one or two negative thoughts they have about him – or about his people.  They do what I call “using the narrow brush to paint the big picture.”

For example, I’ve heard people say that they couldn’t be part of a church because of all the “bad things have been done in the name of the Church over the years.”  And from that they’ve concluded that the Church is “a bad thing.”  Oh, they might not say that plainly, but you can tell that’s what they’re thinking.  And I try to give answer to that.  “Yes.  Bad things have been done in the name of religion throughout history, and I wish I could say the church was immune from that, but I can’t.”   “But what I can say is that that does not make the church a bad thing!”  Then I try to encourage people to see the big picture, how the church has been meaningful to countless people, and how it’s done a lot of good things.  And I try to get them to see how the Church offers to the world our Savior’s message of peace and love.

I think we need to help promote a greater understanding like that.  And that can look like a lot of things.  Maybe it’s something as simple as countering a negative perception someone might have about the church.  And I think we do need to speak up when we hear those negative things.  Because, if you think about it, without a response, the negative is all they’ll have!

Maybe this is as simple as mentioning good news about your church.  People are curious these days about how businesses and organizations have fared during the pandemic.  Because there have been many who have not survived!  And as I’ve been saying, we have a lot to be grateful for here.  Because some churches have not survived!  And thankfully, we are joyfully doing more than just surviving! When I tell people that, they’re glad to hear it!

As I think about this story, I keep thinking that we are like those 70.  And there are certainly many other ways of fulfilling that same mission.  But, it’s important that we know it is our mission!  As we make our way through Lent, we prepare our hearts for the celebration of Easter.  We renew our faith.  But at the same time, we think about our mission in the world.  And this story helps us do that.

So, think about it.  Think about what it was like when Jesus called the 70.  Picture him giving them instructions and sending them off.  And think about how we are called to be like those 70.  No, we might not be pure evangelists like Peter and Paul.  We might not feel called to stand on a soapbox on a street corner.  We might not be trained theologians, who are called to correct misunderstandings about the faith, or apologists, called to defend it.  But we are still Jesus’ ambassadors.  We are still called to be the light of the world.  And I believe that means we are to speak, and to live our lives, in such a way that the Church and its message to the world are seen in a good light!

So, may this time of Lent be one in which we see ourselves, and our lives of faith, more clearly.  And along with that, may we consider what kind of message we personally are giving to the world.

Prayer

Eternal God, we know that you have called us to be your people, the light of the world.  Help us to be mindful of you, especially in this time of Lent, and give us the strength we need to speak your word to others.  May they see in us the joy of your kingdom.  For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.