The Joy of Jesus
Rev. Jacob Miles*
*Not his real name. Name changed for security reasons
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
5"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
13"Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. 15And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depths.
16"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
22"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
23Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
The advancement of the Kingdom of God is baffling. It should not be where it is today. If judged by natural thought, it should not have made it out of the second century.
It does not appeal to the ego or pride of the person and it does not capitalize on the felt needs of any particular culture. Never the less, Christianity is in, more locations in more obscure languages, more diverse cultures than any other world religion, organization or institution (except marriage).
In our text today we don’t see a leader setting up his organization for success, but rather for greater strain. In our passage there is this tension that Jesus may be setting his disciples up for failure.
Lets look at it together---
I. First, for any world religion to succeed it must be received. It must appeal to an audience or to put it more crassly: A religion must be SOLD. Setting up the context for the best reception is the work of the leader and his current followers. If they can’t convince hearers- then it won’t be believed.
Jesus starts with His disciples in chapter 9, and that first mission went down in flames. They couldn’t perform in the face of demons and they were kicked out of Samaria. Now in Chapter 10 we have the seventy-two being sent out.
The seventy-two would expect a chance for success. What does Jesus instruct them to do so that they might succeed?
First he divides them up to the smallest unit without being alone. He pairs them off.
1After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.
Secondly, He points out that they are facing overwhelming odds and they only have a prayer.
2He told them, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
This anxious, urgent, plea for harvesters might have unnerved the seventy-two.
Thirdly, Christ increases their insecurity by showing them their vulnerability in his instructions. He lets them know they are facing wolves and they are sheep.
3Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Remember the hostilities the 12 faced in chapter 9—expect more of the same.
Finally, in the mission Jesus desires maximum coverage with the increase of urgency. Travel light.
4Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.
Cover as much territory as possible with this urgency. They are dependent on the people of the towns to provide for them.
The seventy-two head out with instructions that only intensify their notion that this kingdom is dependent. It is dependent in a hostile environment on those that hear the message to provide for them. Those that hear the message must be the first to support its messengers.
Jesus starts out the shoot letting us all know how dependent the messengers are on those that hear the message. With this start you would think that the message would be complementary or at least palatable for the hearers.
II. The Kingdom the seventy-two proclaim advances with a divisive nature.
After Jesus’ initial instructions, he makes comments that lead us to the conclusion that it will not be an easy task. This kingdom will divide.
Expect rejection.
5"When you enter a house, first say, 'Peace to this house.' 6If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. 7Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.
PEACE-They extended the peace of God to others. People that are peaceful are predisposed to God’s work and would readily receive God’s Peace or “salvation.” Peace in this context is metonymic for salvation.
Jesus’ instructions move from the individual house to the “town”. In both cases the Kingdom message divides. On the positive side, those who welcome the messenger, welcome the message.
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Here we see Jesus’ instructions clearly communicating to the seventy-two that they have a clear duty.
And it is-as if you are proclaiming the message;
1.Accept Hospitality.
2. Comport yourselves as exemplary guests.
3. Proclaim the coming of salvation through your word and deed.
In this way they will not be the reason for further division.
Remember, Jesus is sending them out and they are dependent in every imaginable way. They are dependent for the message to be received.
Here we see that their message is divisive. What is their message?
“The Kingdom of heaven is near” How will people “Experience” this Message?
Healing the Sick
Healing the sick indicates in Luke’s Gospel that restoration has come. And in Luke’s Gospel the curing of the sick included the vanquishing of demonic forces. Again, those who welcome the messenger, the healer, also welcome the message.
However, those who do not welcome the messenger welcome Judgment. Here we move from the divisive nature of the Kingdom to the Destructive characteristics of the Kingdom.
As the Kingdom advances it destroys.
The Kingdom is no less present for those who refuse Jesus’ agents, but for them the message of divine visitation is transmuted into one of judgment.
The Dusting off of the feet is a prophetic action of judgment. The act connected to ridding oneself of defilement, such as when someone had traveled gentile lands. Originally it was for self purification, here as a testimony against the house or village. Jesus is saying, “by your action declare the village unclean.” He is turning a purification rite on its head.
Jesus is redefining the people of God not by ethnicity but by responsiveness. Responsiveness is to the messengers not the message.
There is a parallel pattern in verses 8-9 and verses 10-11
Enter----Manner of reception-----its consequences----Kingdom saying
8"When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. 9Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God is near you.' 10But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11'Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.' 12I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
In verse 12 Jesus carries the destructive theme of rejecting the messengers even further. Here is an interlude in the narrative. It is Jesus’ moment to warn those that reject his emissaries.
In ancient times one town was synonymous with divine judgment-Sodom. Historically, we think of Sodom and we think of sexual sin. We think of divine judgment being primarily because of their debauchery. In our text Jesus is clearly entering an alternate idea.
Sodom was inhospitable to the emissaries of God and to reject them was to reject God. Jesus points to the greater sin of Sodom as being a violation of hospitality. They are symbolic of any town that refuses welcome to Jesus’ agents and are thus guilty of refusing hospitality to God’s emissaries.
Because the kingdom of God has drawn near, however, those towns that follow the example of the sodomite’s hospitality toward the envoys of the Kingdom will be judged even more strictly.
In a surprising move Jesus goes on to compare such a town with Chorazin, Bethsaida and Caperaum, all Galilean towns that had been the recipients of the redemptive activity of Jesus and His followers and would be judged harshly. They had failed to respond genuinely to the message of salvation. These towns had become the enemies of the people of God.
When is their judgment?
In Luke 9:52-55, the disciples’ proposed immediate judgment when Jesus was refused hospitality in a Samaritan village.
53 But the people did not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem. 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?” 55 But he turned and rebuked them.
What is the proposed timeframe for judgment for those that reject Jesus?
“That Town [which rejects you]” vs. 12
“Whoever rejects you” vs. 16
Jesus references to “That Day” vs. 12
And “The Judgment” vs. 14
These are shorthand for the more common expression “The day of the Lord.” That is the time of God’s Judgment at the end of time.
So both the deliverance or Salvation and the Judgment are future events.
In Isaiah 23, Tyre and Sidon are subjects of God’s judgment and Isaiah railed against their wickedness.
Jesus asserts that these gentile urban centers would have welcomed the message in a way the Jews had not.
Here is the first mention of repentance in the public ministry of Jesus in Luke. REPENTANCE is a redirection of ones life toward the one purpose of God.
Now in verse 16 we see the powerful progression of acceptance or rejection of blessing or judgment.
16"He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me."
Two options are presented. Listen which equals hearing and obeying or Rejecting which equals Rejecting the messenger equals rejecting the message equals rejecting Jesus equals rejection of God equals rejection by God.
Now the earlier assertion of the dependence of the kingdom’s advancement makes sense.
Now the earlier assertion of the division brought by the kingdom’s advancement makes sense.
Even the assertion of the kingdom being destructive through judgment makes sense in light of what comes next.
Here is the high point of Jesus’ ministry in the book of Luke and it is a revelation about the kingdom.
We see that the advancement of the kingdom is a Trinitarian enterprise. It is an enterprise that we are invited into.
The Glory of God is God’s concern. The Salvation of Man is God’s concern. The judgment of man is God’s concern.
In His plan he has included us in its fulfillment. We get to participate in the amazing task of world evangelization.
Where is that in this passage?
Let’s start over…
72, 72, 72 why 72?
In Israel’s history in Genesis 10, seventy-two represented the number of nations.
Seventy-two in Jesus’ day represented the number of princes and languages in the world.
Septuagint means seventy-two.
Seventy-two elders were commissioned to translate the law from Hebrew to Greek, a project undertaken to win renown throughout the world for the Jews and their God.
Therefore the appointment of the seventy-two can be understood as the beginning of the universal mission that would continue in Acts.
At the heart of this plan is the fact that people will be the messengers of God’s kingdom, and that kingdom will spread throughout the world.
Now it makes sense that the message stands or falls on its own. The personality of the messenger, the money of the messenger, the armament of the messenger must not get in the way of rejection or acceptance.
Yes the messenger is the embodiment of the message, the deeds of the messenger must be consistent with the message, but the messenger is not to impede the message. Either by buying converts or repelling converts through staying too long. The tension is present in the passage when Jesus says, “for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.”
Now it makes sense that the vulnerability of the messenger is intact. Then the battle, the spiritual battle, is fought not with natural means but with spiritual power. The kingdom is the Kingdom of God. God is spirit and He advances not through mighty people but through His mighty right arm. The seventy-two had authority in the name of Jesus. They had the power of the Spirit of God. Their prowess was not in wisdom but in being like infants.
Jesus Prays to the father for His revelation to these “Little Children”:
"I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.”
Curious isn’t it that the wise are not in the new Kingdom and the most vulnerable are recipients of the Kingdom.
I have gotten ahead of myself.
We have seen that this kingdom advances through vulnerable people, it advances bringing division and it is a destructive kingdom bringing with it judgment to those that reject it. We have acknowledged that it is a spiritual kingdom designed to thrive as people-vulnerable people advance it.
We have said that it is the concern of God to advance his kingdom. We saw that it reverses the status quo, by being revealed to little children and not the wise. How did I get ahead of myself?
We saw the kingdom instructions and I went on to the interpretation of what happened, without saying what happened.
Interesting isn’t it that Luke doesn’t tell us much only this one little phrase--17The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name."
It is enough.
Two things stand out in this sentence.
Luke equates the kingdom with the spiritual advance of Jesus over diabolical forces. Jesus sent them out to heal… and casting out demons was the demonstration of healing recorded by Dr Luke.
More importantly--How did they address Jesus?
LORD.
He was now recognized by the seventy-two, by the narrator, by God and himself as LORD, the rightful ruler of this new advancing kingdom.
Now Jesus interprets what they have just seen and said.
In this he affirms and corrects their speech.
Here is the most elation we see in the life of Jesus. His JUBILATION here is contagious.
Jesus lets us in on his vision, in the going out of the seventy-two a series of events from eternity past continued and assured the future fall of Satan.
18He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. 20However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
No longer is he the Devil in Luke. He is now the personified evil known as Satan, and as Satan he has a place in heaven. In Job and Isaiah we see his presence as one able to torment God’s people-after receiving God’s permission.
Now Christ sees the future assured destruction of the destroyer. The decisive fall of Satan is anticipated in the future, but is already being manifest through the mission of Jesus and by extension, through the ministry of his envoys.
However, that is not the cause for rejoicing.
The seventy-two have the authority to trample on all representations and of evil spirits and all evil spirits.
However that is not the cause to rejoice.
Verse 20 “but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."
When a kingdom is associated with our creator, who is an eternal spirit, that kingdom is an eternal kingdom. That kingdom is a total restoration of the intended created order. That is Peace and Joy to all its subjects. That is what they were to rejoice in that day.
That is the Christian’s joy. Belonging in the kingdom established by our creator and having our name written in the book is the victory worth celebrating. It is God’s victory we celebrate.
Every thing has built to this point. The kingdom is near. The Kingdom is here. The kingdom is a person.
Jesus says, “You want to see the King-I am the revelation of the King.
To you little Children look at the king- I am revealing him to you now.”
21At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure.
22"All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him."
In these two short verses we see Jesus supremely qualified to reveal the King. Three times he refers to himself as son and five times he refers to God as Father.
Jesus’ authority as son qualifies him to reveal God. To whom does he, Jesus the son, reveal God? Uniquely to the disciples.
23Then he turned to his disciples and said privately, "Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. 24For I tell you that many prophets and kings wanted to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it."
From Luke 8:9 the disciples have a privileged status. Their privileged status was not due to any inherent qualifications on their part.
Hidden/Don’t see Disclosed/see
Vs 21 Wise and intelligent verses Infants or young children
Vs 22 Whomever the son wishes
Vs23-24 Prophets and Kings verses “You (disciples)”
Why do the apostles see?
1. God continues throughout history to work outside the system. His kingdom is never in conformity to the systems of this world. His kingdom is unique.
2. The followers of Jesus are in service to God
Really see and really hear Luke 8:10-11, 18
The Knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of God has been given to you, but to others I speak in parables, so that, “though seeing, they may not see; though hearing, they may not understand.”
They have risked rejection, suffering, inhospitable behavior to advance the kingdom.
And do they see! They see the kingdom advance even when they are in utter dependence. To the point that they are sent out after failure in chapter nine, rejection in chapter nine, sent out in only twos.
They see when they are facing overwhelming odds (few laborers in a vast harvest). They see when they are told how vulnerable they are (like sheep among wolves). They see the Kingdom when their offer of salvation is rejected. They see the kingdom when they are received by some and rejected by others. They see the kingdom force when they confront diabolical forces and the king’s name subjects them. They see the kingdom power when it is rejected and judgment is pronounced. They see the kingdom when the king blesses them as he announces their names are written in an eternal book. They see the kingdom when the king’s son announces their blessing in seeing the King when they see his son. “An exact representation.” They see the kingdom in its fullness because they have seen the King.
This Trinitarian enterprise begins with the Holy Spirit empowering disciples proclaim the coming kingdom and to destroy the works of the evil one culminating in the evil ones ultimate destruction. Then the kingdom advances when God reveals himself through the life and rule of his son.
This continues today with us. We are to vulnerably walk in this world each day proclaiming in word and deed the kingdom has come. We can command the diabolical spirits in the authoritative name and advance the kingdom through healing. Then the division, the acceptance and rejection are left up to God. We have a simple message—we just need to stay out of the way. They need to see the revealed king Jesus and not us.