City Life Starter

Written by Megan Meier

The Word

“1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 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. 3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road.5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’ 6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, it will return to you. 7 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. 8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘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.’ 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.’”

-Luke 10:1-12 ESV

Reflection

Jesus is sending out seventy-two followers in thirty-six groups of two. He would visit these towns Himself later, and the seventy-two were going to soften the soil of the townspeople’s hearts before planting the Word of God. At the time, Jesus and the seventy-two were somewhere between Samaria and Bethany, and Jesus recently left Samaria (Luke 9:52-56) and was going to Bethany later where Mary and Martha lived (Luke 10:38-39). The followers will go not only to Jewish towns, but also Samaritan towns!

Why is Jesus sending His followers out like lambs among wolves? And to go without bringing anything!? That sounds like foolishness! To the world’s eyes, it does, but in the eyes of God, it’s not. Jesus is emphasizing their battle isn’t physical, but spiritual. It’s not about packing light but trusting in God to provide. In Genesis 22, one of God’s Names is Jehovah Jirah or “The Lord will provide.” The seventy-two would have remembered the story of Abraham and Isaac and how the Lord provided in miraculous circumstances on their way to their destination.

Why did Jesus tell them not to greet anyone on the road? He did not want them to be unfriendly, He wanted the seventy-two to not get distracted or go off track with their mission. Satan tends to target missionaries because he does not want anyone saved. If one of the seventy-two began visiting while on the road, they might have abandoned their mission entirely in favor of a more comfortable trip. Speaking of comfort, Jesus instructs them to stay in the same house during their visit, to not go shopping for better accommodations.

If the town rejected them, and the Messiah, the disciples would wipe the dust off their feet as a sign that they’ve done all they could and are not responsible for them. Because they did not listen to the Words of Jesus, their fate will be more dire than Sodom, which was completely destroyed, nothing living remained, not even plant life (Genesis 19:22-25). What’s worse is eternity without Jesus, being permanently separated from God. Wiping the dust off their feet was also a way to cut off emotional ties, as there was more work for the Kingdom to be done.

Application

Jesus is empowering the disciples to do the work of Heaven and share the Gospel, to make many more disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), which involved leaving their comfort zone and trusting in God’s provision. Jesus sent seventy-two disciples in thirty-six different directions within Israel. We do the same, making disciples in different directions, whether it be a different neighborhood or different country. You have a calling as a believer to be an ambassador for Jesus Christ to wherever He has sent you.

Prayer

Dearest Jesus, the harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Please send more workers. Grant us the courage to leave our comfort zones and trust in Your provision. Let us make many more disciples of all nations. In Your Name I pray, amen.