Reapers

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

REAPERS

Luke 10:1-4

10:1 After 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. 2 He 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. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

NIV

There is much more that Jesus tells this seventy-two or seventy which seems to be the more correct number according to most scholars who research all the old manuscripts. Why some use seventy-two is unknown, but it would seem seventy is right because Jesus was using the same format that Moses used. He had the twelve patriarchs of the twelve tribes and Moses appointed seventy to assist him in the government of the people. This is what Jesus did, twelve to be his close disciples and seventy to assist in the government of the kingdom, so to speak. They were tasked to go before Jesus proclaiming the gospel. Jesus was telling them there are many people, many souls who are ready to hear the good news and who will accept it, but there are few workers. Are we to take this command as well? Are we to go to every town and place Jesus is about to go? This appears to be just about that time in history, yet there also has to be some life lesson for us within. Could we say that Jesus is coming to a town near us? Could we say that if Christ is in us, he has already come to the town we are in? Are we called to be the workers in this field, this town? Are there many souls who are ready for the harvest? This warning not to greet men along the road does have some meaning. Jesus was telling them not to get distracted by social demands as they have a task to do for the kingdom of God. Yet at the same time understand as we share the good news among those who are ready to hear it, there will also be wolves who would rather destroy us, destroy our efforts to bring the good news to those who are ready to hear it. There are many wolves in our society today. It seems Christianity in general is under attack from some, but it is the truth which is under attack by many. Liberalism in its purest form opposes the kingdom of God. The ideas and ideologies of man oppose the truth and they attempt to influence as many followers as possible for their own personal gain. Some supposed preachers of the gospel are even the wolves Jesus speaks of here. Those people had the Pharisees and other sects who proclaimed they had the truth but were in fact using their perverted form of the truth for their own gain. Jesus told these seventy to not take any purse or bag or sandals as well. While they are going before him, they are to live in an austere manner. We will see more of this manner in some of the rest of the orders Jesus gives them. Should we encompass this command into our lives as well? It would seem we surely live above that austere condition. Some believers live in abundance of wealth while others live in near poverty while many live somewhere in between.  Yet the idea was that they and we should not spend our time and energy in the pursuit of social acceptance or that of personal material gain while there are souls, who by their own beliefs condemned are to perish, and we have been tasked to bring them the good news, that they can find eternal life in Christ. Are we to consider to be like the seventy? Are we the workers? Do we simply resign ourselves to pay a few preachers to do that job in hopes those souls who are ready for the harvest will wander into the right church? Are we truly workers going before Jesus if all we do is fellowship with other believers or spend our energy on our own spiritual journey? We really do need to get out in the town, among the people, sharing the good news. We cannot do that inside the church building, nor can we do that as a church just doing good works in the town. We have to go into their houses as we will see Jesus tells them later. Go where they live, work and play. Live among them, with them so we can share the good news, and there will be souls ready to hear. We will see a harvest, but we need to be reapers.