Luke 10:1-12,16-20                                                                                                                                        7/15/07
In the name of our Savior, dear fellow workers in the Lord’s harvest,

     Every now and then I’ll wander into one of the rooms of our child care center after naptime when the kids get to choose a book to look at.  I can’t help but notice that some of the books are the same ones I enjoyed at that age.  I have one such book here this morning:  “Go, Dog, Go!”  Page through the book and you’ll see a number of various colored dogs performing a number of activities.  But just as the cover portrays, there are many pages devoted to dogs driving cars with an obvious sense of urgency – hence the title, “Go, Dog, Go!”  They are determined to accomplish their task and to reach their destination as quickly as possible.

     As followers of our Lord, we have been given a task to do – to spread the gospel throughout the world – and there’s also to be a sense of urgency that comes with such a responsibility.  This morning let’s alter the title of this children’s book a little to illustrate our Lord’s command.  Today he tells us:

“Go, Christian, Go!”
                                                                         I. Recognize the need

                                                                        II. Receive the instructions

                                                                       III. Rejoice over the results

     Remember last Sunday’s gospel lesson?  To many people Jesus had issued the invitation (Lk 9:59), “Follow me.”  Perhaps there was a sense of urgency in Jesus’ voice, for this would be his last trip to Jerusalem.  He was going there to die.  Before long he would be gone from this world.  He wanted to make sure the people were prepared for his coming, that they would know that the Messiah was about to accomplish his mission.  So Jesus gives some of these followers an assignment (v 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.”  This job was too much for just the twelve disciples.  Jesus wanted the towns he planned to visit to be ready for his arrival.  No, he didn’t want parades and banquets to be arranged in his honor.  He wanted the people to be prepared to hear his message, to know that the kingdom of God was near.

     There was plenty of work to be done (v 2), “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few.”  The workers were few then, and they’re still few today when compared to the number of people who need to hear the gospel.  The workers are still few compared to the forces of evil working against the Lord and his message.  The workers are few, and yet the fields are ripe.  When it’s time to harvest wheat, you can’t just sit idly by.  You have to get to work or you could lose a good share of the crop.  What an even greater urgency there is for us today to get out into God’s field, to get at the harvest while there’s still time, to work while it is day.

     When analyzing the problems within our beloved Wisconsin Synod these days, one might be tempted to amend our Lord’s statement to say, “The harvest is plentiful, but the monies are few.”  I discovered something rather interesting when looking back over the years at other times I’ve preached on this section of Luke’s Gospel.  The first time was in 1989 – 18 years ago – and I made a reference back then to the fact that we had plenty of workers willing to serve in the public ministry, but there was a lack of dollars needed to open new missions.  But the next time I preached on this text, nine years later in 1998, I stressed that money wasn’t a problem, but at that time we were lacking workers.  Now the pendulum seems to have swung back again, and another nine years later it appears as if the lack of funds has become the obstacle once more.  But can we truthfully say that we have a “lack” of dollars to do mission work?  In the prosperous times in which we live, isn’t the problem, more than anything else, a lack of priorities in how we use the blessings our Lord has entrusted to us?

     So what can we do about it?  Our Lord has given us the command, “Go, Christian, go!”  Giving of our offerings is one way we can help.  But first each of us can approach God’s throne of grace through prayer (v 2), “Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”  It’s not that God doesn’t already send out workers.  But by praying we realize that God is the only one who’s capable of providing what we need.  Jesus reminds us (Jn 15:5), “I am the vine; you are the branches . . . ; apart from me you can do nothing.”  When we pray, we’re reminded that God is there for us (1 Jn 5:14), “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.”  When we turn to him in prayer, he’ll show us what we can do to help.  So pray — and keep praying — for workers!

     But we’re not talking about just full-time workers here.  Remember that the Lord told the 72 disciples to pray for workers, but then he sent those same 72 out to be the workers!  Once we’ve recognized the need for workers, let’s pay close attention and receive the instructions the Lord gives us to be the workers.

     Our Lord tells us to go, but he wants us to be aware of our limitations (v 3), “Go!  I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”  God sends us out into a hostile environment.  By nature people don’t want to hear about Christ.  Jesus warned his disciples (Mt 10:22), “All men will hate you because of me.”  We have to realize that on our own we’re powerless.  We’re like lambs trying to survive in the midst of a wolfpack.  Read your Meditations this week and you’ll learn that even today throughout the world approximately 450 people are killed every day because of their Christian faith.  But remember who is sending us!  The command to go comes from Jesus himself, the same one who assures us (Mt 28:20), “Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  We dare not trust in our own strength or we’ll be devoured by those who think of Christ’s message as “foolishness” and “a stumbling block” (1 Co 1:18,23).  Instead we trust in the Lord and listen to his command, knowing that the one who does the sending also promises to always be by our side.

     Jesus gave these 72 men some divine credentials to back up the message they brought (v 9), “Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’”  They would be blessed with special power to work miracles of healing to certify that they were God’s representatives.  But the important part of their work was still the message, “The kingdom of God is near you.”  The Savior they had long awaited had come!  It was time to get ready for him!

     Not everyone would be receptive of this message.  Jesus wanted his workers to be ready for rejection (vv 10-12,16), “But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘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.’  I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town. . . . He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”  Even when they were rejected, Jesus still wanted these men to deliver a warning.  Perhaps the people would repent and listen to their message.  If not, the Lord himself would take care of things.  The workers were just the Lord’s representatives.  They were to go and do the work.  The Lord would take care of the rest.

     There are two things we can take home with us from this part of our text.  First of all we know that the Lord is the one who equips us to do his work.  Some receive greater instructions, greater responsibilities, such as pastors and teachers.  But everyone who has learned what Jesus has done for them is instructed enough to witness to those around them.  To each of us the Lord says, “Go, Christian, go!”  It doesn’t mean you have to hop on a jet to Africa or climb up into a pulpit on Sunday morning.  But it does mean that you are to keep our eyes open for opportunities to share what you know about Jesus with those who are part of our world.  You’re qualified to do so, because the Lord has instructed you with the life-saving message of the gospel.

     Secondly, we need to realize that rejection is to be expected.  Do you know that in baseball if you get a hit three out of every 10 at-bats, you’re considered a star?  That’s only a 30% success rate.  That means that you fail the other 70% of the time, but still you’re doing very well.  What about when it comes to sharing your faith?  What do you think my success rate has been over the years in getting people to church or to my Bible Information Class?  10%?  5%?  Perhaps closer to 1%!  And yet our Lord tells us not to give up!  The only people who have never failed when it comes to sharing their faith are those who have never tried.  Or, to put it another way, the only real failure in life for a Christian witness is the failure to try.  Don’t be discouraged by rejection.  Remember, the angels in heaven rejoice over just one sinner who repents and is added to the fold.  All we’re told to do is deliver the message.  God promises to take it from there.

     When the Lord says “go,” we can’t be afraid of rejection.  Even if not visible at first glance, God tells us his Word will produce results.  For that assurance we have every reason to rejoice.

     Luke jumps ahead to when the 72 who had been sent out returned from their mission (vv 17-19), “The seventy-two returned with joy and said, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.’  He replied, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.  I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.’”  The disciples were pretty excited about the power they had.  Even the demons had to give in to them.  Jesus pictures this as the beginning of Satan’s tumble from power, a fall which would be complete when Jesus himself would suffer and die to free man from the slavery of sin and eternal damnation.  The reason why the disciples had such power?  Jesus had given it to them.  They had nothing to fear.  The enemy was powerless against the almighty Lord!

     And yet Jesus didn’t want these men treasuring what they were doing more than what Jesus had done for them  (v 20), “However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”  Yes, having power over demons was important, but knowing what Christ had done for them was more important.  Knowing Christ as our Lord and Savior and delivering that message to others are the results which count.  Perhaps you’ve heard the saying that the problem with Christians is that we are so heavenly minded that we are no earthly good.  Well, the opposite is actually true.  Unless we’re heavenly minded, we can’t be any earthly good.  That’s why we go into the world with a spiritual agenda – to lead others on the path to eternal salvation.

     And isn’t that what brings true joy?  What makes people happy today?  Making a child laugh?  Being able to help someone in need?  Knowing that your kids get a good education?  Such joyous events all pale in comparison to the ultimate joy of being able to see someone come to know their Lord and Savior because the Holy Spirit used you to tell them about Jesus.  Think of it — he wants to use you to change someone’s eternity!  He wants to use you to help someone learn the good news that their name is written in heaven!  That’s true joy!  That’s lasting joy!  That’s the joy that can belong to each of us as we work in the harvest of our Lord!

     Just where are those dogs in the book going?  What is it that seems to have them so focused and determined?  Turn to the end and you’ll see:  “A dog party!  A big dog party!  Big dogs, little dogs, red dogs, blue dogs, yellow dogs, green dogs, black dogs, and white dogs are all at a dog party!  What a dog party!”

     Because of Jesus, we as Christians are headed to a celebration of our own.  And the good news is that everyone is invited to the party.  Let’s make sure the invitations get delivered!

Amen

–Rev. Jonathan Rockhoff