Luke 10:3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.
Have you ever felt out gunned and out numbered? You step into a situation and the ambush happens, the complaints seem to spring from nowhere, the opposition seems to rise like kudzu enveloping the South. You are taken completely by surprise and have to take a step back to even catch your breath.
We have been watching a series on Netflix about the Medal of Honor recipients. Powerful stories of heroism in the face of overwhelming odds. It is worth the time to watch. These heroes signed up knowing that they might have to put their lives on the line one day, and when the day came, the stepped up and rose to the challenge.
Our text gives us part of the charge that Jesus gave a large number of his followers as He sends them out. He sent out His disciples to do a very similar work, and now He is sending out the next group. Jesus had several layers of followers. The three, the twelve, the seventy or so, the women who supported him, and others.
It is this third layer, the seventy two, who are now sent out. They have heard the reports, I am sure, about what happened when the twelve were sent out. I am sure their faith was boosted and encouraged. And now it is their turn.
Jesus starts His charge, His instructions to them, by asking them to join Him in praying for more workers for the harvest. Joining Jesus in the Mission involves more than going. It involves praying. And praying involves surrender.
And immediately He tells them to “Go!” Now that is confidence in both His training method and the quality of those who were trained! There is no more preparation that is needed. They are fully equipped for the task ahead. Or are they?
Notice that Jesus is sending them into potentially hostile territory. Wolves like lamb for lunch! Wolves never get along with sheep. Sheep never trust wolves, and for good reason. Wolves are designed by God to eat sheep. They are just doing what their nature tells them to do.
These seventy two are being sent into a hostile work environment. The dead, sinful nature of unbelievers gives them an inclination to defend their position and attack those who would oppose their viewpoint. They are just doing what their nature dictates.
But those being sent need their expectations brought into line with reality. Not everyone will welcome this new message Jesus brings. There are those who will fiercely oppose what they have to say and do.
The same is true today. Most people oppose the message of the Gospel. It is usually those with the least to loose who accept it with joy, those at the bottom, those who have already lost everything. Across the globe, people rejected by society at large are coming to the Gospel in droves. When we have come to the end of ourselves, Jesus is there to stand on. But if you are still standing on your own, there seemingly is no need to step onto Jesus.
We certainly live in a hostile environment for the Gospel. Much of the world actively persecutes Christians. And it appears that this is headed our way as well. And the Gospel IS offensive. If our lives and words are not offending people, perhaps we aren’t living and speaking the Gospel. Proclaiming the love of God requires that we talk about sin, the most offensive word, the most judgmental word, the most divisive word there is. The Gospel locks us all into sin, so that we can all be saved from it.
The Arnold Journey 