The reading from Sunday has been on my brain today. I know we read the story of Jesus sending the 72 from a few different Gospels, but the story itself has been on my mind and since I have not been faithful in my weekly posts, I thought I would share.
There are a few elements to consider. The instruction is to pray first. Pray for each other. Pray for the mission. Pray for the people. For Jesus, prayer precedes the mission because we soon find that prayer pervades the mission too. So whatever it is you are about today, begin with prayer.
Go in pairs. Another common theme. We need each other. I suppose Mother Theresa may have been correct when she diagnosed the worlds problems this way: “We have forgotten that we belong to each other.” There is a lot of noise out there. Blue. Red, Right. Left. Trad, Rad Trad, and Neo Trad. Too much noise.
Jesus was clear: we need each other. Not because it’s helpful to have company (one prays while one heals), it’s because we are built for community, for relationship.
Urgency. Jesus tells the disciples to go on your way. Go now. No dilly-dallying. The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few. There is no time to waste. And take nothing – because no thing is more important than the mission and so there is no time to waste getting ready.
Peace. The greeting of peace is a Jewish greeting and a farewell. We must be people of peace, but peace requires a relationship. It requires harmony. Remember how I said we need each other – well, there you go. And if you don’t find harmony – if you are not invited into relationship – and there are many places this won’t happen – leave. Shake the dust. Go on your way. The mission is too important to waste with people who are not interested.
That is a striking instruction and counter intuitive to our ears. It’s also a story for another time.
Finally, proclaim the kingdom. Notice that this comes after the greeting of peace and care of the needy. It is essential to the mission but needs context. The context is living love. Do that first. Build relationships first. Because if you don’t, no one will listen.
Just a few thoughts. May your week be filled with prayer, people whom you love and are in harmony with, peace, and most importantly, a sense of the mission that drives you always forward.