“Go on your way.” Jesus in Luke 10:1-11, 16-20.
“We will rescue those in peril and we will find those who are missing. But I would also ask: Please pray for our community.“ Mayor of Kerrville, Texas.
In today’s Gospel, Luke writes that Jesus sent out 70 (72 in some versions) followers in pairs to go ahead of him to the towns and places where he intends to go. He first tells them to pray and then to carry no purse, bag or sandals, to greet no-one on the road so that they are not distracted and to stay in the same house eating and drinking whatever they are given. They are to cure the sick, and Jesus twice tells them to declare that the kingdom of God has come near, whether they are accepted or not. He also tells the 70 to say, “Peace to this house!” on arrival, implying that they will be at peace in order to share it, even though they don’t know what lies ahead. That peace is to be given unconditionally, whether or not the occupants are Jew or Gentile, lawful or willing to accept them. It’s the peace that comes from trusting God which, in Welsh, translates as tangnefedd, from tanc, an older word for peace and nefoedd, meaning heaven – that heavenly peace which is so much more than just the absence of war or disagreement.
Jesus also instructs the 70 to shake off the dust on their feet if they are rejected – this may happen to them, as to him. As Jesus tells them that he is sending them like lambs to the slaughter, this could be a fearful prospect for the 70, but these are clearly people of faith who can be trusted and who will in turn trust that their needs will be supplied.
The 70 do what is asked of them and return later, joyful about what has happened. Jesus warns them not to get carried away by temporary spiritual successes but to rejoice about their place in heaven – a contrast with life today, when material success alone seems to be valued by many.
Jesus uses the harvest as an example for the 70, saying that the crop is ready but the labourers are few. By contrast, after the driest spring for over a hundred years, maize is failing in some parts of the UK this year whilst the harvest of winter barley is ready over a month early. However, the stems are short and the heads small, affecting the straw for cattle with the yield for cereal being down by possibly 25-30%, which may have later consequences for animals and humans alike. Whatever the weather in the time of Jesus, the harvest would be labour intensive whereas nowadays machinery and A I make a difference. Yet, workers are still in short supply although crops failing or being ready early may affect the booking and availability of equipment to harvest it – that old scythe in my shed may be needed after all!
None of us know when our lives will be harvested as shown by the terrible devastation in Texas on Friday when floods made the river Guadalupe rise 26 feet in 45 minutes, killing at least 68 people, 21 of them youngsters, with 11 children still missing. As one person said, “It could have been me.” About 850 people were saved and the mayor vowed to rescue and find those missing as personnel and resources were sent out to seek them. The mayor also called for prayer and, in these uncertain times, that’s a resource that can always be deployed whatever the circumstances being faced. Jesus told his 70 workers to pray as they went on their way – as we consider how we are also commissioned and sent out by him today, is prayer used as much as it could be?
Peace be with you; tangnefedd,
Christine, Priest Guardian.