1After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house.” (Luke 10:1-7)
Thought: In this scripture, Jesus sends workers to help bring in the harvest. It is clear that Jesus had something in mind that needed to be done. He didn’t form committees to get the work done. No, he left it to pairs to take it to the road and make things happen.
Recently, I had been getting ready to go on vacation. I had to get outfits and any personal supplies together that I would need on my vacation. I had to get my bags packed and ready to go. I was really looking forward to this vacation and a chance to “get away from it all,” so I could relax. I made a list of all the things I needed to take with me on my vacation—enough warm clothes for a week, comfortable shoes, hair dryer, camera, book, etc. I will be too far from home to run back there and pick up anything I have forgotten, so I want to make sure I have everything I might need on my trip. I had been discussing the trip with some of the ladies that were also going, and we all were excited, but also nervous and anxious. Sometimes, when I think of going on vacation, I am not really “getting away from it all,” in fact, I am taking it all with me!
The Bible tells us that Jesus appointed seventy of his followers and sent them out, two-by-two, to go into every town and place where he was about to go. Do you know what Jesus told them to take with them? NOTHING! Jesus said, “Go!” then he went on to say, “Do not even take a purse, or a bag, or a pair of sandals.”
Now, why do you think Jesus said this? I think it is because when Jesus sends someone on a mission, their success or failure does not depend upon what they bring with them—it depends on Him! I can be certain that all we need is Him because Jesus told the people when he sent them out, "Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me."(Luke 10:16). The gospel is not our message, but God’s. If we reject the gospel, we are rejecting Jesus, and if we reject Jesus we are ultimately rejecting the Father.
Just as Jesus sent out the seventy people, he wants you and me to go to people today and share the good news that the kingdom of God is near. The results do not depend upon us. We should not become full of ourselves when people receive the message, and we should not be discouraged when they reject the message. We should just go and tell as if everything depends on Jesus—because it does.
Prayer: Jesus, may we be ready and willing to go when you say “Go!” Tell us what it is you want us to do, and show us how to do it. Teach us how to let go and just leave the results up to you. Amen.
Questions:
1. What does Jesus expect of you today?
2. What can you do to help meet the needs of people today?
