The Price and Privilege of Discipleship

Luke chapter 9, starting in verse 51, and I'll read all the way to chapter 10, verse 24.

Luke 9 · chapter mention

When the days drew near for him to be taken up, he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

And he sent messengers ahead of him who went and entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for him.

But the people did not receive him because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

And when his disciples, James and John, saw it, they said, Lord, do you want us to tell fire to come down from heaven and consume them?

But he turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

As they were going along the road, someone said to him, I will follow you wherever you go.

And Jesus said to him, foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.

To another he said, follow me.

But he said, Lord, let me first go and bury my father.

And Jesus said to him, leave the dead to bury their own dead.

But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.

Yet another said, I will follow you, Lord, but let me first say farewell to those in my home.

Jesus said to him, no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.

After this, the Lord appointed 72 others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go.

And he said to them, the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.

Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.

Go your way.

Behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.

Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals and greet no one on the road.

Whatever house you enter, first say, peace be to this house.

And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him.

But if not, it will return to you and remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide for the laborer deserves his wages.

Do not go from house to house.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you.

Heal the sick in it and say to them, the kingdom of God has come near to you.

But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,

even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you.

Nevertheless, know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.

I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

Woe to you, Chorazin.

Woe to you, Bethsaida.

For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon,

they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.

But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you.

And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven?

You shall be brought down to Hades.

The one who hears you hears me.

And the one who rejects you rejects me.

And the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.

The 72 returned with joy, saying,

Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.

And he said to them,

I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions

and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you.

Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you,

but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.

In that same hour, he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,

I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,

that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding

and revealed them to little children.

Yes, Father, for such was your gracious will.

All things have been handed over to me by my Father,

and no one knows who the Son is except the Father,

or who the Father is except the Son,

and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Then turning to the disciples, he said privately,

Blessed are the eyes that see what you see.

For I tell you that many prophets and kings desire to see what you see

and did not see it,

and to hear what you hear and did not hear it.

This is the word of the Lord.

Jesus revealed himself as the Messiah, as we saw,

throughout chapter 9,

and Peter made the momentous observation of profession

that Jesus is the Christ of God,

in chapter 9, verse 2.

And in all three of the Synoptic Gospels,

Matthew, Mark, and Luke,

Peter's confession kind of is a pivot

in which the narrative turns

to Jesus' kind of unstoppable march toward the cross.

That's why he says he set his face to go to Jerusalem.

So he's about to go to die on the cross,

to be raised from the dead,

and to ascend to the right hand of the Father.

That's where he is headed now.

And coming to terms with the true messianic identity of Jesus

forces us to make a difficult decision.

Are we willing to follow such a Messiah?

If Jesus really is a suffering Messiah,

if Jesus really is going to the cross,

and following him involves bearing our own cross,

as Jesus taught us in chapter 9,

then is it worth it?

What does it mean to become a disciple of Jesus?

And this passage seeks to answer those questions.

And it does so in three parts.

First, we see the price of discipleship.

And then we see the proclamation of discipleship.

And then lastly, we see the privilege of discipleship.

First, let's look at the price of discipleship.

After Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem,

it says in verses 52 to 53,

that Jesus sent messengers ahead of him

who went and entered the village of the Samaritans

to make preparations for him.

But the people did not receive him

because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

In the Greek, the phrase,

sent messengers ahead of him,

is literally sent messengers before his face.

So there's actually a threefold repetition

of the word face in these verses.

Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem

and he sent messengers before his face.

But the Samaritans rejected him

because his face was set toward Jerusalem.

And we know from the Gospel of John

that there's some bad blood between Jews and Samaritans,

which we'll see more closely in the next passage,

next week.

But here, Luke doesn't mention any of that.

But I think there's a deeper reason for this conflict,

the rejection of the Samaritans of Jesus and his disciples.

And it's that Jesus' journey to Jerusalem

is his journey to the cross, as he taught us.

And when he set his face to go to Jerusalem,

he was embracing all that is entailed

in being the suffering Messiah

who will die for the sins of God's people.

And that radical redefinition

of what it means to be the Christ,

the king, the messianic king,

was controversial not only among the Jews,

but also among the Samaritans

who were also waiting for a Messiah.

And so he says in chapter 945

that they didn't understand

what Jesus was talking about.

So he seems that that's what's going on here,

that this is the price

that the disciple of Christ also has to consider

and pay.

That the king that is rejected

means his followers too will face rejection,

and that's not a popular result.

And so here, as Jesus is on his way,

he's so determined to go through

the territory of the Samaritans to Jerusalem,

he faces rejection

because of that determined course.

Jesus was earlier rejected in Luke 8, 37

among the Gentiles,

those who were non-Jews.

And now here he is rejected among the Samaritans

who are like the half-Jews

with mixed blood.

And soon he will be rejected

by the Jews themselves in Jerusalem.

And that's the pattern,

the kind of the trajectory

of the Gospel of Luke.

But the disciples don't take

this rejection very well.

They're the proud Jews,

and these are the half-breed Samaritans.

And yet they have the audacity

to reject their Messiah.

And so James and John,

whom Jesus nicknamed

the Sons of Thunder in Mark 3, 17,

they react with appropriately

thunderous indignation.

In verse 54,

And when his disciples,

James and John,

saw it,

they said,

Lord, do you want us to tell fire

to come down from heaven

and consume them?

Seems a bit dramatic,

but that's exactly what had happened

to those who opposed Prophet Elijah

in the Old Testament.

Those soldiers that were sent

to arrest him

were consumed by fire.

So they must have

that precedent in mind

as they suggest this.

But Jesus rebukes them.

He says,

He turned and rebuked them,

and they went on

to another village.

So it's not that Jesus

is totally against

any form of judgment.

He himself will later

speak of judgment

in verses 10 to 16.

But what he's teaching here

is that he came

in his first coming

in grace

to save his people.

He has not come to judge.

He will return

in his second coming,

in his glory to judge.

But for the disciples

who are ministering

and living in between

those two comings of Christ,

they are not to retaliate,

even in the face of rejection.

And this is a helpful correction to us.

We count it a virtue

to be well-liked.

We don't like to face rejection.

But as our culture

becomes increasingly post-Christian

and moves on from its

kind of Christian underpinnings,

the saving message

of Jesus Christ

is going to be

increasingly ridiculed

and rejected.

And so we shouldn't be surprised

by the kind of

the trials

and suffering

that we face

as followers of Christ.

That's the price

of discipleship

that Jesus is speaking of.

He doesn't sugarcoat that.

And as Jesus continues

on his way to Jerusalem,

he encounters

three potential followers.

And Jesus' conversation

with them

is very counterintuitive.

Usually when you have

potential followers,

you want to win them over,

lure them,

show them why

it would be worth it.

But this is how

he reacts to them.

He says in verses 57 to 58,

As they were going

along the road,

someone said to him,

I will follow you

wherever you go.

And Jesus said to him,

Foxes have holes

and birds of the air

have nests,

but the Son of Man

has nowhere to lay his head.

He's expressing a desire

to become a disciple of Jesus.

That's what the language

of following implies.

And in the ancient

Jewish context,

the disciple would travel

everywhere with their teacher

and sit at their feet

to learn the Jewish laws.

But Jesus knows

that following him

involves much more

than simply learning

like a typical Jewish disciple.

But it's a dangerous road.

It's a costly road

because the Son of Man

has nowhere to lay his head.

This is one of his favorite ways

of referring to himself

as the representative

of humankind before God.

And throughout his ministry,

Jesus was a homeless teacher.

He was at the mercy

of the hospitality of others.

And because he preaches

a counterintuitive

and countercultural message

of the cross

that he came to die

as the king

to pay the penalty

for the sins of his people,

the disciples also face

suffering and rejection

and they have to count the cost

before they can follow him.

Verses 59 to 60 continue.

It gets even harsher seemingly.

To another he said,

follow me.

But he said,

Lord, let me first go

and bury my father.

And Jesus said to him,

leave the dead

to bury their own dead.

But as for you,

go and proclaim

the kingdom of God.

This is a shocking statement,

right, to us.

But it would have been

even more shocking

in the ancient world

because there,

arranging for the burial

of your parents

was considered

a sacred duty.

One of the most important duties

within the family.

In fact,

even though coming into contact

with the dead

was ritually defiling

in Judaism,

the Old Testament scriptures

made special exceptions

when it came to

burying your relatives.

So it said in Leviticus 21,

1 to 3,

no one shall make himself

unclean for the dead

among his people

except for his closest relatives,

his mother,

his father,

his son,

his daughter,

his brother,

or his virgin sister

who is near to him

because she has had no husband.

For her,

he may make himself

unclean.

But Jesus tells this man

to leave the dead,

to bury their own dead.

But as for you,

go and proclaim

the kingdom of God.

Jesus is not teaching

his followers

to neglect their families.

We know that

because in 1 Timothy 5,

8,

it says,

but if anyone

does not provide

for his relatives

and especially

for members

of his household,

he has denied the faith

and is worse

than an unbeliever.

So Jesus is not making

a literal point here,

but he's using

a figurative language

to establish

a spiritual principle.

And we know

that this is figurative

because dead people

can't bury dead people.

They're already dead.

So Jesus is not referring

to the physically dead,

but he's referring

to those who are

spiritually dead.

So in Luke 7,

11 to 17,

if you guys remember,

Jesus touched

the funeral bear

of the dead son

of the widow of nine.

And in Luke 8,

49 to 56,

Jesus touched

the dead daughter

of Jairus.

But in both of those cases,

contrary to expectation,

instead of Jesus

being defiled

by coming into contact

with the dead,

the dead were instead

raised to new life.

Jesus imparted life

to them.

And that's because

Jesus,

as he taught in John,

that he said,

I am the resurrection

and the life.

Whoever believes in me,

though he die,

yet shall he live.

And everyone who lives

and believes in me

shall never die.

So Jesus' kind of

resuscitation of the dead

in the Gospels

functioned as a foretaste

of the eternal resurrection life

that he promises

all of his followers.

And that should inform

how we interpret

Jesus' command here.

Leave the dead

to bury their own dead,

but as for you,

go and proclaim

the kingdom of God.

That's what that means here.

Even the spiritually dead

can take care

of their own parents.

But only a Christian

can proclaim

the kingdom of God.

So you must go do it.

Even the spiritually dead

can work hard

to earn a living

for their families.

But only a Christian

can proclaim

the kingdom of God.

God.

So you must go do it.

Even the spiritually dead

can study hard

to earn their degrees,

win grants,

and make breakthrough

contributions

in their academic disciplines

and advance human knowledge.

But only a Christian

can proclaim

the kingdom of God.

This is not to belittle

the activities

and relationships

that preoccupy

our human lives,

but simply to express

the priority

and necessity

of proclaiming

the kingdom of God.

In short,

what Jesus is saying here is

there is no temporal duty

that is so important

that we should neglect

or delay

following Christ

for it.

Arranging for the care

and burial

of our aged parents

is important.

Schooling our children

and taking them

to music lessons

and little league games

are important.

Alleviating poverty

and abolishing

human trafficking

are important.

But while we do

all of these things,

we must not forget

the important truth

that the world's

greatest need

and our unique ability

as Christians

meet in the proclamation

of the kingdom of God.

That's our unique

responsibility

and prerogative.

This man had a very good,

reasonable request

to make of Jesus.

He just wanted to

honor his parents

and give them

a proper burial

before he left

to follow Jesus

as a disciple.

But Jesus says

even that

is an insufficient

excuse

for postponing

Christian discipleship

because an important

thing must never

take precedence

over the ultimate thing.

Because a good thing

must never take precedence

over the best thing.

Some people say,

well, after I have

graduated from school

and when I'm less busy,

I will really follow Christ

and serve Him.

After I climb

the corporate ladder

to a point where

I have built sufficient wealth

and job security,

then I will really

follow Christ.

After I'm married

and have a family,

I will really follow Christ

and serve Him.

After my kids

are grown up,

I will really then

apply myself

to following Christ.

That's not how

Christian discipleship works.

That's what Jesus

is saying.

His command

doesn't necessarily mean

that all of us

have to leave

our day jobs

and leave our families

to move to a foreign country

as a Christian missionary.

It might mean that

for some of us,

but that's not what

it necessarily means

for all of us.

But what it does mean

is that all of our lives'

purposes and priorities

have to be radically

reoriented with Christ

as the center.

Because following Christ

subordinates

and subsumes

all of our other

obligations.

So then,

are you faithfully involved

in the worship

and fellowship

of the church?

what are the relations

and activities

that you have allowed

to push out

your priority

of following Christ

and proclaiming

the kingdom of God?

Have you been sharing

the good news

of Jesus Christ

with your friends

and neighbors?

Because you may be,

very well be,

the only Christian

close enough

to them to proclaim

the kingdom of God.

Do you realize

that that's precisely

where our unique ability

as Christians

and the world's

most desperate need

meet?

That's what that means.

Leave the dead

to bury their own dead.

But as for you,

go and proclaim

the kingdom of God.

We encounter

a third candidate

in verses 61 to 62.

Yet another said,

I will follow you, Lord,

but let me first

say farewell

to those at my home.

Jesus said to him,

no one who puts

his hand to the plow

and looks back

is fit

for the kingdom of God.

This is an allusion

to 1 Kings 19

1 Kings 19:19–21

verses 19 to 21.

That's where

prophet Elijah

calls Elisha

to become

his disciple.

It says,

so Elisha,

so he departed

from there

and found Elisha,

the son of Shaphat,

who was plowing

with 12 yoke of oxen

in front of him.

And he was

with the 12th.

Elisha passed by him

and cast his cloak

upon him.

And he left the oxen

and ran after Elisha

and said,

let me kiss my father

and my mother

and then I will follow you.

And he said to him,

go back again

for what have I done

to you?

And he returned

from following him

and took the yoke

of oxen

and sacrificed them

and boiled their flesh

with the yokes

of the oxen

and gave it to the people

and they ate.

Then he arose

and went after Elisha

and assisted him.

So in this passage,

Elisha

literally looks back

while he's plowing

the field.

But more importantly,

he figuratively looks back

from plowing the field.

He's called

to the prophetic ministry

by Prophet Elijah.

But he says

he needs some time

to put his former life

in order.

He's going to settle

some accounts.

He's going to sell

all the things

related to his day job,

sell the oxen,

get some money

for his family.

He's going to kiss

his father and mother goodbye

and then he joins him.

And this was

an urgent mission.

They lived

in a desperate time

under the wicked king,

Ahab.

And yet,

and Elijah was given

a once-in-a-lifetime

opportunity to follow

one of the greatest

prophets of old,

Elijah.

Yet even in that context,

Elijah was given

the freedom

to return

and to settle

his accounts

and to first say

goodbye to his family.

But Luke

and Jesus here

is intentionally

drawing a contrast

to convey

the reality

that following Christ

is far more urgent

than that.

What Elisha

had the luxury

to do.

The disciple of Christ

does not have

the luxury

to do

because it's a matter

of eternal life.

And like the two

preceding cases,

this case too

is more illustrative

than literal.

What Jesus is saying

is you cannot

have split

allegiances.

You cannot follow

after two things

at once.

The Israelites

after their deliverance

from their slavery

in Egypt,

after the Exodus,

they looked back

on their time

of slavery

and they said,

well,

maybe it would have

been better there

than being in the wilderness

here in freedom.

Lot's wife,

if you guys remember,

when she was rescued

from Sodom

as he was being destroyed,

she looked back

longingly

at that city

that was being destroyed

and was turned

into a pillar of salt.

Jesus is issuing

a warning

that's similar.

He's saying,

don't look back

at your former life.

When you're called

to Christ,

don't look,

don't be lured

by the things

of this world.

Have no regrets

about following Christ.

Hold fast

to your confession

because no one

who puts his hand

to the plow

and looks back

is fit

for the kingdom

of God.

When you're plowing

a field

with an ox,

the goal

is to plow

a straight furrow

and just

a little distraction

looking around

and looking back

could veer you

off course.

And because of that,

in the ancient world,

in a lot of ancient literature,

that metaphor,

that image

of plowing a field

was used

to convey

a sense of discipline

and focus,

a dedication,

a single-minded dedication

to a task.

And that's what

Jesus is calling

Christian disciples

to an unwavering

discipline

and a focus.

And Jesus is not saying

that if you ever falter

in your faith

and look back

from following Christ

that you will automatically

be disqualified.

He's gracious.

Jesus later restores

Apostle Peter

even after he denies

Jesus three times.

But Jesus is saying

that following Christ

requires focus

and dedication

much like

plowing a field.

Following Christ

is an all-consuming

affair.

It's not a side gig

or a hobby.

Following Christ

should be

our first love,

should be

our great purpose,

our consuming passion,

our life's work.

Not just for ministers

and missionaries

but for every Christian.

And following Christ,

I admit

and many of you

can testify

will often feel

like an uphill climb.

That's because

we're fighting

our sinful flesh.

That's because

we're going up

against the currents

of the sinful world.

And as soon as

you align yourself

to Jesus Christ,

you become

the sworn enemy

of Satan

and his demonic minions

because we're engaged

in this cosmic

spiritual warfare.

And because of that,

there will be

hard days.

There will be

very hard days.

And there will be

suffering.

And there will be

temptations.

And there will be

persecutions.

But don't

look

back.

Keep your hands

on the plow.

Plow ahead.

Keep going

because your

great reward,

Jesus Christ

himself,

awaits you.

we need to

constantly

encourage each

other

with this

truth

in this way.

We're always

being tempted

to look back,

to look around.

But we need

to call each

other

when our eyes

begin to

wander.

Keep plowing.

That's the

price of

discipleship.

Nowadays,

sometimes it

feels like

churches are

in a mad

dash to see

how quickly

they can

lower the

bar of

Christian

discipleship.

you don't

have enough

people joining

your church.

Easy.

Just lower

the bar so

less people

are offended

and more

people are

comfortable

in the

pews.

You can

be a church

member without

coming to the

worship service

regularly.

You can be a

Christian without

believing what

the Bible

teaches.

You can be a

Christian without

changing your

lifestyle.

You can be a

Christian without

renouncing your

sins.

You can be a

Christian and

still live for

yourself.

These are

soul-destroying

lies.

Don't

believe them.

Jesus raises

the bar

impossibly high.

Why?

Because Christian

discipleship is

hard.

And unless you

set the bar

high, people

who climb

over are not

going to make

it to the end

of the journey.

That's the

price of

discipleship.

And then in

verses 1 to

16 of chapter

10, we see the

proclamation of

discipleship.

He had sent

out 12

apostles earlier

in chapter

9, but here

he sent 72

others and

sent them on

ahead of him

two by two

into every town

and place where

he himself is

about to go.

As you have

seen throughout

the Gospel of

Luke, numbers

are significant.

He sends

them two by

two so that

they can bear

a credible

witness to

whether or not

someone accepts

or rejects the

Gospel of

Jesus Christ.

That was the

standard given

in Deuteronomy

19.15 for

establishing a

credible witness.

And that's

why in the

cases of

church discipline

and excommunication

you need two

or three

witnesses.

It has to

happen in

the context

of the

gathered

church, the

corporate

body.

72 is also

significant.

Jesus chose

the 12 earlier

to represent

as an allusion

to the 12

tribes of

Israel to

signal the

fact that he

is reconstituting

God's people.

But now here

he picks 72

for this

reason because

in Genesis

10,

chapter 10

verses 1 to

31, it

begins this

way.

These are the

generations of

the sons of

Noah, Shem,

and Ham,

and Japheth.

Sons were

born to them

after the

flood.

So this is

kind of a

starting over

of the line

of humanity

after the

flood judgment.

And it

lists 72

names.

And it

says after

at the end,

these are the

sons of Shem

by their

clans,

their languages,

their lands,

and their

nations.

And from

these, the

nations spread

abroad on the

earth after the

flood.

That's what it

says in verse

31.

And that's why

Genesis chapter

Genesis 10 · chapter mention

10 is called

the table of

the nations.

And by sending

out 72

disciples,

Jesus is

signifying the

fact that

Christian mission

is not

restrictive,

it's not

merely to the

Jews, but

it's to all

national and

ethnic people

groups of

earth.

because our

God is not

a local

deity, he's

not a regional

deity, but he's

the God of all

creation, he's

the God over

all the

nations, and

so his

worship is due

from every

nation and

all tribes

and peoples

and tongues.

That's what

this is about.

It's the cosmic

mission that we

get to be a

part of.

Take a look

at this map

that I'm

projecting for you.

It's from a

book entitled

The Atlas of

Global

Christianity.

The colors

display the

percentage of

majority

religions.

Blue is

Christianity,

green

concentrated

heavily in

North Africa

and the

Middle East

is Islam,

pink

concentrated in

India is

Hinduism,

orange is

for Buddhism,

and the tan

color in much

of China

represents

agnosticism.

And that

multicolored

region in the

center represents

the areas of

greatest missions

need.

And that

map might make

us think that

Christians are a

minority in those

regions, those

countries, because

people there are

more resistant to

the gospel.

But that would be

a false

assumption.

Take a look at

this next map

that shows

people's

responsiveness

to evangelism.

the darker the

color, the

more responsive

they are.

There's no

reason why we

shouldn't be going

to those

places.

the harvest is

plentiful.

Laborers are

few.

I pray, hope, that

our church sends

many missionaries to

these places.

People are coming to

know the Lord in

these places.

And it's our

calling as the

people of God to

go to the ends of

the earth so that

God who deserves

all glory and

honor and praise

is worshipped from

every nation, tribe,

and tongue.

That's our

greatest consuming

desire to see him

glorified among all

the nations.

That's what this

mission is about.

And as Jesus

sends out the 72,

he tells them this

in verse 2,

the harvest is

plentiful, but the

laborers are few.

therefore pray

earnestly to the

Lord of the harvest

to send out

laborers into

his harvest.

This single

verse dispels

two of the most

pernicious lies

that prevent

Christians from

proclaiming the

good news of

Jesus Christ.

First is the

lie that evangelism

is futile,

that no one

wants to hear

the good news of

Jesus Christ.

but Jesus

tells us here

that the harvest

is plentiful.

Even here in the

United States of

America, even here

in New England,

the frozen chosen

they say.

The harvest

is plentiful.

Yes, we will face

rejection sometimes.

There is a

threshold of pain

to cross, but

there are still

plenty of people

who respond

favorably to the

gospel.

The harvest is

plentiful.

What is lacking

is not the

harvest as we

like to think,

but it is the

workers, the

labors that are

lacking.

The labors are

few, and one of

the purposes of

discipleship is to

increase the

labor force, the

workforce that

will go into

this harvest.

So, he tells us,

pray earnestly to

the Lord of the

harvest to send

out laborers into

his harvest.

This part exposes

the second line.

The second line

that says we are

responsible for

creating the

harvest.

It's our job to

get people

converted.

That's not our

job.

God is the

Lord of the

harvest.

He is the

Lord of the

harvest.

It's his

harvest.

He is the

one that gets

it ready.

We simply go

and tell people

about the

saving news of

Jesus Christ,

and it's up to

God to enable

them to hear

and believe it.

So, if you're

telling people

about Jesus,

which I know

many of you

are,

regardless of

how many or

how few of

them become

Christians as a

result of your

testimony,

you're being

faithful to your

calling.

You're being

faithful as a

Christian disciple.

Does Romans 10

not say this?

For everyone

who calls on

the name of

the Lord will

be saved.

How then will

they call on

him unless

they have

believed?

And how

could they

believe if

they have

never heard?

And how

can they

hear unless

someone preaches

to them?

And how can

someone preach

unless they

are sent?

And we can

add to that

this verse

in Luke 10.

How are they

going to be

sent unless

you pray

earnestly to

the Lord of

the harvest for

laborers?

It begins

with earnest

prayer for

more laborers.

And the

laborers go,

and then they're

sent, and

then they

preach, and

then they

hear, and

then they

believe, and

then they

are saved.

It's great

that we pray

for the

salvation of

our non-Christian

friends and

neighbors.

We need to

go beyond

that.

Pray for

ourselves, that

God may

embolden us as

his witnesses,

that God may

give us open

doors of

opportunity to

share the

gospel with

people.

We need

more laborers.

And these

laborers that

are raised

up must be

prepared for

suffering,

sacrifice, and

service.

Because Jesus

says in verse

3,

Go your way,

behold, I am

sending you out

as lambs in

the midst of

wolves.

If the

verses weren't

so morbid,

like it's

almost humorous,

right?

This is

their kind

of final

huddle before

they're sent

out into

this mission.

Everyone

bring your

hands in,

right?

Let's go.

Lamb among

wolves.

What?

Conquering

lions?

How about

that?

Lamb among

wolves.

Why?

Because Jesus

was the

slain lamb

of God.

And we

go as his

representatives.

And so

when we

represent him

and when we

obey him,

when we

live for him,

and as a

result of

that we

suffer,

ridicule

and suffering,

we become

pictures for

this world to

see of the

slain lamb

of God

himself.

That's the

privilege of

being lamb

among wolves.

We are

living

pictures,

metaphors of

Christ,

our king,

our slain

lamb.

That's the

glorious

calling.

And Jesus

continues his

challenging

instruction in

verse 4,

carry no

money bag,

no knapsack,

no sandals,

and greet no

one on the

road.

The task

is so

urgent that

the disciples,

like a farmer

who only looks

forward while

plowing the

field,

are to avoid

distractions by

greeting no

one on the

road.

They are to

go straight to

their destinations

and proclaim

the kingdom of

God.

And as they

go,

they're to

travel lightly

and deliberately

forego extra

provisions.

Jesus is not

telling them to

go barefoot.

What he's telling

them is do not

carry sandals.

They're already

wearing sandals.

He's telling

them not to

carry an extra

pair of sandals.

Don't pack

anything extra.

These instructions

for missions

work are not

normative for

us today,

as I mentioned

a couple weeks

ago.

And the reason

for that is

because Jesus

explicitly modifies

this instruction

later in Luke

Luke 22:35–37

chapter 22

verses 35 to

37.

He says to

them,

When I sent

you out with

no money bag

or knapsack

or sandals,

did you lack

anything?

They said

nothing.

He said to

them,

But now let

the one who

has a money

bag take it

and likewise

a knapsack

and let the

one who has

no sword

sell his cloak

and buy one.

For I tell

you that the

scripture must be

fulfilled.

in me

and he was

numbered with

the transgressors

for what is

written about

me has

its fulfillment.

So that's

the instruction

that Jesus

gives just

before he's

arrested and

dies on the

cross.

So he

explicitly

modifies this

instruction.

And the

reason why

he changes

it is because

now that

Jesus is

dying and

being treated

as a sinner,

he's being

persecuted and

killed on

account of him,

all those who

follow him

will face

similar

fates and

so they can

no longer

count on

the receptivity

and hospitality

of the people

that they

minister to.

So they

have to

take provisions

for themselves.

So that's

why that

changes later.

But even if

the specific

practice doesn't

apply to us

now, the

principle that

is taught here

in Luke

Luke 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10

applies to us

because by, as I

mentioned before,

there's a Bible

commentator who

calls this a

calculated deficit.

by traveling

with no extra

provisions, the

disciples were

intentionally

handicapped,

intentionally given

a calculated

deficit so

that they're

forced to

depend on

God's

provision, so

that they

have to

minister by

faith and

not by

sight, and

so that they

have to

expect God

and pray to

God to

supply all

of their

spiritual and

material

shortfalls.

That's the

nature of

Christian

mission and

discipleship.

Similarly, you

might feel

inadequate for

the task of

evangelism and

discipleship.

Will I have

the right

words to

say?

What if I

don't have the

answers to

their questions?

What if they

reject me and

think I'm

stupid?

I'm so sinful,

am I even

worthy to be

an ambassador

for Christ?

But God

sends all of

us with all

of those nagging

questions,

because even

the most

seasoned and

gifted evangelists

among us are

sent with the

calculated deficit.

So we find our

sufficiency not in

ourselves, but in

the Lord of the

harvest.

And one of the

means that God

uses to provide for

his servants will

be people of

peace.

Jesus says in

verses 5 to

8, whatever

house you enter

first say, peace

be to this

house, and if a

son of peace is

there, your

peace will rest

upon him.

But if not, it

will return to

you and remain

in the same

house, eating and

drinking what they

provide, for the

laborer deserves his

wages.

Do not go from

house to house.

Whenever you enter a

town and they

receive you, eat

what is set before

you.

The biblical

concept of peace

is not just an

absence of

conflict, but it's

a spiritual

wholeness of

being rightly

ordered and

being in proper

relation to God

and to the rest of

creation.

It's a wholeness.

And so this is

not just a

greeting, but it's

a blessing.

It's really a

promise of

salvation should

they receive these

messengers and

believe in their

message.

And so these

people of peace, the

son of peace is a

reference to the

child of the

kingdom that Jesus

mentioned earlier.

These are those who

are like the child, who

believe in Jesus, who

come with humble

faith to Jesus and

receive and provide

for his disciples.

And when received

into home, the

disciples are to

heal the sick and

say to them, the

kingdom of God has

come near to you.

And they are to

announce the kingdom

of God and to give

evidence of the

kingdom of God by

healing the sick.

But it says in

verses 10 to 12,

whenever you enter a

town and they do

not receive you, go

into its streets and

say, even the dust of

your own town that

clings to our feet, we

wipe off against you.

Nevertheless, know

this, that the

kingdom of God has

come near.

I tell you, it

will be more

bearable on that

day for Sodom than

for that town.

So wiping off the

dust from your feet,

as we talked about a

few weeks ago, is a

dramatic gesture that

conveys that you have

nothing more to do

with this town.

It's a symbol of

judgment.

And the disciples are

still to tell them that

the kingdom of God has

come near.

But notice the

important distinction

between what they are

to say to those who

receive them in verse

9 and what they are to

say here to those who

reject them.

Earlier they were to

say to those who

receive them, the

kingdom of God has

come near to you.

But here they are

simply to say the

kingdom of God has

come near, but not

to you.

The kingdom of God

has come.

It is still near.

But to those who

reject the disciples

of Christ, it has not

come to them.

They are still on the

outside looking in.

And Jesus pronounces a

series of judgments.

He says, I tell you,

it will be more

bearable on that day

for Sodom than for

that town.

Sodom is kind of

the perfect example of

sin city in the Bible,

right?

So infamous for its

wickedness that God

literally destroyed it

with fire and brimstone

in Genesis 19.

That's where the

phrase fire and

brimstone comes from.

And Jesus says here

that that's how bad

Sodom was.

Yet on the day of

final judgment, what

God renders his

verdict, the towns that

reject Jesus' followers

will face a more severe

judgment even than

Sodom.

And then he pronounces

woes on several of the

cities in the Jewish

region of Galilee, that

their judgment will be

worse than the wicked

cities of Tyre and

Sidon from the Old

Testament.