Last Sunday we heard from Luke’s Gospel how Jesus “set his
face toward Jerusalem”. That is to say,
he knew his goal – that he had to go to Jerusalem to suffer and die for the
sins of the world. We are called, also,
to set our face – to never look back – and to follow Christ who has gone before
us.
Along the way, Jesus passed through some Samaritan towns,
one of which rejected him (because they didn’t like that he was going to
Jerusalem). Here, today, also, we will
see that some individuals (and even whole towns and cities) reject Christ and
his preachers, and others receive them gladly.
And all of this the lectionary readings set before us as we
say farewell to one vicar and welcome another – the preaching office is very
much on our minds. The same Jesus who
calls workers and preachers back then, still provides for his church today –
and we are glad to be a part of that.
So Jesus sends out the 72.
He had previously sent out the 12, also in pairs, for a similar sort of
mission. But now the mission
expands. Some have suggested the number
70 or 72 is meant to evoke the table of nations from Genesis – a sign from
Jesus that his Gospel is meant for the whole world. Certainly we will see this take further form
in the book of Acts.
But nonetheless, in the midst of the mission at hand, and in
the return of the 72, Jesus lays down several axiomatic principles which have a
much wider application – they inform the church of all times and places. Let’s consider each of these statements in
turn:
“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.”
“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.”
And concerning the “success” of their preaching, ‘do not
rejoice in this, but rejoice rather that your names are written in heaven”
“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.”
I have to tell you that as a pastor, this saying of Jesus
doesn’t always seem to match what we observe in the church. Sometimes, it seems like the opposite is
true. It seems like there’s a lot of
workers, and a lot of work being done.
But very little harvest. Very
little pay-off for all your effort. You
spend years patiently teaching and preaching and serving a congregation, and
you are disheartened to see very little outward success. You see young people forsake their
confirmation instruction and vows – and go the way of the world. All our efforts together seem to be
frustratingly ineffective.
The congregation gets older, smaller, less vigorous, to all
outward appearances. Beloved saints depart
and enter into rest, and there never seem to be enough to replace them. People you thought were faithful turn out to
be in the church only for shallow reasons, and they quickly depart when
circumstances change. The smallest
conflict with other members makes people jump ship, and carry their grudge as
an eternal excuse to be separate themselves from Christ’s flock.
Patrick and Grace, I need to warn you, especially, that the
work of the ministry is hard. It is not
for the faint of heart. And you will see
some of that up close and personal this year as you work among us at Messiah. There will be frustrations and heartbreaks,
it will seem at times the harvest is pitiful for all the work being done.
But these words of Jesus, as all the words of Jesus, are, of
course true, nonetheless. The harvest is
plentiful. God’s word produces results –
all the results, all the purposes he declares it will. Sometimes it’s a word of judgment that stands
against the wicked – like Chorazin and Bethsaida – who receive a word of woe,
to their ultimate condemnation. But the
harvest of the Gospel is plentiful. The
good news of Christ’s death and resurrection to defeat sin and death – brings a
plentiful harvest. We just can’t always
see it.
Perhaps God defines “plentiful harvest” differently than we
do. After all, angels rejoice in heaven
when even one sinner repents. If that’s
so, then every Sunday is a harvest. How
many sinners confess and are forgiven, even here? How many hungry beggars come and are filled
with the heavenly meal of his grace – the Sacrament of Christ’s body and
blood? The harvest, you see, is not just
the one-time, initial coming-to-faith of an unbeliever. The harvest is ongoing, and leans toward the
final harvest when Christ comes again in glory.
You will see this in effect at this congregation as well. God will work in spite of you and me, and of
all of us – to accomplish his good purposes.
Well if there’s so much harvest, why doesn’t God just send
more workers? Why doesn’t he provide for
his church? Of course he does. And as this congregation participates in the
training of church workers – we get a front row seat. We get to see God answering our prayers in
real time.
But he also calls us to pray for what he already intends to
provide – just as he calls us to pray for other things promised like
forgiveness of sins and daily bread.
And prayer also teaches us.
When we pray, we also are formed.
When we pray, we are also directed where to work and serve. When we pray, our own priorities are aligned
with God’s own priorities for the church and for us as Christians.
Now our second saying from Jesus this morning: “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.”
This is a valuable statement both for preachers and
hearers. For preachers, it reminds us
that if and when we are rejected – it’s not personal. It’s not really about us. If we faithfully preach the word of Christ
and are rejected – they are really rejecting Christ and ultimately, the
Father.
And for the hearers of the word – there is an important
teaching here, too. When you hear the
word of Christ rightly preached and taught by a called and ordained minister of
his word – it’s as if you are hearing from Christ himself. He who hears you, hears me. When the pastor forgives your sins in the
name of Christ, your sins are just as forgiven as if Jesus himself did it. When the gospel is preached faithfully, it
doesn’t matter what humble and lowly mouthpiece God chooses to do it – that
word is still the word of Christ, and it’s as if Christ himself is speaking it.
This brings the Christian great comfort. Our trust is not in any man, no matter how
noble or learned, no matter how eloquent or confident. Who would want to trust in a sinful man,
anyway? How many have been disappointed
and disillusioned by placing their trust in this pastor or that holy man – only
to find out later he is a scoundrel?
Obviously we want faithful pastors, but in the end our hope is not in
the pastor – the laborer in the field.
Rather, we believe in the Lord of the Harvest, and in his Son to whom
the harvest belongs.
We trust not in the word of man, but in the word of God,
which endures forever and will never mislead or disappoint. And wonder of wonders, that Jesus gives his
word to be spoken by, preached by, mere sinful men, and yet that gospel still
is the power of God for salvation. He
who hears you, hears me, he says. And
what a wonderful promise this is.
Finally, Jesus gives us instruction at the conclusion of the
mission of the 72. “…do not rejoice in this, but rejoice rather that your names are
written in heaven.”
They come back on top of the world – for they saw the Gospel
have great success. They wondered at the
miracles they were able to perform in his name!
Amazed that in Jesus’ name even the demons had to submit. What power!
What success! What cause for
rejoicing!
And so Jesus throws a little cold water on their joy, or
rather, he re-directs it. It’s not the
spectacular, the outwardly amazing, the visible and measurable successes that
should be your true cause for rejoicing.
Don’t get
Jesus wrong, here. The point is not that
we care nothing for the blessings that God gives. Certainly, we, too, can rejoice to see the
church have success, for new births and baptisms, confirmations and the
like. We can rejoice when the Lord
provides for the work we do here with generous gifts and when hearts are moved
to love and service. And all that
happens, of course. Once in a while we
even see a miracle, something extraordinary and unexplainable apart from the
work of God. In all these things, thanks
be to God. In all these things we
rejoice.
But Jesus
sets us straight. All of those little
successes and blessings pale in comparison to our true cause for rejoicing –
that our names are written in heaven – in the book of life. That we belong to God in Jesus Christ for
eternity. No earthly success can
overshadow that. And no earthly failure
or disappointment can take it away.
Thanks be to
God for the gifts he gives – workers for the harvest – the harvest itself –
that sinners would hear his word even through the mouths of other sinners he
calls and sends to preach. Thanks be to
God that through his Gospel the Holy Spirit applies the blessings of Christ and
his cross to people such as you and me.
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