Jesus Sends Us Out

Some of you have taken the stand in a courtroom.  Can you say, “Nervous?”  “Call the witness,” the judge says.  The courtroom is silent as the witness makes her way to the stand, wobbling a bit as the heels echo off the paneled walls.  By the time she reaches the witness stand she can hear her own heartbeat.  The bailiff swears her in.  You can see the beads of sweat on her forehead with 12 pair of eyes watching her from the jury.  The prosecutor looks like a lion ready to pounce.  The judge peers over his reading glasses and says, “Proceed.”  You know what thoughts are racing through the witness’s head: What if I’m asked a question I can’t answer?  What if I say something wrong?  What if the jury doesn’t believe me?

The Lord Jesus Christ has called us all to be his witnesses.  Does that scare you?  Well, Jesus was very interested in training his witnesses.  He spent three years training the disciples.  They followed Jesus, listen to him, watched his miracles, were eyewitnesses of his life, death, burial and resurrection. Then he sent them into the witness stand of the world to proclaim the Good News about what his saving works means for sinners. Today “the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out.”  While these witnesses were not full-time followers like the disciples, they must have spent enough time with Jesus to know who he was and what he came to do.  It was time to switch their time with Jesus from passive to active witnesses.  Do you think they were scared?  Jesus said, “Look, I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.” But, he didn’t send them out alone.  He gave them support and instruction about the Kingdom of God.  Just as Jesus sent them out, so also

Jesus Sends Us Out…By Selecting:

The Messengers 

Jesus knew these 72 witnesses and they knew him. Jesus begins by helping them understand the need for their work with a prayer:

“² He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Luke 10:2

As the 72 were saying, “Amen!” Jesus was answering that prayer!  They were the answer to that prayer.

“³ Go your way.”

Luke 10:3

What reaction do you think they might have had?  Jesus usually had his 12 disciples do the work of gathering left over baskets of food, pushing the boat out so he could preach, or follow Jesus into the homes of sick and dying people.  Now it was their turn!  Perhaps some excitement!  Jesus was picking them!  These were people who once thought their biggest problems were waiting for the Messiah for the wrong reasons, thinking the Roman government made laws that made sinful behavior legal, or high taxes were unfair.  But, listening to Jesus they learned a whole new purpose for their lives—to be his messengers!  Their biggest problem was sin that separated them from God.  Jesus took care of that problem by washing away their sins.  They had a new reason for living. Jesus called them to be messengers that turned their fear into fun and they got to go out and share it with people.

That’s what Jesus did for you and me.  Jesus picked us to be his messengers, not with a timid heart, but a heart that knows who Jesus is and what he has done to save us.  Be Jesus’ messengers eager to share it.  When the poor Macedonians learned of Jesus (Acts 16) they didn’t say, “We don’t want to support Paul’s missionary journeys.” They stepped up to support his work.  Neither do we want to hide in our homes and busy lives hoping the Lord won’t see us.  No, Jesus calls us to the same work of being his messengers, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest field. ³ Go your way.”  God grant us all the heart of Isaiah to step up with a thrill in our voices, “Here am I!  Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8).  As his messengers Jesus

Selects the Mission

Jesus was very clear to explain the mission to the 72.  Where were they going? “sent them out two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go.” They knew who Jesus was and what he came to do for them.  Jesus gave them the mission with a whole new lease on life and a new look at the people they would meet.  People were not their enemies or rivals or competitors, but they were people whom God loved, who were saved by Jesus, who were considered so special that Jesus sent our the 72 with the mission of telling them about Jesus.  The 72 were sent out into town and places they knew, perhaps even to relatives and neighbors. There were also new places where they had not been before and would meet people (Jews, Samaritans, Romans and Greeks) that had no clue about the true God. Everyone they met was their mission—their targets to share God’s love, grace and forgiveness.  Every person they met was their mission.

Jesus has given us a mission as well.  We are as wide-eyed as the 72 being sent out.  There is no one here who can possibly be a witness to every person in the world!  So, how do you eat an elephant?  One bite at a time.  So, start with the people you know—relatives, neighbors, people at work, or at school.  Have a business card in your wallet, purse or pocket and be ready to invite them.  Then let your mission widen to the people you bump into at the fireworks display, the picnic, the park, the grocery store, the golf course, the pool and the playground. The first time you try it, you might feel a little nervous to be a witness for Jesus, but as you get into the groove of the mission Jesus has given to you, you can watch your fear turn into fun! Jesus has given us all the mission to be his witnesses, not trying to hit a little bulls-eye with a dart this big (.) but this big (⚫)!  Throw your Jesus darts.  That’s your mission!  You can’t miss!  And when your dart sticks, get ready to share   

The Message

The 72 probably had some of the same fears that any witness might have.  “What should I say?  What if people ask me a question I can’t answer?  What if I say something wrong?”  Remember, these people did not have a degree from the Jerusalem Theological Seminary.  However, what they would say came from Jesus himself.

“Whenever you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’”

Luke 10:5

The peace Jesus speaks of here is more than just, “Hi, how ya doing?”  This is the peace the angels proclaimed to the shepherds—peace between God and people through Jesus.  It’s the peace Jesus shared with the disciples after his resurrection “Peace be with you” (John 20:19).  Jesus knows what effect this message will have on people.

“And if a peaceful person is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you.”

Luke 10:6

With the news of the peace of God, they could tell people, “‘The kingdom of God has come near you.’” God’s kingdom is not a place, but it is a power and force won for us by Jesus. Jesus lived the prefect life for you.  Jesus restored our relationship with God by removing the curse of sin.  Jesus cleanses our hearts of sin and guilt and set us free to love and serve God!  What a message the world so desperately needs to hear!  The 72 had this message and didn’t have to worry about what to say.  They didn’t recite chapters from Isaiah, but spoke to people about what Jesus had put on their hearts.  Jesus called them to be his messengers, with a clear mission and saving message.

That’s the same for us.  Have you ever heard someone who was facing death say, “I gotta make peace with God!”  What a horrible burden that would be.  Who can do enough to get right with God?  Who can try harder to live a perfect life pleasing to God?  You can’t!  But Jesus can, and did!  He lived the perfect life, died on the cross to crush Satan, pay the penalty of our sins, and open the gates of heaven for us all!  You know this message!  Jesus gave you this message to share from your heart.  And don’t be afraid if someone asks you a question you don’t now the answer to.  You can simple say, “That’s a good question.  Let me check my Bible and get back to you.”  You’ve just created another opportunity to share the message of Jesus with them again at a later time. It is the core of the message that counts. It is the message people need to hear more than any other message. In the words of Jesus, “The kingdom of God has come near you.’”  Jesus has lived, died to pay for all your sins, and rose again to show his power over sin, death and the devil.  You have the message! You are Jesus’ Messengers with the Mission.  And now comes the

Selected Method

This is the practical side of the Word of God before us today.  Jesus gave them practical methods for sharing the Good News. 

“Do not carry a money bag or traveler’s bag or sandals. Do not greet anyone along the way….”

Luke 10:4

Jesus was not telling them to be unfriendly along the way, but he was telling them to stay focused.   Here are some other tips

“⁵ Whenever you enter a house…. ⁷ Remain in that same house, eating and drinking what they give you, because the worker is worthy of his pay. Do not keep moving from house to house. ⁸ Whenever you enter a town and they welcome you, eat what is set before you.”

Luke 10:5,7-8

They were not to play favorites.  They were messengers wherever God would lead them.  And support would come from God’s people as they learned about their forgiveness in Jesus and gladly support their work.  Reach out to the people around you, no matter what they look like or where they come from.  Another method from Jesus:

“¹⁰ “But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ¹¹ ‘Even the dust from your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this: The kingdom of God has come near.’ ¹² I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom on that day than for that town.”

Luke 10:10-12

What happens when you argue?  People tend to become polarized and no one budges or listens.  In other words, witnesses don’t argue.  What’s that old saying, “The one who gets angry first, loses.”  Proclaim Jesus and let the judging up to God.  Don’t argue, but point the conversation back to Jesus.  Last one:

“¹⁶ Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”

Luke 10:16

Take the love of people personally, but don’t take their rejection personally.  For rejecting the message of God’s love is not for us to handle, it is in God’s hands. God will take care of those who reject his gospel in his own time and in his own way.

So, how did they do? 

“¹⁷ The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!” ¹⁸ He told them, “I was watching Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹ Look, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy. And nothing will ever harm you. ²⁰ Nevertheless, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names have been written in heaven.”

Luke 10:17-20

It was a thrill for the 72 to be witnesses for Jesus. It was even a greater thrill to hear Jesus promise to watch over and protect them.  But the greatest thrill is what Jesus was seeing as they fulfilled their mission as his witnesses!  He saw people being taken away from Satan and brought into the family of God who would spend eternity in heaven with them.  That is the biggest thrill.  It happened when I visited Hank in the hospital and baptized him.  Jesus saw Satan fall from the sky as the Holy Spirit created faith in Hank’s heart and made him a child of God with his name written in heaven.  That turns the mission, the message and the method of Jesus from fear to fun!

Dear Christian friends, walking into an earthly courtroom may cause fear.  And if that doesn’t scare you then think about the terrorists attacks, mass shootings and trouble in your neighborhoods.  More than ever people need Jesus.  Jesus Sends Us Out by selecting his messengers, his mission, his message and his method.  Jesus bless you as you eagerly go to share the truth of God’s Word with the People in Your Community!  Amen!