A Mission Trip to Remember
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Tony’s Overview Video
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Key Text: Luke 10:2
“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.'”
How do you keep your priorities in order? Success guru Stephen Covey made popular the mantra: “The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing” – but what is that main thing? As believers, what is our main calling for service and mission?
Typically, when Jesus sent his followers out to do something, it was to share the gospel with others (cf. Matt.28:19-20; Acts 1:8). All three synoptic gospels contain an account of Jesus sending out the twelve on a mission to proclaim the kingdom of God (Matt. 10:1-14; Mark 6:6b-13; Luke 9:1-6). Only Luke describes a second occasion when Jesus sent out seventy disciples for the same purpose. This is our text for today. [DD]
Doing the main thing (vv. 1-2)
The sending of 70 persons may have symbolic significance. The earlier sending of the twelve disciples may have denoted Jesus’ mission to the twelve tribes of Israel. In sending the seventy, Jesus may have wanted to indicate that the good news would stretch beyond Israel. The seventy apparently did not travel far: the text says they were sent “ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go” (v. 1) – and we recall that Jesus was traveling toward Jerusalem and the cross.
A Hebrew tradition held that the world consisted of seventy nations (cf. Genesis 10). Thus, it’s commonly thought that Jesus’ sending of seventy persons could represent his desire that the gospel be proclaimed to all the world. [DD]
As his followers prepared to leave, Jesus reminded them of the task: “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.” Note that the instructions to “ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” were given to the very group Jesus was sending into the fields (v. 2). We are called to share the good news, not just pray for someone else to do it.
It is easy for us to forget the “main thing” and get caught up in other things. We live in such a consumer-oriented society that some people shop for churches like they shop for shampoo. What church offers the best value – happily meeting personal preferences, but costing the least? This puts churches in the position of competing with each other to see who can offer the most attractive programs. It is possible to get so enmeshed with keeping members happy that outreach opportunities get little more than lip service.
If Jesus were to show up and evaluate your church’s ministry, how well would the congregation score on pursuing the main thing?
Going, trusting, reaching (vv. 3-9)
Many of us find it exceedingly difficult to practice personal evangelism. We’re afraid we might be rejected, or we assume that we’re just not gifted in that area. That’s why we need each other’s support.
Sending the emissaries in pairs not only provided mutual support: when they spoke to others, the testimony of two would be more credible and powerful than one.
Jesus assured the seventy that they would indeed be able to accomplish their mission, though it would be difficult and possibly frightening: “I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves,” he said (v. 3). While Jesus evidently expected the seventy to return without being eaten by wolves, Luke may have included the saying as a reference to persecution faced by the early church. [DD]
While churches often prepare at great length before sending youth or adult teams on mission trips – and would be derided as irresponsible if they did not – Jesus told the seventy to go without a purse, a suitcase, or extra sandals. And, they were to go straight to their appointed destinations, not stopping to chat along the way (v. 4).
This indicated the urgency with which the witnesses were to go, with no time to pack or make advance reservations: They were to trust in others’ hospitality as they offered a blessing of Christ’s peace to those who were open to accept it (vv. 5-6).
Once they found a place to stay, they were to continue lodging there and eat whatever they were served so they could focus on spreading Jesus’ message rather than looking for better accommodations or dining options (vv. 7-8).
Jesus empowered the messengers with authority to “cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (v. 9). Actions were to proceed words: the seventy were to demonstrate the love of Christ through service and healing, then explain that such ministry was a sign that God’s kingdom had come near in Jesus. The way they lived, the way they served, and the way they spoke were all testimonies of the kingdom.
Can you imagine how nervous some of those early evangelists must have felt as they set out? Sometimes taking Jesus seriously may feel risky and uncertain, but that’s where faith comes in. If we could rely totally on ourselves, we wouldn’t need God.
Keeping on keeping on (vv. 10-16)
One of the risks we face is rejection. It’s tempting to keep our faith under wraps and leave Jesus out of our conversations because we worry about how others will react. We could canvass the neighborhood and invite others to attend a special program at church, but what if somebody should take offense? We could talk about faith with our friends at work, but what if they start avoiding us?
Jesus explained to the seventy that all people are responsible for their own behavior and their own decisions. There might be towns that did not welcome them, he said. In that case, he advised that they symbolically wipe the dust from their feet as they left town, still reminding its residents that the kingdom had come near (vv. 10-11).
The comparison to Sodom goes back to the story in Genesis 19, in which Sodom was destroyed because its people acted hatefully toward two messengers sent from God, showing contempt rather than hospitality. [DD]
The next few verses, which seem out of place, sound harsh: Jesus pronounced woes upon Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, all of which were Jewish villages (vv. 13-15). This implies that Jesus had proclaimed his message there in word and deed, but the residents had largely rejected him.
If the same “deeds of power” had been done in the pagan cities of Tyre and Sidon, Jesus said, “they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” The judgment of those who rejected Jesus would be self-imposed.
The gospels include several stories about Jesus’ activities in Capernaum, which Jesus adopted as his home after he left Nazareth (Mark 2:1, Matt. 4:13). There he healed many and crowds swarmed about him, but he was also roundly criticized by the local synagogue leaders (Mark 2, Luke 4:31-44, 7:1-10). Like the neighboring towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida, Capernaum would face a hard judgment (v. 15). [DD] [DD]
We have a responsibility is to proclaim the good news in love, but we cannot make someone else’s decision for them. Our task is to love other people as Christ loved us and to share the good news with sensitivity and grace. Whether others accept us as persons or accept our message or accept our ministry is their responsibility. [DD]
Are you troubled by Christians whose witness does the opposite? I don’t hear people blaming drug addicts or thieves or racists for turning them away from Christ. But I have heard any number of people attribute their distance from church to the bad behavior or unwelcoming attitudes of people they have met there. We are called to bring the kingdom near; not to push others away from it.
Making a difference (vv. 17-20)
Sometimes, after a frustrating week of work that feels less than effective, I look forward to getting out the push-mower and taking on our scruffy lawn. It is hard and sweaty work, but it offers great sense of satisfaction, simply because when I’m cutting the grass, I can see where I’ve been. I know I’ve made a difference.
We may wonder if what we do for God really makes any difference; if our mundane ministry is worth the trouble. If we can take a clue from the return of the 70, it could make more difference than we will ever know. When his followers returned from their mission, excited that “even the demons submit to us,” Jesus said “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning” (vv. 17-18). They made a difference, and no power of evil could stop them. (See “The Hardest Question” online for more thoughts on vv. 19-20).
We may go to meetings and fill out reports and do the ordinary work that’s part of the everyday reality of the church. We suffer through the summer when attendance is low and people are tired and maybe we wish we were on vacation, too. We donate to the local food pantry (again) and visit the shut-ins (again) and expend huge efforts on Vacation Bible School (again). But while we may wonder if it’s all worth the effort, perhaps Jesus still responds to our faithfulness with “I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning.”
As we give of ourselves in serving Jesus, we may not see immediate or impressive results, but we can be sure we are making a difference. And that’s good to know.
Adult Teaching Resources
Download the PDF of teaching resources for this lesson.
This PDF contains the Teaching Guide, Digging Deeper, and Hardest Question pages.
Read Scripture online: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Youth Teaching Resources
Parent Prep
We pray for our students to walk in the way of Jesus, and then sometimes we get surprised when they actively want to push themselves to further their faith journey. We pray for our students to desire God and then struggle with sending our students out on missions to difficult places. We are to protect our students, but not inhibit their growth. Be open to where the Holy Spirit is leading them. Many times their greatest transformations happen when they are away from home.
Additional Links/Resources
Read Scripture online: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Download the PDF for youth teaching resources using the button below. This PDF contains the Teaching Guide for this lesson:
Video
Encourage youth to check out this video ahead of the lesson.
“Cinderella being bossed around by her Stepmother” from Cinderella
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