Peace

Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

1 After 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. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, "The kingdom of God has come near to you.' 10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 "Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you. Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.'

16 "Whoever listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me." 17 The seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!" 18 He said to them, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19 See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Reflection

They went out together and they came in peace. That's not typical thinking in today’s environment it seems. Our knee jerk reaction is to go out and if we are not accepted or we are threatened, we blow the hell out of them. We want to settle things by carpet bombing. At what point do we reach this conclusion? At what point do we “blow the hell out of them?” At what point do we carpet bomb?

Did we ever come in peace?

Jesus sends these disciples out ahead of himself to every place he intended to go. Jesus wasn’t going somewhere to be the typical king of that day. Jesus was heading on a mission of death by crucifixion, pain, denial, betrayal, the tomb and resurrection. This was not the way or the path that any of his disciples who were now going ahead could have even guessed.

Jesus did not plan on “blowing the hell out of them.” Jesus did not plan on carpet bombing anyone. Yet Jesus was going into the same dangers that we go into today.

Jesus sent them in peace. If accepted… great! Stay in peacefulness with your host. If rejected… leave in peace. Know for sure that this peace is an eternal peace. A peace that passes understanding. Jesus’ peace is something beyond our definition of peace.

Today we face the terrorist. The terrorist does not come in peace. The terrorist comes in judgment and death to the stranger and the friend alike. The terrorist comes to us with hate and death and the glory of martyrdom in mind. How do we respond to this? In peace? I don’t have the answer to this type of one coming to another. Just as I can’t understand Jesus’ peace; I likewise am unable to understand the hate of the terrorist. I can’t understand the mission of Jesus and I can’t understand the mission of the terrorist.

What I do seem to take from this passage is that the great harvest of God of all time will not produce the fruit of hate. The harvest will produce peace. Peace that only God can give. Peace that comes with and through Jesus release of all creation to salvation in Jesus suffering, death and resurrection. Jesus gives us the peace of salvation. Jesus brings peace in this work of hate, carpet bombs and blowing the hell out of one another. Jesus steps in the midst of our chaotic, sin filled world to bring a harvest of peace.

Music

Prayer

Lord, open my eyes to walk in the way of peace. Give me the understanding to respond as you would respond. As I walk the dangerous path that you walked in life may I see beyond the sin. May I see beyond the terror. May I see beyond the manipulation and evil intentions. May I see the mission of following you through your plan and direction for me. Forgive my hateful, judgmental and evilness and place me in your path of peace that only you can give. May the fruit I bear at the great harvest be peace... today... tomorrow... and forever. --- Amen