Seventy “John the Baptists”

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost

July 7, 2013

Luke 10:1-20

Seventy “John the Baptists”

In the name of Jesus.

I.

Last Sunday's readings ended with Jesus seemingly discouraging people from following Him. An interested prospect said,

“I will follow You, Lord, but first let me go and say good-bye to those at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

(Luke 9:61-62)

Then right after this, we begin Luke 10. And what is Jesus doing? He's sending out seventy messengers to go out to tell people that He's coming! I wonder if any of these men whom Jesus seems to have put off were part of this group of “John the Baptists.”

I call them John the Baptists because their mission was similar to that of the original John.

And [John] will go before [Jesus]

in the spirit and power of Elijah,

to turn the hearts of fathers

to their children, and the disobedient

to the understanding of the righteous,

to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.

(Luke 1:17)

John and these seventy men all had the same task—to let it be known that the kingdom of God was near.

II.

The kingdom of God. What is it? If you pray the Lord's Prayer, you pray for it to come.

Thy kingdom come. How? God's kingdom comes when our heavenly Father gives us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace we believe His holy Word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity.

(Small Catechism, The Second Petition)

Jesus' kingdom is where you will be—heaven. But it's also something that you are now. Saying that God's kingdom is near is another way of saying that you believe.

Jesus talks about His kingdom in these two ways.

They will come from east and west, from north and south, and recline at the table in the kingdom of God.

(Luke 13:29)

Jesus talks about heaven and how we have a place in His kingdom. But other times He talks about His kingdom as that condition of trusting in Him. No one can see it or measure it or photograph it, not even the person who believes, but they have it and it is real.

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God will come, He answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming with something observable; no one will say, ‘Look here!’ or ‘There!’ For you see, the kingdom of God is among you.”

(Luke 17:20-21; see also 16:16)

There are even times when He talks about His kingdom in a way that you can indirectly see both our heavenly future and our present condition.

Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.

(Matthew 19:24)

III.

You have entered the kingdom of God. The impossible has happened—you believe! And so this promise that you have received makes you joyful. But be mindful of the reverse in yourself and others. Where this promise, the nearness of the kingdom of God can cause fear.

Consider Elijah's stay with the widow in Zarapheth. Elijah was the prophet who preached famine from God and then he came to this widow's house, just as she was about to eat her last meal all because of Elijah's famine. The kingdom of God came near that woman and her son. Wouldn't she be afraid and wonder, “Why is he here? Is he going to do us more harm?” The incident ends well—God miracles food to them—but later the son dies! And his mother asks Elijah,

“Man of God, what do we have in common? Have you come to remind me of my guilt and to kill my son?”

(1 Kings 17:18)

The widow saw the kingdom of God and His power. But without Jesus, His kingdom is only the threat of destruction. It only reminds us our own mortality. God's kingdom without a way to enter it is like an invading army of death. George Washington entering Trenton was great for some, but not so great if you worked for the British. One man's Savior is another man's destruction.

IV.

This is what Jesus taught His 70 new John-the-Baptists. For those who welcomed the kingdom because the Spirit had caused them to believe, the kingdom of God had come. But for those who rejected Jesus, the kingdom of God had still come.

When you enter any town, and they don’t welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘We are wiping off as a witness against you even the dust of your town that clings to our feet. Know this for certain: The kingdom of God has come near.’

(Luke 10:11)

The kingdom of God—all by itself—is scary. God without Jesus is dreadful. Many know there is a God, but don't know Jesus. So they try to cross over into God's kingdom without Jesus. And without Jesus they won't find safety there.

Power without Jesus' forgiveness isn't helpful. And you see this as Jesus redirects the fervor of His 70 John-the-Baptists.

The Seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in Your name.” He said to them, … “Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing will ever harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

(Luke 10:17-20)

The Seventy came back pumped up. They were uplifted and elated with this taste of glory and power. Jesus responds with a “Meh”. He points out all the things they'll do and says that all of that isn't the point. Don't focus on the glory.

Instead, He reminds them why their names are written in heaven. To us the Seventy are anonymous, but Jesus knows everyone of them. And their names will always be connected to the kingdom of God because God hid Himself in human flesh and walked to the cross without nothing to His name, except our shame.

And in our shame that Jesus suffered, there is the kingdom of God—at the foot of His cross. You, too, will suffer. You may die. But nothing will harm you because nothing can drive God's kingdom away from you. With John, Elijah, and the Seventy, we echo Paul's conviction of the kingdom.

For I am persuaded that not even death or life, angels or rulers, things present or things to come, hostile powers, height or depth, or any other created thing will have the power to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord!

(Romans 8:38-39)

In the name of the Father

and of the † Son and

of the Holy Spirit. Amen.