Blog:"and greet no one along the way": Difference between revisions
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[[File:Two_young_boys_carrying_water_walk_down_a_road_next_to_an_IDP_camp_near_the_town_of_Jowhar,_Somalia,_on_December_14._Fighting_between_clans_has_displaced_more_than_twelve_thousand_people_near_the_town_(27447003001).jpg|alt=Image from Jowhar, Somali (Wikipedia)|none|thumb|850x850px|A dusty road on the way to somewhere (Somalia, Wikipedia)]] | |||
From the Book of Luke, Chapter 10: | |||
'''The Mission of the Seventy-two.''' | '''The Mission of the Seventy-two.''' | ||
After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. | After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two]<ref>There's scholarly debate as to the original manuscripts' count of seventy or seventy-two, each with a theological implication (see [https://netbible.org/bible/Luke+10 note 2 on Matthew 10 on NetBible], which sides with "Seventy" over Seventy-Two); The USCCB NAB online Bible compromises with "Seventy[-two]", although the Chapter title reads "Seventy-Two" (see first * note at [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?1=#50010001-2 Luke, CHAPTER 10 | USCCB])</ref> others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest. | ||
Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. | Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you. | ||
Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ | Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserves his payment. Do not move about from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’ | ||
Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town. | Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’ Yet know this: the kingdom of God is at hand. I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town. | ||
== An Ordination Mass == | == An Ordination Mass == | ||
At our Arlington Diocese Ordination Mass, June 1, 2024, the | [[File:PikiWiki_Israel_15464_Jesus_and_the_12_apostles_in_Domus_Galileae.JPG|thumb|Jesus and the 12 apostles in Domus Galileae]] | ||
At our Arlington (Virginia) Diocese Ordination Mass, June 1, 2024, Bishop Burbidge advised the new Priests to follow the Lord's instructions to the Seventy-Two (disciples) to "carry no" things, which is appropriate for the mission of a new priest: your job must not be burdened by the world, so leave it behind.<ref>"There are no U-hauls following a hearse," Father Dansereau likes to say.</ref> | |||
The rest of the passage is equally clear and powerful for the priestly mission, | The rest of the passage is equally clear and powerful for the priestly mission, | ||
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Aren't they supposed to spread the Gospel? Why not yell out the Good News at every passerby? | Aren't they supposed to spread the Gospel? Why not yell out the Good News at every passerby? | ||
The NAB | The USCCB NAB online Bible offers a brief footnote explanation that the instruction was so that "even customary greetings should not distract from the fulfillment of the task" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?4=#50010004 Mt 10:4 fn]). NetBible, an academic Biblical source, gives us a larger response from Constable's commentary ([https://netbible.org/bible/Luke+10 Luke 10 | Lumina (netbible.org)]): | ||
In ancient Near Eastern culture people often gave very long greetings that tied them up sometimes for days (cf. Judg. 19:4-9; 2 Kings 4:29). Jesus did not mean that His disciples should be unfriendly or unsociable but that they should not allow these greetings to divert them from their mission. They were to pursue their work and not waste their time on lesser things. | In ancient Near Eastern culture people often gave very long greetings that tied them up sometimes for days (cf. Judg. 19:4-9; 2 Kings 4:29). Jesus did not mean that His disciples should be unfriendly or unsociable but that they should not allow these greetings to divert them from their mission. They were to pursue their work and not waste their time on lesser things. | ||
== | == Travelers, wayfarers, and a fallen world == | ||
[[File:70Apostles.jpg|thumb|70 Apostles (Byzantine icon, Wikipedia)]] | |||
Through Luke Chapters 9 and 10, Jesus is preparing the disciples for their mission following him, teaching them in hints and broad statements, in baby steps and practice on their own. Prior to "The Mission of the Seventy-two," he similarly sent the Twelve ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1 Lk 9:1-6]; told in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?1 Mt 10:5-15] and [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?7 Mk 6:7-13]<ref>The Seventy-Two appears only in Luke.</ref>). He instructed the Twelve to pronounce "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?7 Mt 10:7]) across Jewish lands only, whereas the Seventy-Two also went into Samaria and "pagan territory."<ref>The Twelve were told not to go to Samaria or pagan lands ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?5 Mt. 10:5]); whereas, evidently, the Seventy-Two did (see Constable's notes on [https://netbible.org/bible/Luke+10 Luke 10:1])</ref> There is the thought that Luke's audience was Gentiles, and Matthew's Jews, thus the emphasis on the Seventy-Two in Luke<ref>In Luke, the Mission of the Twelve is six verses long ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1 Lk 9:1-6] -- and much longer in Matthew), whereas the Mission of the Seventy-Two extends into 24 verses in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?1 Luke 10]</ref>, but it makes complete sense that Jesus would gradually extend the Good News, first within Jewish communities with the Apostles, then to Samaritans and pagans with a larger crew of disciples. It also follows the pattern of fulfilling the Old Covenant for the Jews, then bringing it and the New Covenant across the world. | Through Luke Chapters 9 and 10, Jesus is preparing the disciples for their mission following him, teaching them in hints and broad statements, in baby steps and practice on their own. Prior to "The Mission of the Seventy-two," he similarly sent the Twelve ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1 Lk 9:1-6]; told in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?1 Mt 10:5-15] and [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?7 Mk 6:7-13]<ref>The Seventy-Two appears only in Luke.</ref>). He instructed the Twelve to pronounce "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?7 Mt 10:7]) across Jewish lands only, whereas the Seventy-Two also went into Samaria and "pagan territory."<ref>The Twelve were told not to go to Samaria or pagan lands ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/10?5 Mt. 10:5]); whereas, evidently, the Seventy-Two did (see Constable's notes on [https://netbible.org/bible/Luke+10 Luke 10:1])</ref> There is the thought that Luke's audience was Gentiles, and Matthew's Jews, thus the emphasis on the Seventy-Two in Luke<ref>In Luke, the Mission of the Twelve is six verses long ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/9?1 Lk 9:1-6] -- and much longer in Matthew), whereas the Mission of the Seventy-Two extends into 24 verses in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?1 Luke 10]</ref>, but it makes complete sense that Jesus would gradually extend the Good News, first within Jewish communities with the Apostles, then to Samaritans and pagans with a larger crew of disciples. It also follows the pattern of fulfilling the Old Covenant for the Jews, then bringing it and the New Covenant across the world. | ||
Thinking allegorically, a "way" or "path" is what lies between point A and B. The early Church -- and it's so amazing, was called, "The Way", as Jesus is "the way" to salvation. It's in the getting there we find trouble, and not just allegorically, as the world of travelers can be rather savory. | |||
Thinking allegorically, a "way" or "path" is what lies between point A and B. The early Church -- and it's so amazing, was called, "The Way", as Jesus is "the way" to salvation. | |||
We recall from John 1, | We recall from John 1, | ||
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and the world came to be through him, | and the world came to be through him, | ||
but the world did not know him. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?10 Jn 1:10]) | but the world did not know him. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/john/1?10 Jn 1:10]) | ||
The Lord mentions the word, "World," frequently, generally as a reference to Creation and manking or as the fallen world ruled by Satan. In Luke's version of the Temptation of Jesus, | |||
Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/4?5 Lk 4:5]) | |||
The "world" is that which is not of Heaven and God. You know, where we live, which is why Christ instructs us to be like a beacon upon a mountain, for his disciples are, | |||
You are the light of the world. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/5?14 Mt 5:14]) | |||
The sending out of the Seventy-Two is preparation for the larger journey to follow Christ's Death and Resurrection, when the world will be much larger and far more dangerous. Jesus needs them to get ready, needs them to discern good from evil, and to wield the powers and protections of Faith. | |||
== "like lambs among wolves" == | == "like lambs among wolves" == | ||
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With his protection, Jesus tells them, | With his protection, Jesus tells them, | ||
Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?19 Lk 10:19]) | Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/10?19 Lk 10:19]) | ||
[[File:Erastus,_Olympus,_Rhodion,_Sosipater,_Quartus_and_Tertius_(Menologion_of_Basil_II).jpg|left|thumb|Martydom of Saints Erastus, Olympus, Rhodion, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius (from the "Menologion of Basil II", a 10th-12th century Byzantine manuscript depicting the lives of the Saints, as well as the liturgical calendar and themes (Wikipedia)]] | |||
The serpents, of course, are those cast upon the unfaithful Israelites in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21?6 Num 21:6], saved only by looking up at the "bronze seraph" (serpent) upon the pole ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21?8 Num 21:8-9]) The serpent, or snake, has its clear biblical implications. Scorpions, though, make an interesting reference. The Lord speaks in the Gospels of scorpions twice, and both in Luke, as here in Chapter 10 and again in Chapter 11 in a different metaphor to explain how the loving Father answers prayer: | The serpents, of course, are those cast upon the unfaithful Israelites in [https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21?6 Num 21:6], saved only by looking up at the "bronze seraph" (serpent) upon the pole ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/numbers/21?8 Num 21:8-9]) The serpent, or snake, has its clear biblical implications. Scorpions, though, make an interesting reference. The Lord speaks in the Gospels of scorpions twice, and both in Luke, as here in Chapter 10 and again in Chapter 11 in a different metaphor to explain how the loving Father answers prayer: | ||
What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?11 Lk 11:11-12]) | What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? ([https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/11?11 Lk 11:11-12]) | ||
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== A little personal missionary journey == | == A little personal missionary journey == | ||
My friend and I once journeyed across the Piedmont by | [[File:Good Will Tour 2013 Grayhound Bus interior.jpg|thumb|[https://goodwilltour2013.wordpress.com/ Goodwill Tour 2013] Greyhound bus interior]] | ||
My friend and I once journeyed across the Piedmont by Greyhound bus in order to meet people who could use a little help in the form of an envelope with some dollars in it, slipped quietly to the person if his story yielded a little need. Across a week, encountered wonderful people, scary people, sad people and vile people. This was before my conversion, so it was not proselytizing, and instead, simple charity (my friend wanted to "give away money to someone who I'll never see again and so they won't ask me for more later"). Still, we were spreading cheer and good will, and I trust that some of those encounters are remembered still by those we met. I remember them all well. (Here for my blog on the trip: [https://goodwilltour2013.wordpress.com/ Goodwill Tour 2013.]) | |||
The satisfacton or hearing personal stories, helping out a little, and seeing a thankful smile or ray of hope enlighten a distressing day is inexplicably beautiful. I didn't know it at the time, but it is what the Lord wants from us. We returned home exhausted and exhilerated from what was, truly, nothing -- zero -- like what the disciples experenced. They were sent by God himself to preach God's very Word. Imagine it! | The satisfacton or hearing personal stories, helping out a little, and seeing a thankful smile or ray of hope enlighten a distressing day is inexplicably beautiful. I didn't know it at the time, but it is what the Lord wants from us. We returned home exhausted and exhilerated from what was, truly, nothing -- zero -- like what the disciples experenced. They were sent by God himself to preach God's very Word. Imagine it! | ||
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And that was without having stopped to talk to anyone along the way. | And that was without having stopped to talk to anyone along the way. | ||
- by Michael, June 3, 2024 | |||
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