Blog:"and greet no one along the way": Difference between revisions
→Travelers, wayfarers, and a fallen world
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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. (Constable) | 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. (Constable) | ||
[[File:70Apostles.jpg|thumb|70 Apostles (Byzantine icon, Wikipedia)]] | [[File:70Apostles.jpg|thumb|70 Apostles (Byzantine icon, Wikipedia)]] | ||
Perhaps Jesus | Perhaps Jesus really did mean, "Don't get bogged down by extended ritualistic normative cultural protocols..." | ||
Yet, throughout Luke Chapters 9 and 10, Jesus prepares the disciples for their mission to follow, 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>) whom he instructed to pronounce that "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 through the Apostles, then to Samaritans and pagans with a larger crew of disciples as he himself ventured into those areas. It also follows the pattern of fulfilling the Old Covenant for the Jews first, then extending it and the Gospel across the world. | 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 through the Apostles, then to Samaritans and pagans with a larger crew of disciples as he himself ventured into those areas. It also follows the pattern of fulfilling the Old Covenant for the Jews first, then extending it and the Gospel across the world. | ||
Literally, a "way" is the path between points A and B. Allegorically, a "way" is a what it takes to get there. The early Church -- and it's so perfect -- was called, "The Way", as Jesus is both "the way" to live our lives and "the way" to salvation. | |||
While we may be situated in modes and places, it is in moving about, and, especially moving between circumstances that we are especially vulnerable to the world's definitions upon us. | While we may be situated in modes and places, it is in moving about, and, especially moving between circumstances that we are especially vulnerable to the world's definitions upon us. It is along the "way" that we often find ourselves getting in trouble. Literally, though, travel along the way has inherent uncertainty, and as anyone who has traveled much can attest, the world of travelers can be rather unsavory. Travel means exposure to the world. | ||
Indeed, the Lord mentions the word "world" frequently, generally as a reference to creation and mankind or as the fallen "world" ruled by Satan. In Luke's version of the Temptation of Jesus, | Indeed, the Lord mentions the word "world" frequently, generally as a reference to creation and mankind or as the fallen "world" ruled by Satan. In Luke's version of the Temptation of Jesus, | ||