SENDING OF THE FICKLE

This Sunday I am preaching on Luke 10 where Jesus sends 72 disciples out to proclaim, "The Kingdom of God is near".

I went back to Luke 9 to make sure I understood the context and - wow - there's a lot going on in chapter 9.

And most of it casts the disciples in a very poor light.

Here's what they get right:

• The 12 are sent out to preach the Gospel door to door (9:6). They go willingly and apparently accomplish the task.
• Beyond preaching, they also heal the sick (9:6). 
• At least one of the disciples, Peter, correctly confesses Jesus as God’s anointed, the Christ (9:20).

But otherwise, their record throughout chapter 9 is dismal:

1. They fail to imagine how it could be possible to feed the 5,000 (9:13).
2. Peter wants to camp out on the Mount of Transfiguration (9:33) It's clear this was a mistake: Scripture pointedly states, “He did not know what he was saying.”
3. The 9 disciples left behind while 3 accompanied Jesus up the mountain fail to cast out a demon torturing a boy and his family in Jesus' absence (9:40). Jesus is ticked off. (He had already specifically given them authority to cast out demons in 9:1.)
4. They don't understand what Jesus is talking about when he says he will be "delivered into the hands of men", but they are too afraid to ask him for clarification (9:45).
5. They argue among themselves about who is the greatest (9:46)
6. John wants to stop an outsider from casting out demons because "he is not one of us" (9:49).
7. James and John offer to call down fire from heaven to destroy a Samaritan village which refuses to welcome Jesus (9:54).  “Jesus turned and rebuked them.” (9:55)
8. Several disciples on the fringes make half-sincere pledges to follow Jesus: “I will follow, but first …” (9:57-62). Jesus is stern with them: “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” (9:62)

Do these not parallel some of the worst tendencies of the modern American church?

1. Failure of imagination. No expectation of the miraculous.
2. Seeking out mountain top experiences and camping there.
3. Underestimating our role - and authority and power - as Jesus' hands and feet, and so, unable to minister to those who are truly in need.
4. Misunderstanding Jesus' teaching, but taking no initiative to get clarification.
5. Using religion as a means of exerting power and influence and furthering our own reputation.
6. Opposing those outside our theological circle. They can't possibly be doing God's will!
7. Jumping at opportunities to pronounce God's judgment on the culture around us.
8. Wanting to have Jesus ... just not as a genuine priority in life.

And yet, there is Jesus at the start of Luke 10 again sending out these fallible, fickle disciples - this time 72 of them - to proclaim, "The Kingdom of God is near".