Luke 10:1-2
(ESV)
[1] After this the Lord appointed
seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town
and place where he himself was about to go. [2] And he said to them, “The
harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the
Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
Some versions read seventy and
some read seventy-two. Which number is correct is uncertain. But whether it is
seventy or seventy-two, notice the first thing he tells them. “Pray earnestly
to the Lord . . . to send out laborers.” Jesus looked at humanity, the very humanity
that would send him to the cross, and he saw a plentiful harvest. We tend to
see the dirt, the brokenness, the hard hearts; Jesus saw a plentiful harvest.
Why is it that we see unwilling
hearts when Jesus sees broken hearts that need healing? Why do we see the weeds
when Jesus sees the harvest? The next thing Jesus told them was “Go your way; I’m
sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.” Jesus was not blind to the
dangers and difficulties, but that did not stop him from seeing people who
needed healing.
He did not tell them to stand on
a street corner and shout the good news at people who were not interested. He told
them to go to the first house they found and offer that home peace. If they were
received, they were to stay there, heal the sick, and proclaim the Kingdom. If
they were not received, they were to move on to the next village.
There are two principles here
that overlap. First, they were to understand that God was already at work ahead
of them. They were to simply enter in where God was at work. They were to look
for those who were receptive. But notice also that while they were only sent
out for a short time, they were not in a hurry. If they were received, they were
to stay there, not go from house to house. The second principle is that they
were not to try and force their message. Where they were received, they healed
and taught. Where they were not received, they moved on.
For us, the application is similar.
If someone is willing to open a conversation, a relationship, a friendship, or an
acquaintance with us, then take the time to listen, care, and teach as the
opportunity arises. If they are not open to talking, don’t feel like you need
to force it. They are not yet ready. I don’t think it helps the cause when we
try to force the gospel on people that are not ready or willing to hear it. Even
though the time is short, we cannot try to hurry the process. We need to trust God
and pray that he sends out more laborers because the harvest is plentiful.
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