Seventy-two others!

Luke 10:1-9

10 After this the Lord chose seventy-two others and sent them out two by two, to go ahead of him to every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 He said to them, “There is a large harvest, but few workers to gather it in. Pray to the owner of the harvest that he will send out workers to gather in his harvest. 3 Go! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. 4 Don't take a purse or a beggar's bag or shoes; don't stop to greet anyone on the road. 5 Whenever you go into a house, first say, ‘Peace be with this house.’ 6 If someone who is peace-loving lives there, let your greeting of peace remain on that person; if not, take back your greeting of peace. 7 Stay in that same house, eating and drinking whatever they offer you, for workers should be given their pay. Don't move around from one house to another. 8 Whenever you go into a town and are made welcome, eat what is set before you, 9 heal the sick in that town, and say to the people there, ‘The Kingdom of God has come near you.’ 

Food for thought!

The Lord selected seventy OTHERS and sent them. This statement is very revealing. It tells that Jesus worked and works, not only with the twelve apostles, but with many others. It is a gross misunderstanding to hold that the Lord worked with only the twelve; that the Lord works only with bishops and priests and nuns. In all times, even in ours, there are the OTHERS, nameless men and women chosen to help Jesus.

As the Gospel says, he "sent them ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he intended to go." These people were chosen to represent Jesus. As we know, Jesus never could have been in 35 cities (35 pairs), in the short three years that lasted his ministry. He however, devised a way of multiplying himself, so much so that he did go to 35 places without going there! This is normally called delegation. It means that Jesus also delegated. Why? Because delegation multiplies us. It frees us up to do other things that are a better use of our time and talents.  I wonder what Jesus stayed doing when the 70 went out!

With the 70 others, Jesus teaches us some truths about delegation. First and foremost He is teaching us what we know: we dream alone but we never realize our dreams alone. We need a team; we have to delegate.

In your professional life, do you ever imagine yourself as being part of Jesus' team? Do you know that you're Jesus' delegate whenever you are and go? Do you realize that your ultimate manager is Jesus? Do you ever talk to him about your job, asking him to send you more human resources, more financial resources, more customers, more opportunities? Do you listen when the Lord tells you what to do and how to do it? Do you ever pray at your workplace?

Jesus gave them this charge: "What a huge harvest! And how few the harvest hands. So on your knees; ask the God of the Harvest to send harvest hands."

Are you feeling overwhelmed by your situation? Do you sometimes feel like a lamb in a wolf pack, that is, surrounded and threatened by adversaries? Do you sometimes feel the Lord is sending you, as he did to 72 disciples,  among wolves, ready to devour you? Well, get on your knees. This is the advice from him who sends you thus. And when you have prayed, when you have been on your knees, when you have prayed about it, get up and go straight and face the very challenge that was threatening you.

It is interesting to note that Jesus, after telling us to pray, he commends us to be careful. In other words, we are not going to be reckless just because we have been on our knees; prayer does not replace carefulness; prayer is not recklessness. Prayer means wakefulness. In other words, as we normally say, trust in God but lock your house or car!