Base text of a sermon for Pentecost 4, Year C. Luke 10.1-12; 10.17-24, 2 Kings 5.1-14.
It is interesting to note where today’s Gospel reading sits as part of the modern structure of the Gospel according to Luke. At the start of the previous chapter, Jesus commissions his 12 apostles, the 12 disciples especially chosen and sent forth, the literal meaning of apostle, into the world.
And, now, in a similar way we hear of the commissioning of the 72, or in some manuscripts, the 70.
There is clearly an expansion here from 12 to 70.
And Jesus, of course, knows what he is doing because the 70 are to proclaim the Kingdom “to every town and place” where he intended to go. This theme of expansion reaches a peak at the start of the following chapter, where we hear the words,
“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.”
This is the universal act of worship across all Christian churches and denominations, and of course, the hopeful anticipation of the Kingdom itself.
From the unknowable uncreated God, imaged as the Father, to the visible and incarnate one, the Christ, then expanding to the 12 representing the 12 twelve tribes of Israel, the fullness of the Jewish people, and then expanding to the the 70, who represent the gentiles, all the other nations. And finally, expanding to a prayer for the Kingdom prayed across the world and prayed in nearly every language of the world.
The 72 or 70 refer also to what is known as ‘the Table of Nations’ in Genesis chapter 10, where all the nations, and founders of the nations across the entire earth are listed. These are listed in family groups and a part of the great sacred story of the descendants of Noah after the flood.
This sacred story served for the Jewish readers as an origin story of ALL the people in the world. All people, across the entire world, are in this myth traced back to Noah, back to God’s saving work.
Once we have myth in view then the sending out of the 70 we hear today makes sense. Because this listing of all the peoples who exist, the enemy peoples of the Jews are also included. They too are linked back to Noah and ultimately back to the saving love of God.
So, when the 70 are sent out, matching the table of nations, Jesus is sending them symbolically not only throughout the entire world, but also to Canaanites, Moabites, Edomites and all the alienated and enemy people. Everyone is included, because, as our text states the 70 are sent to “to every town and place” where Jesus intends to go. Every town. Every place. Everyone.
But, the Gospel today not only recounts the sending forth of disciples for the proclamation of the Kingdom, but it also invites – in fact, it demands - us to participate in this proclamation.
Then turning to the disciples, Jesus said to them privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see!
Jesus said to them privately – and yet we hear it, we see it in the Gospel. And so, we are drawn into the private and intimate conversation and communion between Jesus and his disciples. The Gospel at this point casts its divine power over us and positions us as Christ’s apostles. And so, it is we who must continue the expansion of the work of proclaiming the Kingdom.
And so, we must name all the rejected and hated peoples of our world, and within our own personal hearts. Even those who we consider as monstrous. Whoever we name and position as enemy or as not correct, not right, not us – we have to name them today.
Because whoever we name are still made in the image of God; they in their actions may not currently reflect that image, even counter it, but their actions can never destroy or harm that innate image, and so they too are included the promise of the Kingdom. This is the generosity of inclusion our indigenous brothers and sisters extend to the non aboriginal community as they welcome them to the naidoc celebrations this coming week.
This universal generosity may seem a bit of an ask for us modern disciples, but the key to apostles’ success – and our success – is being under the name of and within the love of Christ. The demons in our sacred Gospel did not submit to the disciples themselves, but to the name of Jesus. In modern parlance, the 70 left their egos at home and let Christ, let the Great Peace of God work through them.
Being with God. Moving away from our ego. The easiest thing – because we know what we should do – and the hardest thing, because we are forever doing the exact opposite. We, out of the best intentions so often act from our own self, trusting our own strength and ideas. Which inevitably means we act from our own assumptions and the also the unconscious assumptions and prejudices of our own culture, or religious tradition, or church or ingroup or family.
And so, we easily fail.
We hear this today in our story from 1 Kings. Naaman is expecting his healing to come in a certain way – a healer with a magical and ritual action. Instead, confounding his prejudices and assumptions the healing comes from God through God’s sacred land, God’s sacred river.
Naaman, because of the ideas and prejudices he brought with him to the land of Israel could not initially see what was there, what divinity and healing lay before him. And it took the lowliest, his servants, to remind him.
At the start of NAIDOC week, we can reflect on how many of early colonialists did exactly the same. Expecting culture and civilization to be manifest only in certain forms – churches, synagogues, mosques, castles and buildings, they concluded the aboriginal people were without culture, and ultimately without the fullness of humanity. This helped lead to the terrible and disastrous outcomes we still see today, as we try, and fail, year after year to close the Gap between first and second nations peoples in these lands we now call Australia.
Many, but not all, of our settler ancestors could not see, because of how they were formed, because of their ancestral ideas, could not see who and what was before them.
But as his disciples, Christ blesses our vision and our eyes: “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! He blesses our vision and our hearing so we may share peace and help bring forth the Kingdom, to every place and to everyone.
Because today, continuing the work of the 70 we are called not only to see but also to walk. We are called to walk within our hearts, bringing our blessed eyes to behold clearly our own prejudices and biases, so they may be transformed. We are called to walk with others, as the One Body of Christ, so we may see and know and love all people made in the Image of God.
And the kingdom is brought closer as we walk those few steps to see, really see, and talk with a homeless person in Midland, sharing our common humanity.
The kingdom is brought closer by those steps we make to walk to our neighbour’s door to see them honestly and hold them in their grief or joy. It is brought closer by stepping into a politician’s office to seek first nations justice, demanding our first nations sisters, brothers and companions and their ongoing culture be fully seen.
All we have to do see. All we have to do is walk.
In the Name of Christ.
Amen