Practice What We Preach
Luke 10:1-11 tells us how Jesus sent out seventy disciples in pairs to spread the good news, but why did Jesus send seventy? Some scholars believe that the seventy missionaries represented the seventy nations of the world that were listed in Genesis 10. By appointing seventy, Jesus was announcing God’s intention to take the news to the entire world. They were sent out in pairs because their work was difficult, even with helpers. But they followed Jesus’ instructions and so they were successful in their attempt at spreading the Gospel.
Unfortunately, a lot of the time, we’re not willing to follow Jesus’ instructions. Is it because they’re too difficult, or is it because we’re only willing to do what’s the easiest?
Maybe. But what we tend to do most often is to fail to ask something in Jesus’ name and then really expect it to happen. We only step out in partial faith, and then we try to make our desires God’s desires.
The seventy were totally defenseless. They were completely dependent on Jesus and the reception they’d receive from the people they met. Our situation is no different than theirs. The job Jesus gives us isn’t easy, but He helps and supports us, and nothing is impossible with Christ. We just need to step out in faith.
Jesus knew the seventy would stand out and He was counting on it because they had an important message to share. A message that was so vital and life-changing that everyone needed to hear it. People still need to hear it today.
Because we’ve been changed by our encounter with Jesus, we also have that same authority and responsibility to tell everyone about it both by our words and our deeds. The Kingdom of God has come near and that’s too important to keep a secret. Jesus told the seventy to proclaim the rule and reign of God in people’s hearts, and He tells us to proclaim the same message today.
But how can we do that? We can do it by respecting one another. By living in loving relationships, working to bring about justice, and reflecting the image of God in our works and actions. We’re disciples who’ve been sent to proclaim the Good News, too. God has sent us, along with His presence in the form of the Holy Spirit.
We’re meant to fulfill our mission by getting to know people and being genuinely concerned about their needs. Unless we love people, we’re actually hindering God’s work here on earth.
We’re meant to be the forerunners of the coming Kingdom, just like the seventy disciples were the “advance men” for Jesus. Because of that awesome responsibility we have to pray for the grace to be good representatives of what we proclaim. In other words, we need to practice what we preach.
