Seventy-Two Disciples

Homily for Thursday of the Twenty-sixth Week in Ordinary Time

The Gospel of Saint Luke curiously includes two episodes in which Jesus sends his disciples to announce the nearness of the Kingdom of God. In the beginning of chapter nine, Jesus sends of The Twelve who he calls apostles. However, in chapter ten Jesus sends seventy or seventy-two disciples (depending upon which manuscript you are reading) on a different mission. The instructions that he gives the seventy or seventy-two disciples are very similar to the instructions that he gives the apostles. While The Twelve are given the power to heal and to expel demons, Saint Luke is very specific in the tasks that are given to the larger group of disciples; namely, they are to go before Jesus to prepare the people in the communities which Jesus will visit on his way to Jerusalem.

The Book of Genesis records that there are seventy different nations in the world. Consequently, it seems that Saint Luke, who is himself a Gentile, is making a comment on the fact that the message and teaching of Jesus is not simply for the Jews. Rather, it is for all children of God without distinction.

Jesus tells the disciples that there is an urgent need for workers to go and minister because the harvest is plentiful. This reflects Jesus’ compassion for the people who needed to hear the Good News. He warns them about the dangers of the mission, sending them out like lambs among wolves. He warns them to shake off the dust from hostile towns who reject them. The seventy are not responsible for those who refuse to hear and accept the message.

Jesus empowered and prepared his followers to carry on ministry in his name and authority. He didn’t expect the work to be easy but encouraged them to faithfully sow spiritual seeds wherever they went, depending on God to produce fruit. Most importantly, they were to remain firm in their faith despite the difficulties that they will encounter as he sends them like lambs among wolves.

We also continue to hear of Job in today’s liturgy. He stands as a model of someone who is firm in his faith as he boldly states that he believes that one day he will see his Vindicator with his own eyes. When the prophet Ezekiel writes about Job, he includes him with two other people from the pages of the Hebrew Scriptures; namely, Noah and Daniel. In fact, these three men are persons who appear in the literature of other cultures. This makes Job’s faith even more remarkable because the possibility exists that Job was not an Israelite. However, he is obviously a man of great faith in God whom he calls his Vindicator.

All of us are disciples of Jesus, men and women who sit at the feet of Jesus to learn and who walk with Jesus as followers. We have all been given the mission of preparing others to meet the Lord. By virtue of our baptism, the mission that Jesus gave to these seventy or seventy-two disciples is also our mission.