I would like to keep our conversation going on the topic of total reliance on God. As we move into the story of sending the 72, we find similar instructions as the sending of the twelve in chapter 9. But in this account we find another command. “Do not move around from house to house.” As a pastor I think this one becomes clear in a literal sense, that as shepherds, as teachers we should not be looking for where we can get the best accommodations, we are to stay where we are received and continue our ministry until it is no longer received. But whether we are a pastor or not, we are all in ministry and so this passage is for all of us.
Again how often do we worry more about our comfort and what is provided rather than focusing on our ministry. When we focus on our comfort we become takers rather than givers to the kingdom of God. Focus on self is at the root of what Jesus is trying to deal with here. That is why this passage is surrounded with verses like “for he who is the least among you all – he is the greatest”, and “if anyone would come after Me, he must deny himself.” What is more important to us on a daily basis, our daily bread (provision) or the one who provides that bread? When we move from house to house, what is the motivation? Do we seek greater affirmation from more adoring fans? Do we seek greater sense of pride that someone will offer us greater accommodations better befitting our stature? And worse, do we change the message to gain better approval and thus better accommodations. Do we change the message to be more palatable to a greater audience so more people will follow or join us? Our Savior told someone who wanted to be a follower, “Foxes have holes and birds have their nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay His head.” My guess is that Jesus knew this man’s heart and that he wanted to follow so he could have some worldly gain or benefit as one of Jesus’ followers. It is like Jesus says, “don’t follow me because it is easy, follow me because I am the way the truth and the life”. Jesus wants us so devoted to Him that we don’t crave the things of this world and that is hard to do, but that is our calling as His disciples. To spread the truth of the Gospel to all who have ears to hear. And to do so with integrity, seeking only to please our Lord.
