In March of 1860 an ad appeared in many newspapers of the West. It read, "Wanted. Men, sturdy, young, not under 18, good riders, willing to face death. $25 per week. Orphans preferred." Many young men answered the call, and the Pony Express was born. A new chapter opened up in the history of this country.
A new chapter is always written in the life of the church whenever Christian people dare to reach out into some new frontier and carry the good news forward.
It was for this reason that Jesus chose disciples to follow him. So, as we think about Jesus moving always closer to Jerusalem -- behold the man who trained disciples.
We know that very early in his ministry Jesus chose twelve to be disciples, learners, students. He trained them in the ways of the Kingdom, and prepared them to become the leaders of his church. He spoke to them those electrifying words, "Follow me." And they responded by going with him. Why was this so important?
James S. Stewart, the Scottish preacher, wrote in his book, The Life And Teaching Of Jesus Christ, about the purpose Jesus had in selecting disciples. He says the answer is found in Mark, chapter 3, where we read, "Then he appointed twelve, that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach." Stewart says one reason is that they would be with him to learn, and the second is that they were to "carry and pass on the torch that Jesus had kindled."1
William Barclay points out that Jesus knew all along he would face a cross. He understood from the beginning that he must train disciples who would be "the living books on which he imprinted his message, the living instruments through whom his purposes could be carried out."2
We know that this training of the twelve was a vital part of the genius of that movement Jesus began. However, sometimes we overlook the fact that there were many other followers of Jesus. There were many disciples who were in that movement. The twelve disciples were the inner circle of trusted future leaders. They were closer to him than anyone else. They were with him more than anyone else.
The next group was what we call "the seventy." Our scripture passage relates their story. At one point, as Jesus began preparing to go to Jerusalem, the seventy were chosen for a special mission. No doubt Jesus had been training them also. Part of the Sermon on the Mount is teaching directed at his followers along with more general statements for the larger multitude. Perhaps at that point Jesus had already identified that special group of seventy, or at least had the idea in mind. We simply do not know all Jesus may have said to his followers. We have in the New Testament only a small part of what he said over three years. But we can assume Jesus put a great deal of time into training all of his disciples.
As Jesus was moving toward Jerusalem he planned to stop in several towns along the way. He had been in those towns before, but now he prepared the seventy to go on ahead and announce that he was coming that way. He told the seventy that the harvest was great, and that they should pray that God would send out laborers into the harvest. Then he told them, "I am sending you out as lambs among wolves."
Now, sending them out was important not only on that occasion, but also it later became the same method the early church used in its mission to carry the gospel around the world. Jesus gave the twelve what we call "the great commission." He sent them out. That is the method Jesus used.
It is still the best method -- sending out disciples to spread the good news about Jesus Christ, the Kingdom of God, the mission of the church of Christ. What if our church had seventy people, or seventeen, or even seven, who went out each week to invite others to come to this church and be a part of this fellowship? A new chapter would be written in the life of this church.
Let us take a closer look at what Jesus did with those seventy disciples.
The seventy were chosen. That is the first thing Luke tells us. He writes, "After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also." He chose them for this special mission. They were chosen to go prepare the way for him. They were to tell everyone that Jesus was coming that way. They were chosen for that purpose.
There was a reason Jesus did this. He told them, "The harvest is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." So, there was a great need for them to do this. Because of that need Jesus chose them.
All of us who are his disciples today have been chosen for such a purpose as this. We have been called to be disciples, servants, witnesses. All of these words imply action, movement, or doing something rather than being passive, standing still.
The Christian church has never been just a place for peaceful contemplation and thought. It has been throughout its history the largest volunteer group of activists in the world. From the beginning Jesus wanted it to be a group of laborers sent out into the harvest.
It is for this reason that we are involved in groups for study, learning and service. The church is a training school for Christian disciples.
We are trained for Christian living. We are trained to be people who make a difference in the world by the way we live, by our opinions, attitudes and convictions, and by the witness of our lives. We are trained to make a difference by the use of who we are and what we have, and to look at our resources, our talents and our money not as though we are obligated to give them, but as ways to serve and to support ministries of mercy throughout the world. We are trained to widen the Christian fellowship, and to bring others into our church, into groups within our church and under the influence of Christ. That is the kind of disciples we have been chosen to become. Is that what we are?
A farmer sold his land, moved into town, lost weight, bought a new wardrobe, had a facelift, bought a wig, and married a young widow. One day he was hit by a truck and killed. When he got to heaven he said to God, "Lord, why did you let this happen to me?" And God answered, "Why, George, I didn't even recognize you."
Would God recognize us? Are we what we have been chosen to become?
A man took his son off to college. They put all of his belongings in his room. Then they walked back out to the car. The man said to his son, "Don't you ever forget who you are."
We must remember who and what we have been chosen to become.
The sending was crucial. That is the second thing. Luke says Jesus "sent them out two by two before his face into every city and place where he himself was about to go." He told them everything to do. He told them to carry no money, pack or sandals. He also told them not to greet anyone on the road. Then he told them to go stay in the places which would receive them, and accept whatever the people gave them. They were to heal and preach, saying, "The Kingdom of God has come near." As people received or rejected them, so they received or rejected him.
So the sending was crucial. The sending out of the seventy was urgent. No time was to be lost. Their mission was of the utmost importance.
The mission of the church is always crucial.
A preacher went by to see one of the families in his church. Their youngest son answered the door. The preacher asked to see his parents, and learned they were not there. He then asked for a big brother or sister. The boy said, "They are not here, and I would not be here neither, but I've got the old tomcat in the freezer trying to turn him into a polar bear!" That was a crucial time in the old cat's life.
It is a crucial time in our world. This makes what we do in the church, with the church, for the church, as the church of utmost importance. We must not lose our sense of urgency.
David H. C. Read, a Presbyterian preacher in New York, preached a sermon in which he referred to what someone called "decaffeinated Christianity." It promises not to keep you awake at night.3
We must remember these are urgent times, and we must remember the urgency of our times is matched by the adequacy of our faith. Because that is true, the sending out of Christian disciples today is still crucial. Remember also that when we are sent just a few can accomplish so much. The influence of one Christian carries such an impact with it.
Jesus did not send all seventy disciples to the same place. He split them up and sent them two by two. Sometimes it only takes a few. Such a great difference can be made by the influence of one life over another.
In a group discussion about the influence of others, one young lady told of her family having Elton Trueblood stay in their home when she was about ten years old. The great Quaker teacher, preacher and writer was speaking in their town for several days. During mealtime they would talk, and he would ask the adults questions. After listening to them he would ask her the same question, and then listen to what she said. She told the group, "He treated me as if I were an intelligent, sensitive, mature Christian. And, that week I made up my mind that I was going to spend the rest of my life becoming one."4
You can have the same influence on the lives of other people. It is crucial that we do that.
Finally, the success was certain. That is the third thing. Luke writes, "Then the servants returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name.' " They had been sent out by Jesus to prepare the way for him, to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick, and when they returned they were amazed at what they had been able to do. Jesus responded by saying, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold I give you authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven."
When we use the method of Jesus our success is certain. A difference is made in the lives of other people, in our lives, in the life of the church, in the life of our community.
That same kind of success is certain when we remember who we serve.
David Livingston said of his missionary journeys in Africa, "Jesus and I went through the jungles together." That is who we serve.
That same kind of success is certain when we remember the nature of our service. We cannot do everything. But we can do something.
William H. Willimon told of a man who said, "A good teacher must be content to be a sower rather than a reaper." He went on to say teachers do not see good results immediately. The good they do shows up later on.5
That same kind of success is certain when we remember the importance of caring.
A businessman ran an ad in the paper which was printed wrong. It read, "We fake a personal interest in each one." The world has had enough of that. All around people are crying out for someone who cares, who takes a personal interest.
That same kind of success is certain when we remember the impact and influence of our own lives. It is the old story of actions speaking louder than words, and living the things we say we believe.
That is always the key, is it not? The question for us always is whether or not we will allow ourselves to become trained disciples who are chosen, who are sent, who are successful.
A small town doctor learned of a woman who was gravely ill. She lived alone, shut off from the better people in town. The doctor let it be known that no Christian should let a situation like hers go unattended. The pastor of one of the churches told her story on a Sunday night after he had just learned about her. The next morning he went to the woman's house, and found it was not like the doctor had described. The house was cleaned up. The floors were still damp from mopping. Groceries had been brought in. Clothes were being washed. The preacher found the wealthiest woman in his church doing all this. He said to her, "Oh, you shouldn't be out here doing all this. Why didn't you just send your maid?" She replied, "That is the trouble with so much of our religion. So often we send someone else. This time I just decided to go myself. I thought if I did maybe this lady would be able to meet Jesus."6
There are many times here in our community when if anyone is to meet Jesus at all it will be not because we sent somebody else, but because he sent you.
1. James S. Stewart, The Life And Teaching Of Jesus Christ, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1957, p. 68.
2. William Barclay, The Mind Of Jesus, Harper & Row Publisher, New York and Evanston, 1960, p. 61.
3. David H. C. Read, "When We Say: 'No One Is Perfect,' " Pulpit Digest, January/February 1992, p. 33.
4. Richard A. Hasler, Emphasis, CSS Publishing Co., Lima, Ohio, September-October, 1992, p. 44.
5. William H. Willimon, Clergy and Laity Burnout, Abingdon Press, Nashville, 1989, p. 32.
6. T. Cecil Myers, "On Letting The Soul Catch Up With The Body," February 14, 1982, (an unpublished sermon).