The 72 : McCall Heckel
After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. 2 He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3 Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6 And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. 7 Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. 8 Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9 cure the sick who are there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ - Luke 10: 1-9
Jesus knew He needed others to go before Him so that He would be accepted when He came after them. I tried to imagine myself as a person in one of the 36 pairs He sent ahead of himself. I would like to think that I would go willingly, without question or hesitation, trusting that He would care for me as I do the work He sent me out to do. But, if I’m honest, Iʼd probably have a long string of thoughts such as these:
“Iʼm fine with asking the Lord to provide more workers because I know we need them, but I donʼt really have the time to go be one right now or look for more. Plus, thereʼs 71 other people that were asked to go, and I bet they could get the work done just as good without me. But if I do decide I can go, can I at least bring some stuff? I know He said not to bring a bag or sandals, but He wasnʼt serious right? I just think I would feel more prepared if I bring at least a pair of sandals because weʼd be walking a pretty long way, and you never know what could happen. Also, I donʼt even know if I have any peace, and if I do, I donʼt want to give it away to people who may or may not want it!”
As I read the passage again several times, I became aware of the fact that the responses of the 72 people Jesus sent out are not recorded. Thatʼs when I realized that maybe the only response I needed to recognize was their obedience to go where Jesus told them to. Then, it hit me that I don’t have to just imagine what it would be like to be one of those sent out ahead of him because I am one of them right now. We all are. Today, I call us to be aware that just as the 72 were called out to go find more workers for the harvest, we are called to do the same. He didnʼt give any of the 72 a choice, and we shouldnʼt expect that we have a choice either! We are the lambs in His harvest field among the wolves. Do not be overwhelmed by the abundance of the harvest or by the work that needs to be done. Instead, pray and go out trusting that the Peace of Christ will be with you. Trust that your peace will rest on those who promote it and will not be wasted on those who do not. As long as seeds are sown for the Kingdom of God, the harvest we reap will always be abundantly more, because the Lord of the harvest cares for his workers.
McCall Heckel is a senior at Louisiana Tech University studying Kinesiology and she is a faithful woman of God. She will graduate this winter quarter and will begin the internship at the Wesley Foundation shortly after. McCall is excited to be leading a mission trip to Honduras this coming May!