The Kingdom's Advance Team Text: Luke 10:1-16
Introduction: Offensive Hospitality
We live in an age that has confused niceness with kindness and politeness with love. The modern evangelical church, in a desperate attempt to be winsome, has often filed the teeth off the lion of Judah. We want a gospel that is palatable, a message that is inoffensive, and a Christ who fits neatly into our suburban sensibilities. But the Christ of the Scriptures is not a tame Christ, and the gospel He proclaims is not a suggestion box for societal improvement. It is a declaration of war. It is an invasion. And the passage before us this morning is nothing less than the commissioning of an advance team for that invasion.
Jesus sends out the seventy. This is not a random number. Moses appointed seventy elders to share his burden in governing Israel. The Sanhedrin was composed of seventy men. This is the number of the nations listed in Genesis 10. Jesus is signaling that He is establishing a new government, a new world order, and that this new order is not just for the Jews, but for all the nations of the earth. He is sending out the leadership of this new kingdom to announce its arrival.
But look at their marching orders. They are to be lambs among wolves. They are to travel light, dependent entirely on the provision of God through His people. They are to be agents of peace, but a peace that has teeth, a peace that divides and distinguishes. Their message is simple and stark: "The kingdom of God has come near to you." This is not an offer; it is an announcement. It is a statement of fact, like announcing that the sun has risen. You can either adjust your life to that reality, or you can pull the blankets over your head and pretend it is still night. But your preference does not alter the fact. The kingdom is here. And how a town, a household, or an individual responds to these ambassadors determines their eternal destiny. This is not a public relations tour. This is a summons to surrender, and it comes with blessings for the compliant and terrifying woes for the defiant.
We must therefore disabuse ourselves of the notion that Christian evangelism is about being nice. It is about being faithful. It is about proclaiming the truth of King Jesus, a truth that brings peace to the sons of peace and a fearful judgment to the sons of disobedience. This is offensive hospitality. We throw the doors open and say, "Peace be to this house," but the peace we offer is the peace of the King, which requires submission to the King. And if they refuse the King, they refuse the peace, and they get the alternative.
The Text
Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go! Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the way. Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house. And whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But in whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off against you; yet know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand.’ I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades! The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me. And he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”
(Luke 10:1-16 LSB)
The Great Commission Before the Commission (vv. 1-2)
We begin with the appointment and the central problem.
"Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, 'The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.'" (Luke 10:1-2)
Jesus appoints and sends. This is a sovereign act. The mission does not originate with the disciples' bright ideas or a committee meeting. It originates in the will of the Lord. He is the Lord of the harvest. He sends them out in pairs, which speaks of fellowship, accountability, and the legal requirement of two witnesses. They are sent ahead of Him, preparing the way. This is the task of the church in every generation: we are the heralds who go into the world to announce that the King is coming.
And the situation is this: the harvest is plentiful. This is a statement of glorious, postmillennial optimism. Jesus does not see the world as a barren wasteland with a few scattered stalks of wheat to be snatched from the fire. He sees a vast, ripe harvest field. The problem is not with the field; the problem is a labor shortage. The world is ripe for conversion. There are millions of souls ready to be gathered into the kingdom.
So what is the solution to the labor shortage? It is not a better marketing strategy, or more contemporary music, or a slicker church program. The solution is prayer. "Pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest." Notice the glorious collision of divine sovereignty and human responsibility. God is the Lord of the harvest. He owns it, He controls it, He brings it to fruition. Yet, He has ordained that the instrument He uses to send out workers is the earnest prayer of His people. We are commanded to beg the sovereign Lord to do what He already intends to do. This is because prayer is not about informing God or changing His mind. Prayer is the assigned duty of the saints; it is how God has chosen to link our wills to His. If you are not praying for laborers, you are part of the problem.
The Lambs and the Wolves (vv. 3-4)
Next, Jesus gives them their paradoxical commission and their travel instructions.
"Go! Behold, I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one on the way." (Luke 10:3-4 LSB)
The command is a sharp, urgent "Go!" And the mission field is a dangerous place. Lambs among wolves. This is not a picture of weakness, but of a different kind of power. The world operates by the principle of wolf-eats-lamb. Might makes right. But the kingdom operates on a different principle entirely. The Lamb of God conquered the roaring lion of hell by being slain. The power of the church is not in her political clout or her financial resources, but in her faithful, sacrificial witness. We conquer by dying. We win by being willing to be eaten. This is foolishness to the world, but it is the power of God.
Because their trust is not in worldly power, they are to travel light. No money, no extra bag, not even a spare pair of sandals. This is a radical dependency on God. God will provide for His ambassadors through His people. This is also a lesson in urgency. "Greet no one on the way." This doesn't mean they were to be rude. The customary greetings in that culture were lengthy, elaborate affairs. Jesus is saying, "This mission is too important for dawdling. Don't get sidetracked by trivialities. Stay focused." The world is dying, the harvest is ripe, and we are strolling along as though we have all the time in the world. We do not.
The Peace that Divides (vv. 5-7)
Here we see the nature of the gospel offer and the means of the laborers' support.
"Whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him, but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they give you; for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not keep moving from house to house." (Luke 10:5-7 LSB)
The greeting is "Peace be to this house." This is not a sentimental "hope you have a nice day." Shalom, peace, means comprehensive flourishing under the blessing of God. It is an offer of reconciliation with God through the Prince of Peace. But notice, the peace is conditional. It rests only upon a "man of peace," or a "son of peace." This is someone whom God has prepared to receive the message. If the household rejects the message, the peace does not hang in the air; it returns to the ambassador. The gospel is a sword that divides. It creates peace where it is received and it confirms judgment where it is rejected. It is never neutral.
And where they are received, they are to stay. They are to eat and drink whatever is set before them. This is a command to practice a certain kind of humility and to break down cultural and ceremonial barriers. More than that, it is the foundation for the church's support of its ministers. "The laborer is worthy of his wages." Ministry is work, and those who do the work of the gospel are to be supported by the people of the gospel. This is not charity; it is a wage. And they are not to "keep moving from house to house," seeking better accommodations or more prestigious hosts. They are to be content with the provision God makes for them, focusing on the work, not the perks.
The Kingdom Announcement and the Dust of Judgment (vv. 8-12)
Jesus now broadens the instructions from the household to the city, and the stakes are raised.
"And whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is set before you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ But in whatever city you enter and they do not receive you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your city which clings to our feet we wipe off against you; yet know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand.’ I say to you, it will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city." (Luke 10:8-12 LSB)
Where they are received, the ministry has two parts. First, deeds of mercy: "heal those in it who are sick." The gospel is not just a disembodied idea; it has physical, tangible consequences. The kingdom brings healing and restoration in its wake. Second, the verbal proclamation: "The kingdom of God has come near to you." The miracles attest to the message, but they are not the message itself. The message is that God's rule and reign has invaded human history in the person of Jesus Christ.
But what if they are not received? The response is not to argue, or plead, or try a different approach. The response is a solemn, prophetic act of judgment. They are to wipe the very dust of that city from their feet. This is a formal disassociation. It says, "We take nothing from you. We leave you to your rebellion and its consequences." It is a symbolic act that declares the city is now under God's judgment, like a pagan city outside the covenant. And notice the message is the same in both cases. To the receptive city, "The kingdom has come near." To the rebellious city, "Know this, that the kingdom of God is at hand." The arrival of the kingdom is a fact, whether it is a blessing or a curse depends entirely on the reception.
And the consequence is terrifying. "It will be more tolerable in that day for Sodom than for that city." Why Sodom? Because Sodom was the biblical epitome of pagan depravity. Yet Jesus says that to reject the light of the gospel is a greater sin than the vilest paganism. To have the King's ambassadors at your gate and to turn them away is to incur a greater wrath than those who sinned in gross darkness. Privilege brings responsibility, and the rejection of great light brings great condemnation.
The Woes of Familiarity (vv. 13-16)
Jesus now applies this principle directly to the Galilean cities that had been the center of His ministry.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles had been performed in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You will be brought down to Hades! The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me. And he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me." (Luke 10:13-16 LSB)
Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum. These were not pagan cities. These were the towns where Jesus had walked, taught, and healed. They had front-row seats to the Messiah's ministry. They saw the miracles. They heard the sermons. And they did not repent. Familiarity had bred contempt. They had been inoculated with a mild case of Jesus, just enough to make them immune to the real thing.
Jesus compares them to Tyre and Sidon, wicked pagan port cities. He says that if those pagans had seen what Chorazin and Bethsaida saw, they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes. This is a staggering indictment. The very light that was meant to save them became the grounds of their deeper condemnation. Capernaum, which had been His headquarters, had aspirations of being "exalted to heaven." But because of its unbelief, it would be "brought down to Hades." There is no place more dangerous to be than in a church or a community that is saturated with the sights and sounds of the gospel but remains untouched and unrepentant in its heart.
Jesus concludes by establishing the absolute authority of His ambassadors. "The one who listens to you listens to Me." To receive the seventy was to receive Jesus. To reject them was to reject Jesus. And because Jesus is the Father's ambassador, to reject Him is to reject God the Father Himself. There is no middle ground. There is no option for a vague, generic spirituality. You either receive the King through His duly appointed representatives, or you reject the entire chain of command, from the seventy all the way up to the throne of God. The message is clear: the kingdom is here. The King has sent His heralds. How you treat them is how you treat Him. And that determines everything.