Grace to you and peace from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
One of the first things I learned in my former professional career in the hotel industry is that building relationships is vitally important for a business to succeed. And some individuals in these professional relationships have become personal and lifelong friends. My wife and I had a professional relationship before we had a personal one. Connie was a guest of the hotel (where I was working) escorting a group of travel agents on a familiarization tour; it was my job to greet and welcome them to the hotel—show some hospitality.
In our first reading this morning, Isaiah foresees the kingdom restored after the exile in Babylon—there will be comfort, rejoicing, abundance, and prosperity. This prophecy was fulfilled when God's people returned to Israel.
In the Gospel reading today, Luke talks about the ministry of Jesus and his disciples and tells of a new and even more desirable kingdom of God at hand.
To our experience though, when we think of having comfort, abundance, or prosperity, we usually think in terms of larger incomes, bigger homes, nicer cars, more frequent vacations. . . . the list goes on.
Both Isaiah and Jesus announce that God is bringing about a kingdom where abundance is measured not by possessions but by the quality of our relationships.
In Chapter 9 Luke talks about Jesus and his journey; that is, his journey to Jerusalem. In Chapter 10 we hear about Jesus’ sending out seventy disciples ahead of him, and he prepares them for what they are about to experience. Jesus tells them the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few—and the risks are great: “I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves.”
He tells them to carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and salute no one on the road. The only comfort he gave them was to send them out in pairs. Wow, these disciples really had to trust in the hospitality of others!
Jesus continues, saying, “and remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages; do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near’.”
Several questions came to mind as I read this passage: the first—why seventy? And, secondly, why is he advising his disciples to be so discriminating in accepting hospitality on the journey?
I found the answer to the seventy. The number seventy is symbolic. The mission of the twelve disciples represents the Church's mission to twelve tribes of Israel. The mission of the seventy refers to the nations of the world which, according to Jewish tradition, numbered seventy. But he paired them in twos. So, I reasoned that Jesus knew not everyone would be hospitable toward them and probably figured 35 pairs would be enough.
As far as being discriminating in accepting hospitality on the journey, I cannot help but think they had some reservations about this journey. I would have had some reservations about taking this journey. My first thought was “pack nothing?”—what about their comfort? What about the compatibility with the person they were traveling with? Are they not threatened by the loss of control or the ability to make choices?
As to why they should be so discriminating with those they encounter. it has to do with Jesus' mission on his journey to Jerusalem. He is sending these disciples out to prepare for his journey and to find those who are ready to listen to his teachings and to follow him. These seventy had already made their own decision to follow Jesus and to accept the consequences of that decision. They stepped out in faith.
I have read one commentator who once observed that, as Luke tells it, Jesus is either on his way to eat, eating, or just leaving the table. This is an overstatement, of course, but it does point out that table hospitality is a theme in Luke. According to this gospel narrative, sharing a meal defines hospitality. As Luke tells it, however, the emphasis is on being a gracious recipient. Jesus knew that the best place to build these relationships was not on the road but in the homes of the people sharing a meal.
The seventy then returned with joy, saying to the Lord, “even the demons are subject to us in your name.” I believe that the joy in their voices came from the hospitality they received and the new relationships they formed. They found this hospitality inviting and motivating.
You see, the thing I was taught in the business world was that relationships are very important to the corporate strategy to succeed. The way we build these relationships is quite often over the hospitality of a meal. And at these meals we share not only about our business but also about our lives and what we value. And as we continue to talk, we begin to build a relationship that for some could last for years.
Jesus did not dictate to the seventy what to preach to those they shared hospitality with. Jesus knew that they would go out and build relationships with strangers and show their hosts the values that Jesus taught them. Being gracious and sharing these values was the teaching and preaching that took place. It is as true today. Being gracious and sharing your values with strangers is what we, as disciples of Christ, are called to do. Eating together and enjoying offered hospitality brings the Kingdom of God closer to us. It starts with hospitality—receiving guests with warmth and generosity.
For some, this is a hard thing to do. But you can start slow. In our congregational life, hospitality can mean a warm welcome for a visitor or sharing coffee with someone after worship. Sharing a meal might come later, after a few visits and becoming better acquainted.
Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem, and he invites us to walk with him. But more importantly, he is asking us to tell others so that they, too, might feel the hospitality and join in this relationship that we experience as this community of faith.
I recently came across a quote by Keith Wagner that I had heard many years ago ; I want to share it with you.
“We grow, not by preserving the past but by expanding outward.
We grow, not by building fences but by building bridges.
We grow, not by creating a museum but by creating new relationships.
Amen
Alan Budahl