The Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. “Carry no money-bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Into whatever house you enter, first say: ‘Peace to this household…’ Cure the sick and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’” Luke 10: 1-12, 17-20
The writer and Scripture scholar, Jay Cormier tells the following story about a Chinese woman who lost her only son through illness. In her grief, she took herself to a monk who was renowned for his holiness and good works: “What prayers and incantations do you have that will bring my son back to me?” The monk did not dismiss her. He simply sent her off with an instruction: “Come back with a mustard seed from a home that has never experienced sorrow. We will use the seed to drive your sorrow away.” The woman set off at once, taking up her search for the magical mustard seed. The first place she came to was a splendid mansion. She paused and knocked. When the door was opened, she said quietly: “I’m looking for a home whose residents have never experienced sorrow? Is this such a place? It’s very important to me.” “You’ve certainly come to the wrong place”, answered the woman who had opened the door. And she proceeded to describe to the new-comer a succession of tragedies that had befallen the family members who had lived there. The visitor said to herself: “Who is better able to help this poor, unfortunate family than I who have had misfortune of my own?” So, she stayed and offered all the help and comfort she could. She then continued on her search for a home that had not experienced sorrow. But wherever she stopped, whether at palaces or hovels, she heard only tales of sorrow or misfortune, one after another. Eventually, she became so involved in reaching out to other people in their grief that she forgot her quest for the magical mustard seed, without realising that, in her compassionate outreach to others, she had been in possession of the “magic” seed all along. (Jay Cormier, Table Talk, Year C, New City Press, NY, 2009, p. 151)
Today’s gospel-reading provides us with an account of how Jesus’ earliest disciples embarked on their search for the “magic” mustard seed. Their searching is meant to be a catalyst for ours. It is meant to galvanise us to bring the message of God’s mercy, love and compassion to everyone we encounter through practical action that reflects the mercy, compassion and love of God.
The same prompt is directed to us repeatedly. In fact, it is coded, in some shape or other, into every gospel-reading we hear. It has also been repeated in exhortations to us from all the Popes we have known. Near the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul II released a document with the grandiose title Apostolicam Actuositatem (Apostolic Action) in which he pointed out that the work of proclaiming the message of Jesus through action belongs to every baptised member of the Christian community, not just to priests and members of female and male Religious Orders and Congregations. In one of the early paragraphs of that document, Pope Paul stated: “There are innumerable opportunities open to lay women and men for the exercise of their apostolate of evangelization and sanctification. The very testimony of their Christian life and good works done in the spirit of Jesus has the power to draw others to trust and belief in God; for the Lord says: “Even so, let your light shine before others in order that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven”“(Matt. 5:16).
Today’s First Reading from Isaiah complements the gospel-reading in that it clearly twins the agenda which Jesus gave the seventy-two disciples. He directed those disciples to go out with a sense of urgency to proclaim the arrival and presence of the reign of God. Some 700 years earlier, the Prophet Isaiah had proclaimed that the only way for humanity to flourish and to live in harmony and peace with one another would be to live keenly aware that they were surrounded and nurtured by God’s love.
There were no beg-pardons about the directions Jesus gave his disciples: they were to go unencumbered, free of paraphernalia, and with no security belt or ministry manual. They could expect rejection but without seeking retribution. They were to let things be and move on without grievance to the next opportunity. Their clearest message would be the manner in which they engaged with others, not ramming messages down their throats, but by simply being present to them, reaching out with healing, tolerance, compassion and non-judgemental presence. These days, we would call that a ministry of presence, being present to God present in every situation that arose and in every person encountered. The manner in which they would live and relate would make them attractive to those with whom they engaged and prepare the way for them to proclaim the love and coming of God.
The story of the sending of the seventy-two disciples builds on Luke’s account of the sending of the twelve Apostles in chapter 9 of his Gospel. The former was Luke’s way of stating that Jesus’s mission was first to his own people. – 12 Apostles sent to each of the 12 tribes of Israel. The 72 disciples were so numbered to match the belief that the whole world consisted of 72 nations. Jesus had come to realise that the kingdom of God, the message of God’s love, compassion and mercy was for the whole of humanity. (NOTE: A close reading of Genesis chapter 10 will reveal that the descendants of Japheth, Ham and Sham, Noah’s three sons, grew into approximately 70 different nations which spread out to Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Other ancient manuscripts list the number as 72, while some translations of Luke’s Gospel refer to Jesus sending out 70 disciples.) In briefing the 72, Jesus stressed to them the importance to go out unencumbered, thereby underlining the truth that their best equipment would be their message about the arrival of the kingdom of God, reinforced by the quality of their presence to the people with whom they would engage. He added a cautionary note to not allow themselves to be carried away by their success, as it would be due to God’s power at work through them rather than attributable to their skill or efforts. He reinforced that message by stating that no earthly or even satanic power would ever be equal to the power of Christ at work through his appointed emissaries.
One final puzzling aspect of Jesus’ instructions was his telling the 72 not to waste time in chatting to those they would run into along the way. I dare to suggest that such might have been one of Luke’s additions for his community who believed that the Second coming of Christ and the end of the world were imminent. Consequently, there was no time to waste in proclaiming the arrival of the reign of God. Together, today’s readings are an excellent tutorial for us on our discipleship responsibility.