Jesus continued His journey, slow and purposeful, toward Jerusalem. While we saw in the last chapter several representative failures, we can be certain quite a few people did join Jesus' entourage. He planned a tour of some cities in Judea, much as He had done in Galilee with the Twelve.
This time, He selected from the new folks who joined His ministry, sending out seventy in teams of two. These would preach in various cities where He planned to make a stop later Himself. Judea was notably more difficult territory than Galilee for the message Jesus was bringing. There was a much higher likelihood of resistance from partisans and lawyers. Thus, He warned these preachers they were completely vulnerable to attacks, and this was by design. Going in pure faith, they were out to harvest, and to pray the Father raise up even more workers from their audience. The walk of faith would take hold in the hearts of some who heard, and they would not be able to hold back.
So what did this walk of faith look like? The focus of all activity was the message of the Kingdom. God would provide whatever was necessary. What was not provided was not needed. Learn to trust the Father for your everyday needs. Don't get wrapped up in your family ties or other social connections. This was not about investing time and effort in the affairs of this world, but the one above. It was about the Kingdom. Seek peace; offer peace. Don't make trouble where you aren't welcome, just move on. We aren't policemen. Results are not your concern, but your own obedience to the Father.
There were plenty of towns back in Galilee which did not take Jesus seriously: Chorazin, Capernaum, and Bethsaida -- all of which were close together. Jesus spent most of His time in that area at first, but apparently got rather poor results. On a human level, that was likely because He was there so much of the time; Capernaum was His home base. Yet a critical element in His teaching was not to rely on human ways and means of judging things. When the Final Judgment came, those cities would come in for special attention -- negative attention -- and fare worse than places notoriously vile and sinful.
The initial wave of seventy came back, rejoicing at the power they found over demons in Jesus' name. He remarked how the fall of Satan was quite sudden and noticeable. Indeed, all who served Satan among humans, referred to as serpents and scorpions, would be powerless before their faith. Yet, this authority over demonic powers was not that important. It was merely a tool. What mattered most was their recognition as citizens of Heaven.
Jesus found it altogether exciting to see the Father's plans coming together. Important to those plans was the revelation of faith and Spirit to those who didn't matter much in this world. On a human level, no one could grasp what it meant to be Son of God. Only those whose spirits were awakened by the touch of God could recognize what Jesus taught, could make use of it, could understand and obey it. For Jesus, it was an unspeakable delight to be the primary means to this final chapter in God's dealings with mankind before the End. To the Twelve, Jesus noted this was the culmination of every prophecy of old, and even kings had desired to see this Kingdom come to earth in just this way, with people able to obey God from the heart.
Compare this with those who clung to the dead ways of the Law, who were convinced they obeyed God better than others. In a discussion with a lawyer, Jesus was offered a standard challenge of orthodoxy. Jesus had no argument with Moses. The man quoted the standard sections of Moses (Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18), and it was actually a pretty good answer. Jesus said so. To justify pestering Jesus, the lawyer went a little further, asking Jesus to define the key term from this passage in Leviticus. Who is the "neighbor" we are to love as ourselves? Most readers would know Jews were clannish, and would not feel any concern for those who weren't Jews.
For answer, Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan. This bears none of the marks of a parable, so we should take it as an actual case history Jesus lays before this lawyer. The main route from Jerusalem to Jericho crossed the Kiddron Valley, up over the ridge of Mount Olives, then across some rough country, followed by a steep drop down into the Jordan Valley. It was the perfect place for bandits to hide and work. Many priests and Levites lived in Jericho, and it was no surprise to them to pass a victim of such banditry. But they broke the law by letting fear of bandits prevent them stopping to give aid. The Samaritan, no friend of the Jews, took the risk of helping a stranger. It didn't matter what nation the victim was, the man took care of him. After rendering first aid, he took the man to an inn, where standard services included minor nursing care of injured people in those days. The Samaritan traveler paid about what he expected it would cost, but allowed the innkeeper to hold him accountable for any extra costs which might arise.
Eternal life is not a game of having the right pedigree, which might be enhanced by adhering to rituals and customs. Jewish leaders were seldom nice people, having long ago built up a culture of looking out for self interests, and helping others only if there was some payoff involved. Only those inside the elite society were helped, and everyone else was on their own, fit for exploitation when possible. The Samaritan was an enemy of the Nation of Israel, but in the Kingdom of Heaven, the place of eternal life, he was a leading citizen. He gained this status by obeying the intent of the Law of Moses and showing mercy. Was not mercy in the Law, along with all the other stuff Jewish leaders claimed to obey and enforce? Whether the Samaritans had the true Law was not the question -- of course they didn't -- but at least one of them managed to obey the Jewish version better than pillars of Jewish society whose duty it was to teach the Law. The sins of Israel were manifestly obvious in her leaders.
At some point in Jesus' tour of Judea, He stopped off at a friend's home. The hostess was named Martha. At a minimum, this meant she was putting up Jesus and the Twelve, so we can safely assume she was well off, and had a larger home. As the hostess, she felt obliged to make everything perfect, nothing less than the best for this important rabbi and His chosen disciples. But her spirit was all wrong. Her concerns were strictly human and material, as if all this fussing about really mattered. It did not. When Martha insisted Jesus not allow her younger sister Mary to sit in on teaching sessions, but to bear her part in the household chores, Jesus corrected her. In gentle tones of a friend, Jesus pointed out He had not made the demand for services Martha felt necessary. Martha demanded them. Mary, on the other hand, was much more interested in the guest Himself, and what He had to say.
Again, Luke provides a series of encounters showing the vast difference between the ways of men and the ways of the Spirit. The Kingdom business can not be found in mere social customs, even the customs of serving. The Kingdom was not found in superficial obedience to corrupt readings of Moses. It was not even found chasing demons out of town. It was found in a spirit touched by God Almighty, which then allowed all those other concerns to take their proper place as tools granted by God to servants on His business.
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By Ed Hurst
09 August 2008
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