More Harvest Thoughts

Vivian gently reminded me in her reply to my post last week that there is a third place where Jesus references the "harvest." It is actually an "almost parallel" passage to the Matthew 9:37-38, but it's in the context of Jesus sending out the 70 (72) in Luke 10:1-12. And this passage conveniently allows me to re-emphasize what I said last week about reaching the harvest via demonstration and community.

As in Matthew 9 (and its parallel in Luke 9), the instructions Jesus gives those He sends out clearly reveal that He intended the message of the Kingdom to be demonstrated in power ("Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand.'"). Folks, as far as I can tell, the normal pattern in the NT for announcing the Good News of the Kingdom was demonstration by power and/or acts of kindness. I am fairly sure that if we put this into practice, we will indeed "reach the Harvest." Indeed, in many places in the world (I am thinking particularly of India), when all the principles in Luke 10 is put into the practice, the Kingdom of God advances with explosive power.

Notice, too, that the traveling community is again present in Luke 10. Jesus sends the workers out in pairs so that they can model what the community of the King looks like. This is far more important than we realize, I think, because as I have stated way too many times, the Good News is an invitation into intimacy with God and into a family. Any failure on our part to live out healthy community as we proclaim this news serves to undermine the very message we bring. I won't belabor this point here, but it is why Paul was so insistent that unity be lived out. The Gospel must be proclaimed from the midst of a loving community. And this has become even more urgent in our increasingly fragmented world.

I wish you could catch my passion for these two things! Power which reveals the Presence of the King and love which flows from the King through us are the two confirming factors in the advance of the Kingdom of God!

There is more in Luke 10, of course, including the importance of discovering a "person of peace" but I address most of that in Church At Its Simplest, which you can download from my website (see the link on the left side of this blog). A few things that I do not address in that article, though, are worth mentioning: a) Jesus sent these men to villages He was planning to visit (this has interesting implications about hearing His voice, eh?). b) Jesus sent these men in a manner that caused them to model the life of dependence that is part of living in God's Kingdom (no extra clothes, etc.). c) Jesus didn't send all of His followers out (Martha, Mary and Lazarus, for example, probably didn't go). My point here is that not everyone is an apostle--something I have mentioned before. d) When they returned, marveling the power demonstrations they had seen, Jesus put things back into the perspective of being loved children of Abba (Luke 10:17-20).

Enough said for this week. I again welcome your thoughts. Much of what I write here is just part of what I need to say. Pray for me as I begin to assemble much of what Papa is showing me into book form!

Stay lost in His love, linked to His family,

Tom, one of Abba's little boys