Introduction
Today’s Gospel follows right on the heels of the Gospel that we heard last week.
As a reminder last week we heard that Jesus and the disciples entered into a village in Samaria and were rejected because Jesus’ face was set on Jerusalem. James and John, who are fearful for Jesus’ life and wanting to protect him and hold onto him, wanted to condemn the village that rejected Jesus asking if they should call down fire from the heavens to destroy them. Instead, Jesus and the disciples just continued on their way. And on the way, they met a few travelers who all wanted to join Jesus, but Jesus told them that their whole heart and mind would need to be devoted to following him and they couldn’t turn back.
So, with that context we get today’s Gospel.
Today’s Text
Just after several disciples have tried to hold onto Jesus. Just after they have experienced rejection. Amid a whole host of tension and conflict, Jesus picks seventy others to go out in twos to every town and place where he himself intended to go. Not just the twelve closest disciples, but seventy others (a wider circle of followers) are sent out. This isn’t an elite mission. It’s a communal one. All seventy of them, sent away from the physical presence of Jesus to go and spread the Good News of God.
Jesus knowing that the disciples are trying to hold on to him, sends them away.
Leaving the Nest
Recently, Sarah and I have been seeing birds drop out of trees around our backyard. They come crashing down with a thud and just stay in the backyard until they start hopping around. At first, we were seriously concerned. We were wondering if maybe something was going around, the bird flu perhaps. But we saw that the birds were robins and did a little research.
Robins jump, or are forced to jump, out of the nest around 13 days after they hatch. Before they can fly. And the reason is they need to practice. They need a safe place in order practice spreading their wings and building up their strength to fly on their own. So, they are kicked out of the nest, and they hop around until they build enough strength to fly on their own.
Of course, not everywhere is totally safe. There are dangers anywhere when a bird is so young and vulnerable. Luckily our dog, Henri, seems to want to nurture the birds and not eat them. But that’s not the case in every backyard. Those are the dangers of being sent out into the world before being fully ready. There are predators. There are long falls. There are bad things to eat. But even those dangers are practice. Practice in identifying predators. Practice in identifying good food. Practice in getting away if needed. They need to leave the nest. Because soon, the birds will have to be on their own. The Mother will need to go off on her own too. The protective setting of the nest does not last long.
The Disciples are forced out of the Nest
In many ways, this is what is happening here in the Gospel text. Jesus is kicking the disciples out of the nest. One because they are holding on too tightly and need to learn that they can do this work among themselves. But they need practice.
So, they are kicked out of the nest to practice. Practice spreading the Good News. Practice feeding and healing people. Practice going to new towns and cities. Seeing different cultures and perspectives. But also, practice getting rejected. Meeting folks who won’t be receptive to the message.
Because one day Jesus won’t be there anymore. And on that day, they will need to fly on their own. Continuing the mission that he started. And in that time, ministry will not always be easy. The disciples too will face rejection, fear, and suspicion. They will encounter new cultures, different perspectives, and things that make them uncomfortable and uncertain.
So, Jesus kicks them out of the nest. Telling them to bring nothing with them. To rely on the hospitality of others but also to anticipate that they might not be welcomed with open arms.
They will be equipped only with a partner, with Christ’s peace, and the Word of God. And so, they set out. And when they return, they report that things happened as Jesus said. 17The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”
Jesus’ clever plan to kick them out of the nest worked. They went out into the world, and it wasn’t so bad. In fact, it was a joy.
They feel confident in their ministry. They feel confident in sharing the Good News in the Gospel. They feel confident going out into the world and meeting new people. They feel confident in knowing that there is hospitality to be found. They feel confident that they can bounce back after being rejected.
How many of us would feel confident in doing this today? What if Jesus sent us out in pairs all over the region, with no purse, wallet, or car, without our phones for contacts or gps? And most importantly, how would you feel trusting in the hospitality of others?
Preaching Possibilities
Self-Reliance or Trust?
And that’s the major point of this Gospel. The disciples had to fully trust in the hospitality of others for everything. Food, shelter, water, and any comfort.
How foreign is that for us today?
Honestly, we live in a society that prides self-reliance above all things. Being able to care for yourself and your family without any help at all. To accept any form of “charity” is an insult. We should be self-reliant. Self-sufficient. When invited over for dinner at someone’s house the proper response is not just “thank you” but it is “what can I bring?” because at least then it’s more transactional. Even our hospitality can be transactional. We’re more comfortable as hosts than as guests, because being a guest means being vulnerable, dependent, and unguarded.
In this society, where self-reliance is prided above all else, we aren’t supposed to need anything from someone else.
To oversimplify the hope of our Independence back in 1776, the dream of many of our founding fathers was a sort of isolated independence. To own a big home on a plantation where they could be fully self-sufficient, with their family, servants, and slaves… (notice the irony there). Where they could be fully “self-sufficient” far away from everyone else.
But Jesus sends the disciples out into the world with nothing. Relying only on the hospitality of others. Why?
Because while we may need to be kicked out of the nest sometimes to learn and practice how to live in the world, we were not created to be alone. God breathed life into two people so that we would not be alone. We were built for community. We need community. We need help. We need hospitality. And we will need to go out into the world to give and receive it. And that takes practice.
Jesus knows that as the disciples are holding onto him and missing a connection point. So, he needs to send them into the world, kick them out of the nest to experience some of the goodness of this world. The hope and joy that is found in being in community. Different and diverse communities. To learn that they cannot only rely on themselves, but in this world to find joy and to find the fullness of the love of God, we need community.
We Need to Lean into Community Now
The truth is, we’re going to need each other in the days ahead. We’re going to need to trust one another. We’re going to need community.
As we navigate financial uncertainty, as conflicts escalate across the globe, as our divided government stalls and fractures, as legislation threatens access to healthcare, nutrition, and addiction treatment…
As the rights of trans and LGBTQ+ folks are erased with the stroke of a pen, as our immigrant neighbors live in daily fear, as mental health spirals to new lows…
And through the everyday struggles of life and death… people are going to be in need of community.
The temptation will be to rest blame on others. Blaming the other political party for the crises. Blaming the addict for their use. Blaming the other countries for their conflicts. Blaming the doctors for those prescriptions. Blaming people for relying on welfare and social security.
But while blame is flying, real people (some of us) will be in need.
In need of work. In need of housing. In need of a place to rest our grief. A place to process what we’re carrying. A place to be held.
While society will push to divide and continue proclaim the superiority of self-reliance, Jesus shouts against that.
It is only in community where we will thrive.
Later in this Gospel of Luke (22:35), right before the passion and Jesus’ being arrested, Jesus asks the disciples about this experience. 35He said to them, “When I sent you out without a purse, bag, or sandals, did you lack anything?” They said, “No, not a thing.”
“No, not a thing.”
Beloved, there will be a temptation in these days to hold onto self-reliance, to move toward isolation, and to hold onto what we have and the places of comfort. But Jesus is relying on us to rely on each other.
We are called to build community at this time. We are called to experience and give hospitality to those we encounter. We are called to be kicked out of the nest and into the community of God.
For when we trust in the beloved community, we will not lack anything, not one thing. May we trust in the promises of God and trust in the community of Christ in these times.
Micah Krey 
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