“A test run”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Tuesday, October 22, 2024
Luke 10: 1-16 (Forward, p. 85) CEV p. 1072
In the world of engineering, it is essential to have a test run of a product, to put it to a test, prior to putting it out there, putting it to widespread use. Thus, a space rocket to be used to transport humans is given a test run long before it is used for any human cargo. And likewise, any health product—a skin cream, for instance—is thoroughly tested. And, in like manner, an automobile prototype is tested ran prior to full-scale production. And, in the case of the disastrous and ill-fated voyage of the Titanic, the ship would never have been launched had its steel been tested for brittleness, for the steel used for its hull turned out to be woefully substandard and prone to shatter upon impact.
It is evident that Jesus believed very strongly in this sort of thing, for twice His sent out His followers on some sort of ‘test run’ (the Twelve in chapter 9 and now seventy—or seventy-two in this chapter). So, what was His purpose in so doing? We are never told outright, but let me make some suggestions:
a) On the earlier occasion, the Twelve were commissioned to both heal the sick and possessed and to tell people about God’s kingdom. Here, in today’s passage, the emphasis seems to be on the latter. Either way, it was a great on the ground, hands-on kind of learning experience. They found out, firsthand, that they could do it, and that, with Jesus ‘holding their hand’, as it were, with Jesus there beside them. It would have been a great confidence booster.
b) With reference to this second ‘job description’, there is an interesting side note: they were to go to every town and village where Jesus Himself would later go. So, in a sense, they were like a kind of advance party, later day John the Baptists, and presumably essential to Jesus’ later work. (A message is easier to ‘take in’ if the ‘ground’ has been prepared. It isn’t entirely new.)
c) In both instances, these missions trips were excellent tests of faith, for they were expected to depend entirely on the good will of those that they ministered to—no advance planning and no meticulous stockpiling of things they’d need for the trip. They were to travel light and count on God—or others—to provide.
d) And, they were to learn, first-hand if you will, both about success and about rejection, and how to deal with each of them. This too would be an important life lesson, an important aspect of their ‘test run’.
So, what about us? Does God also send us out? I certainly think so. And while He may on occasion call us to be agents of healing or restoration—as in the first group-- I think that more often we are like those in the second group. That is, we are called to proclaim the Good News of God’s kingdom, by word and by action. So then, there is a question: can God see or hear that kingdom in us? And maybe we don’t have to ‘go the whole way’, that is, be entirely responsible for bringing the person to faith or salvation. Maybe we, like them, or like John the Baptist, are merely planting the seed or preparing the soil for a later ‘visitation’ by Jesus. But, regardless of our role, regardless of how God decides to use us, we still need to trust His leading and His provision. Thanks be to God.
Forward notes: “He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Go on your way’” (verses 2-3a).
“In 2019, I was given the task of planting a church. At one point, I was overwhelmed: I didn’t know where to begin or what to do. The instructions Jesus gives here are so simple, plain, and easy. It’s so easy that it feels incredibly difficult to do. Jesus asks his disciples to live a simple life, rely on the generosity of others, and get to know and engage the people in their community.
“I was overthinking the first few steps of starting a church. I spent so much time asking God, ‘What do you want me to do?’ when the answer was simple: Go and meet people. Engage them. Get to know them. Break bread. Share stories. Love God and love your neighbour. It seemed so simple that it felt like it couldn’t be from God. Interestingly, if God gave me something difficult, I’d think, ‘Oh yeah, this is hard; it must be from God.’ More often than not, the invitations from God are simple.”
Moving Forward: “Forward Movement donates resources to prisons, hospitals, and nursing homes. Support this ministry by scanning the QR code inside the front cover.”