After these things, the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go... All of this we have heard over and over again in what is a popular mission text. It occurs to me that we never mention the “these things” that took place before the Lord appointed the seventy-two and sent them forth in His name. So what exactly did Luke have in mind here?
Looking earlier in Luke’s Gospel, we see a decidedly mixed picture of successes and failures. Jesus foretells His death and the disciples do not get it and don’t want to hear about it. They are too busy arguing over who is best. Jesus puts a child in their midst and proceeds to tell them this child is greater than them all. Before the Lord has finished speaking, John complains that there are other disciples in competition with them. After Jesus announces that Jerusalem is their destination, they are at a Samaritan village where He is rejected because He has headed to Jerusalem and His destiny upon the cross. Then Jesus questions their loyalty and insists that those who would follow Him cannot be distracted even by the dead but must leave everything behind to follow Him. Then Jesus insists that those with regrets have no place among His disciples. Then Jesus sends out the seventy-two.
Really, it is a wonder there was anyone left to send out – much less seventy-two. Following Jesus and being sent forth in His name does not sound all that appealing, does it? It might be as bad as trying to find people to volunteer for the worst jobs at church. If you follow this out, it is a wonder anyone believes and an even greater wonder that anyone would want to serve the Lord as a Pastor!
The reality is that the ministry is not a plum job and the Christian’s life in the world is no easy or sweet path. If you are looking for a job that returns as much as it asks of you, discipleship and church work are not your calling. If you are looking for a job with comfortable hours and few emergencies, church work is probably not your calling. If you are looking for a job where you can make a difference in the world, church work is probably not your calling. The job is not about you or your timing or your convenience or your priorities. What it is about is the harvest. Jesus says so. The harvest is great but the laborers few – pray the Lord of the harvest for more laborers.
Sit in any Church Office and you quickly get the idea that what a pastor needs to be is a therapist to solve the personal and family conflicts of the world, a social worker to fix the plight of the vulnerable, the weak, and the oppressed, a life coach to help people kick their bad habits and learn good ones, a money man because nearly all of life’s problems can be fixed by money, right? But that is not what Jesus said nor what we need. We need pastors.
What makes sense to God is foolishness to the world. Men who will preach God’s Word. Who will absolve us of our sins. Who will baptize our babies. Who will teach the faith to our children. Who will feed us the body and blood of Christ. Who will visit the sick and the homebound. Who will bury our dead. Who will prepare us for the Last Day. Who will help us to realize our own baptismal calling to care for our families, to support the work of the Church, and to be a living witness to those we know and those we do not. It really matters not if the numbers are big or small, the people young or old, the work successful or not (by earthly terms) – it is not our Church but the Lord’s, the Lord’s harvest, and the Lord’s work.
This world and this life are fleeting. The days come and go too quickly – believe me I am more aware of this now than ever. In the blink of an eye your babies are adults and you are a senior citizen. In a moment all that you thought would last forever is gone, replaced by things you never imagined. The devil is a lion looking at you to be his lunch. Evil gets called good and good is called evil. Faith seems weak. Our lives in Christ always under attack. People of God, we do not need to be entertained or distracted or to have our egos fed. We need the Word of Life, the water of new birth, the voice that speaks away our sins, and the food that tastes of eternity. And we need those who will bring us these things in Christ’s name.
The harvest is white. It has always been white. It is not because this is a ripe or unique moment. It is because we are all sinners, all captive to death, and all live in a world where Satan rules. We need those who will address us with the Word of Life or Satan will own us and we will be alone in the day of judgment. The harvest is white because we are a people in need of what God in His mercy gives us in Christ. We need to be saved, to be redeemed, to be rescued, and to be delivered. This only Christ can do and He has chosen to do it through pastors. This ministry is an urgent calling. The Lord does not desire the death of any sinner but would that all would be saved and call upon His name.
That is why you need pastors and that is what pastors are here to do – here in Clarksville and in Mattoon.
No pastor is an entrepreneur. No pastor gets to run things for Jesus. No pastor has the freedom to decide what the people need or what they want. But every pastor has the unpleasant task of leading people where their sinful natures do not want to go. The apostles were given the words of the Lord to preach in His name. The seventy-two were given orders when the Lord sent them forth in His name. Pastor Ulrich was placed under those pastoral orders when he was ordained right here, before this altar, 7 years ago next week. It was given to me when 42 years ago this week I was ordained.
The one who hears faithful pastors, hears Jesus. Imagine that. It sounds prideful but it is how God works. And it does work. The Lord works through His Word and Sacraments. The demons cower, Satan falls, the world cannot hurt you. But do not get a big head. It always was and always will be Jesus at work in you and through you. This is true of the pastor who stands before the people of God now and the one who is soon to depart for another part of God’s vineyard. This is true of the husband and father who is spiritual head of his home. And it is true of the wife and mother who faithfully serves in that home. And it is true of the children who are nurtured in the Lord. And it is true of the aged whom we carry in their weakness. The work is the Lord’s, the results are the Lord’s, the glory is His also.
We do not rejoice because we get to see the fruits or the end results or because we think we have some personal achievement in the Lord’s work. We rejoice for only one reason. Whether pastor or people, our joy is the same. Our names are written in heaven in the ink of Christ’s blood. In the holy name of Jesus!
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