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Today’s Gospel talks about radical gift and radical receptivity. Jesus sends 72 disciples out to proclaim the kingdom of heaven to every town and place He intended to visit. (The first thing I noticed is that 72 is greater than 12. Hey may have included the 12 in this crew, but there was way more of them too. This testifies that Jesus had many followers and that He trusted them to go out, cure the sick, and proclaim the Kingdom… so He probably trusts you to go out too ;-)) This commissioning of the 72 is truly a very big ask. He’s asking them to trust completely on His providence. “Carry no money bag, no sack no sandals; … Eat and drink what is offered to you.” In order to trust this profoundly in divine providence, you have to surrender your own will, your anxieties, your very self. Jesus is asking for a radical gift of these 72.
I want to focus for a moment also on the people that they go to. Even though Jesus is talking to His missionaries, I believe the focus of this passage are the townspeople. The missionaries go out and God expects them to be welcomed as He Himself would be welcomed. “Whatever you did for the least of these you did for Me.” But what does Jesus say about those towns that do not receive them? “It will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day than for that town.” The thing about the Gospel is that it’s written for you. You have a place in every parable and in every story. Jesus is saying that He will send people for you. How will you respond? Will you welcome Jesus into your home? Or will the dust be shaken off against you?
-Amanda Benner, Director of Evangelization