Blog:"and greet no one along the way"

A dusty road on the way to somewhere (Somalia, Wikipedia)

From the Book of Luke, Chapter 10:

The Mission of the Seventy-two.

After this the Lord appointed seventy[-two] others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. He said to them, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.

Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals; and greet no one along the way. Into whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this household.’ If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you.

An Ordination Mass

Jesus and the 12 apostles in Domus Galileae

At our Arlington (Virginia) Diocese Ordination Mass, June 1, 2024, Bishop Burbidge advised the new priests to follow the Lord's instructions to the Seventy-Two (disciples) to "carry no" things, which is appropriate for the mission of a new priest: your job must not be burdened by the world, so leave it behind.

The rest of the passage is equally clear and powerful for the priestly mission,

"If a peaceful person lives there, your peace will rest on him; but if not, it will return to you."

But what of this command --

and greet no one along the way. Aren't they supposed to spread the Gospel? Why not yell out the Good News at every passerby?

Extending the Mission from Jews to Gentiles

The USCCB NAB online Bible offers a brief footnote explanation that the instruction was so that "even customary greetings should not distract from the fulfillment of the task" (Mt 10:4 fn). NetBible, a handy Biblical source, gives us a larger commentary (Luke 10 | Lumina (netbible.org)):

In ancient Near Eastern culture people often gave very long greetings that tied them up sometimes for days (cf. Judg. 19:4-9; 2 Kings 4:29). Jesus did not mean that His disciples should be unfriendly or unsociable but that they should not allow these greetings to divert them from their mission. They were to pursue their work and not waste their time on lesser things. (Constable)

Perhaps Jesus really did mean, "Don't get bogged down by extended ritualistic normative cultural protocols..."

Well...

Throughout Luke Chapters 9 and 10, Jesus prepares the disciples for their mission to follow, teaching them in hints and broad statements, in baby steps and practice on their own. Prior to "The Mission of the Seventy-Two," he similarly sent the Twelve (Lk 9:1-6; told in Mt 10:5-15 and Mk 6:7-13), whom he instructed to pronounce that "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt 10:7), across Jewish lands only; whereas the Seventy-Two also went into Samaria and "pagan territory."

70 Apostles (Byzantine icon, Wikipedia)

There is the thought that Luke's audience was Gentiles, and Matthew's Jews, thus the emphasis on the Seventy-Two in Luke, but it makes complete sense that Jesus would gradually extend the Good News, first within Jewish communities through the Apostles, then to Samaritans and pagans with a larger crew of disciples as he himself ventured into those areas. It also follows the pattern of fulfilling the Old Covenant for the Jews first, then extending it and the Gospel across the world.

So off went the Seventy-Two across paths that were likely full of unhospital encounters.

Travelers, wayfarers, and a fallen world

Literally, a "way" is the path between points A and B. Allegorically, a "way" is how to act, what to do, in order to get there. The early Church -- and it's so perfect -- was called literally and allegorically, "The Way", as Jesus is both "the way" to live our lives and "the way" to salvation.

While we may be situated in modes and places that expose us to spiritual dangers, it is in moving about, and, especially moving between circumstances, that we are especially vulnerable to the world's definitions upon us. Thus it is along "the way" that we often find ourselves getting in trouble. Literally, travel along a way has inherent uncertainty, and, as anyone who has traveled much can attest, the world of travelers can be rather unsavory. Travel means exposure to the world.

The Lord mentions the word "world" frequently, generally as a reference to creation and mankind or as the fallen "world" ruled by Satan. In Luke's version of the Temptation of Jesus,

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. (Lk 4:5)

The "world" is that which is not of Heaven and God. You know, where we live -- which is why Jesus instructs us to be like a beacon upon a mountain,

You are the light of the world. (Mt 5:14)

That lamp is not to be extinguished on its way up the hill. So, sending out of the Seventy-Two is preparation for the larger journey to follow Christ's Death and Resurrection, when the world will be much larger and far more dangerous. Jesus needs them to get ready, needs them to discern good from evil, and to wield the powers and protections of Faith.

"like lambs among wolves"

"behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves"

In the literal sense, bringing no money, bag, or sandals, and greeting no one, means just that. With the purpose to focus on the mission, our commentators tell us the why. But if we extend the directive allegorically, as did the Bishop at our Ordination Mass, there's a lot going on.

Just as traveling light means not carrying the burdens of the world, not greeting strangers on the road means not carrying on with the ways of the world. I'd like to take it even further, especially for priests: on your way to saving souls do not yourself get distracted by or entangled in the world's enticements. Certainly the warning about "wolves" is about those in the towns and villages who will reject the Good News -- but also about those they may meet along the way. We'll focus on the latter.

In 2 Cor 11:25-27, Saint Paul recounts the dangers of the ways to and of apostleship,

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I passed a night and a day on the deep; on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own race, dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many sleepless nights, through hunger and thirst, through frequent fastings, through cold and exposure.

As did Paul, the Seventy-Two had the Lord's protection and the Holy Spirit to guide them. Still, the whole point about Jesus, the name which means "God saves," is that we live in a fallen world. The disciples, and Paul, needed protection from it. With that protection, Jesus tells them,

Behold, I have given you the power ‘to tread upon serpents’ and scorpions and upon the full force of the enemy and nothing will harm you. (Lk 10:19)

Dangers on the road! (Martydom of Saints Erastus, Olympus, Rhodion, Sosipater, Quartus and Tertius (from the "Menologion of Basil II", a 10th-12th century Byzantine manuscript depicting the lives of the Saints, as well as the liturgical calendar and themes (Wikipedia)

The serpents, of course, are those cast upon the unfaithful Israelites in Num 21:6, saved only by looking up at the "bronze seraph" (serpent) upon the pole (Num 21:8-9) The serpent, or snake, has its clear biblical implications, literal and allegorical.

Scorpions, though, make an interesting reference. The Lord speaks in the Gospels of scorpions twice, and both in Luke, as here in Chapter 10, and again in Chapter 11 in a different metaphor to explain how the loving Father answers prayer:

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? (Lk 11:11-12)

Scorpions both hide beneath benign objects and blend-in with their environment. They are active at night, are opportunistic predators with voracious appetites, and they really hate one another. They're also inherently vicious looking, with that stinger always poised for attack. They make not just a dangerous pest but a perfect metaphor for a severe danger in a sinful world.

Scorpions take advantage of the mundane, lying in wait within it. Worse, they get into our stuff, and we can then carry them around, literally and figuratively, in our baggage. Extending the metaphor, then, if, say, we stop at an unfamiliar place for a beer along the way, we may be subjecting ourselves to an unknown danger. Not every rock has a scorpion, and not every pub offers worser enticements than a draft, but we can easily imagine how it could be, depending the given place. The Lord is telling the disciples to occasions that might lead to trouble and instead get on with the mission, as there will be trouble enough at the destination. So don't stop to say hi, and don't risk the snare, even if unlikely.

As the scorpion, so too does sin lurk within "occasions" which the Lord tells us to avoid at the cost of, say, an eye or a hand or a foot (Mk 9:43-47). With snakes, scorpions and wolves abounding the world about us, and with our own concupiscence leaning us in, the Lord knows we cannot avoid all dangers, thus, as he told the Twelve, and, surely, the Seventy-Two, as well (although unrecorded),

“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves." (Mt 10:16)

It is stunningly good advice.

Along the way to pronouncing that the kingdom of heaven is at hand, to curing illness and driving out demons, the disciples were not to get distracted, not to let themselves get caught up in conversations or situations that might distract or misdirect them.

A little personal missionary journey

Goodwill Tour 2013 Greyhound bus interior

My friend and I once journeyed across the Piedmont by Greyhound bus in order to meet people who could use a little help in the form of an envelope with some dollars in it, slipped quietly to the person if the story expressesd a genuine, little need. Across a week, we encountered wonderful people, sad people, scared people, and malicious people. This was before my conversion, so it was not, for me, proselytizing, and instead, simple charity. It was moreso that for my friend, who also wanted to "give away money to someone who won't be able to ask for more later"). Still, we were spreading cheer and good will that, I trust, some of those encounters are remembered still by those we met. I remember them all well. (Here for our blog from the trip: Goodwill Tour 2013.)

The satisfacton or hearing personal stories, helping out a little, and seeing a thankful smile or ray of hope enlighten a distressing day is inexplicably beautiful. I didn't know it at the time, but it is precisely what the Lord wants from us. We returned home exhausted and exhilerated from what was, truly, nothing -- zero -- like what the Seventy-Two experenced. They were sent by God himself to preach his very Word. Imagine!

As did the Twelve, the Seventy-Two "returned rejoicing" -- a vast understatement but one that can be understood: they were thrilled, exhilerated, happy, satisifed, filled with wonder -- and rejoiced in it. They,

returned rejoicing, and said, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us because of your name.” (Lk 10:17)

We don't know the details, although it's fun to think about -- who rejected them, who kicked them out of the synagogue or temple, who they healed, which demons they crushed, and how the name "Jesus" makes anything possible.

And that was without having stopped to talk to anyone along the way.

June 3, 2024 by Michael

St. Joseph, pray for us!

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