1 00:00:10,580 --> 00:00:16,840 Good morning. For those who do not know me, my 2 00:00:16,850 --> 00:00:19,600 name is Justin and I serve as one of the pastors here at Court 3 00:00:19,610 --> 00:00:21,740 Rights. And it is a privilege, as 4 00:00:21,750 --> 00:00:24,460 always, to be with you this morning. 5 00:00:26,560 --> 00:00:29,710 And it is good to be in a new chapter of Luke. 6 00:00:30,400 --> 00:00:36,760 We made it to Chapter 9, and as we turn to a new chapter, it 7 00:00:36,770 --> 00:00:41,260 feels like a good moment to just do a little recap of a whole 8 00:00:41,270 --> 00:00:45,380 bunch of remarkable things that Jesus has done so far in the 9 00:00:45,390 --> 00:00:47,420 book of Luke. And I promise this has a point 10 00:00:47,430 --> 00:00:50,760 to it. Some of them are healings, Some 11 00:00:50,770 --> 00:00:53,080 of them are the releasing of evil spirits. 12 00:00:53,090 --> 00:00:55,440 Some of them are just kind of noteworthy events that took 13 00:00:55,450 --> 00:00:58,060 place. So this is starting all the way 14 00:00:58,070 --> 00:01:02,720 back in like Luke chapter 4 when Jesus began his earthly 15 00:01:02,730 --> 00:01:06,230 ministry. So Jesus tested, was tested in 16 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:10,200 the wilderness by Satan. Jesus drove out an impure 17 00:01:10,210 --> 00:01:13,120 spirit. Jesus healed many in the region. 18 00:01:13,130 --> 00:01:15,590 Jesus then called his first disciples. 19 00:01:15,760 --> 00:01:19,830 Jesus heals a man with leprosy. Jesus forgives and heals A 20 00:01:19,840 --> 00:01:23,170 paralyzed man. Jesus calls Levi and eats with 21 00:01:23,180 --> 00:01:26,760 sinners. Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath and 22 00:01:26,770 --> 00:01:30,720 that's where he heals that man with the withered hands. 23 00:01:31,200 --> 00:01:35,750 Jesus teaches his Sermon on the Plane, which is a profound set 24 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:40,400 of teachings that is echoed also in Matthew in the Sermon on the 25 00:01:40,410 --> 00:01:43,430 Mount. Jesus heals the centurion 26 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,290 servants. Jesus raises the widow's son 27 00:01:46,300 --> 00:01:49,090 from the dead. Jesus forgives the sinful woman 28 00:01:49,100 --> 00:01:52,350 who anointed her. Jesus calms the storm in the Sea 29 00:01:52,360 --> 00:01:55,030 of Galilee. Jesus heals the man possessed 30 00:01:55,040 --> 00:01:58,170 with many demons. And then last week, Jesus heals 31 00:01:58,260 --> 00:02:02,750 the bleeding woman, and Jesus raises Gyrus's daughter from the 32 00:02:02,760 --> 00:02:06,290 dead. Now, what do we notice about all 33 00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:09,800 of these events? Who's doing all the work? 34 00:02:10,699 --> 00:02:11,930 Jesus. Yeah. 35 00:02:12,000 --> 00:02:13,610 It's like the Sunday School answer, right? 36 00:02:13,920 --> 00:02:19,400 Jesus. Jesus is obviously the focal 37 00:02:19,410 --> 00:02:21,980 point of the Gospels, so this makes sense that he be the one 38 00:02:21,990 --> 00:02:25,220 doing all this. But at some point, even Jesus 39 00:02:25,230 --> 00:02:29,640 knows that he has some of these earthly constraints, namely time 40 00:02:29,650 --> 00:02:33,260 and space. He cannot, unlike, say, God the 41 00:02:33,270 --> 00:02:34,760 Father, He cannot be everywhere at once. 42 00:02:34,770 --> 00:02:37,910 That is a constraint that was placed on Jesus in the 43 00:02:37,920 --> 00:02:40,730 incarnation. And he knows, even if the 44 00:02:40,740 --> 00:02:45,240 disciples don't know, that he only has so much time before the 45 00:02:45,250 --> 00:02:48,490 events that are to unfold when he is crucified. 46 00:02:49,590 --> 00:02:54,770 So in our passage today, Jesus begins the process of conferring 47 00:02:54,780 --> 00:02:58,040 power and authority to his disciples. 48 00:02:58,270 --> 00:03:02,220 This is an act that has special significance for them then 49 00:03:02,410 --> 00:03:06,820 obviously, but also for us now and today. 50 00:03:07,820 --> 00:03:13,970 Before we read, let me pray, Lord, would you open our hearts 51 00:03:13,980 --> 00:03:18,310 and minds by the power of Your Spirit this morning, that as the 52 00:03:18,320 --> 00:03:22,050 Scriptures are read and Your Word is proclaimed, that we may 53 00:03:22,060 --> 00:03:26,540 hear with joy what You are to say to us today. 54 00:03:28,170 --> 00:03:32,510 Amen. So this is Luke 9 starting at 55 00:03:32,520 --> 00:03:35,710 verse one, going through to the very beginning of 10. 56 00:03:37,620 --> 00:03:41,130 And I don't have any tech this morning because I got delayed 57 00:03:41,180 --> 00:03:43,090 for reasons I can share about later. 58 00:03:43,100 --> 00:03:47,010 But I was about to, I, you know, scheduled about 1/2 an hour to 59 00:03:47,020 --> 00:03:49,290 make some slides and then that half an hour went out the window 60 00:03:49,300 --> 00:03:51,630 for a particular reason, which I'll explain later. 61 00:03:52,840 --> 00:03:55,410 So no slides. So you use your Bible. 62 00:03:55,500 --> 00:03:57,490 There are Bibles at the back if you want 1. 63 00:03:57,760 --> 00:03:59,440 You can use your phone if you'd like. 64 00:04:01,590 --> 00:04:07,430 Whichever you prefer. So Luke and I, when Jesus had 65 00:04:07,440 --> 00:04:10,890 called the 12 together, he gave them power and authority to 66 00:04:10,900 --> 00:04:16,390 drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out 67 00:04:16,399 --> 00:04:19,269 to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 68 00:04:19,360 --> 00:04:23,530 He told them take nothing for the journey, no staff, no bag, 69 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:26,730 no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 70 00:04:27,280 --> 00:04:31,030 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 71 00:04:31,220 --> 00:04:34,490 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the 72 00:04:34,500 --> 00:04:38,270 dust off your feet as a testimony against them. 73 00:04:38,520 --> 00:04:41,630 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming 74 00:04:41,640 --> 00:04:44,630 the good news and healing people everywhere. 75 00:04:45,620 --> 00:04:49,450 Now Herod the Tetrarch heard about all that was going on, and 76 00:04:49,460 --> 00:04:52,030 he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been 77 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,570 raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and 78 00:04:55,580 --> 00:04:58,470 still others that some of the prophets of long ago had come 79 00:04:58,480 --> 00:05:01,630 back to life. But Herod said I'd beheaded 80 00:05:01,640 --> 00:05:04,940 John. Who then is this I hear such 81 00:05:04,950 --> 00:05:07,350 things about? And he tried to see him. 82 00:05:08,520 --> 00:05:13,950 When the apostles returned, they reported to Jesus what they have 83 00:05:13,960 --> 00:05:16,490 done. This is the word of the Lord. 84 00:05:18,820 --> 00:05:23,070 Thanks be to God, so many of us over the course of our lives. 85 00:05:23,080 --> 00:05:27,230 We go to school to learn, you know, high school, and then 86 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,910 perhaps afterward we go to college or university or an 87 00:05:31,920 --> 00:05:35,890 apprenticeship in the trades or to the workforce at some point. 88 00:05:36,000 --> 00:05:40,470 And in all of these, there is a component of training. 89 00:05:40,530 --> 00:05:42,890 You know, sometimes it's practical, sometimes it's more 90 00:05:42,980 --> 00:05:46,470 theoretical, philosophical. But at some point, as 91 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:54,110 apprentices of various kinds, we are let loose to go and do a 92 00:05:54,120 --> 00:05:55,810 good teacher. If they've done, they've done 93 00:05:55,820 --> 00:05:59,670 their job well, they will show both the why and the how. 94 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,300 They'll explain, they'll give the rationale behind the 95 00:06:02,310 --> 00:06:05,830 concepts and principles. They'll create a compelling case 96 00:06:05,880 --> 00:06:08,970 for this vocation that you've chosen and they'll give you the 97 00:06:08,980 --> 00:06:12,610 practical components and they'll even walk alongside you as you 98 00:06:12,620 --> 00:06:14,510 begin. They'll check the quality of 99 00:06:14,520 --> 00:06:17,390 your work and then make sure you've kind of understood all 100 00:06:17,400 --> 00:06:20,830 the right steps and procedures. There's a like a technical 101 00:06:20,840 --> 00:06:23,910 component to that, but there's also just a component of like, 102 00:06:23,920 --> 00:06:26,990 if, if I'm, you know, when I was, I think back to my, my 103 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:31,330 early ministry days, you know, I, I wrote a sermon and it was 104 00:06:31,340 --> 00:06:35,310 not good. And I had to show it to my, you 105 00:06:35,320 --> 00:06:38,070 know, my boss, who was actually my father-in-law, which was 106 00:06:38,080 --> 00:06:39,740 also, like, a little intimidating. 107 00:06:41,300 --> 00:06:43,670 And I had to be, OK. This is what I've got. 108 00:06:43,680 --> 00:06:45,510 Like, tell me where I've gone wrong. 109 00:06:45,560 --> 00:06:48,310 Tell me what I could improve, all that kind of stuff. 110 00:06:48,660 --> 00:06:52,470 It was like there was a process for learning and growing and 111 00:06:52,480 --> 00:06:57,660 changing. In many ways, the trajectory of 112 00:06:57,670 --> 00:07:02,360 the disciples is much like our own life and career trajectory 113 00:07:02,370 --> 00:07:05,850 where we learn and grow and apply principles and then are 114 00:07:05,860 --> 00:07:09,700 released to go and do. The disciples have been watching 115 00:07:09,710 --> 00:07:13,930 Jesus do all that Jesus does. All these healings and teachings 116 00:07:13,940 --> 00:07:16,790 are highlighted earlier, and they have been participating in 117 00:07:16,880 --> 00:07:20,530 conversation with Jesus and one another about all that they've 118 00:07:20,540 --> 00:07:23,560 seen and heard. These guys are now heavily 119 00:07:23,570 --> 00:07:25,540 invested in what's happening here. 120 00:07:25,550 --> 00:07:33,250 They are all in. They are by all accounts all in 121 00:07:33,340 --> 00:07:40,400 except maybe one of them. So season 9 verse one it says 122 00:07:40,530 --> 00:07:43,580 Jesus is called the 12 together. Now this is not really like 123 00:07:43,590 --> 00:07:45,860 crucial to the broader point, but it's interesting to consider 124 00:07:45,870 --> 00:07:49,860 that in all likelihood the disciples were not with Jesus at 125 00:07:49,870 --> 00:07:51,940 all times during their during his ministry. 126 00:07:51,950 --> 00:07:55,140 They'd likely go home for a few weeks at a time, tends to family 127 00:07:55,150 --> 00:07:58,760 matters back home. So Jesus calls them together and 128 00:07:58,770 --> 00:08:03,860 he confers power and authority to drive out demons and to heal. 129 00:08:04,070 --> 00:08:06,760 He's in effect saying, you've seen me do this. 130 00:08:06,820 --> 00:08:12,780 Now you go out and do. Now there's 2 words there, power 131 00:08:12,910 --> 00:08:16,920 and authority. Power we translate that word 132 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:19,000 into. It's the Greek word dunamis. 133 00:08:19,810 --> 00:08:22,280 Think dynamite, think explosive power. 134 00:08:22,360 --> 00:08:25,900 Now, long time courtwright friends will likely be aware of 135 00:08:25,910 --> 00:08:28,480 this language with our connection to Dunamis 136 00:08:28,550 --> 00:08:31,180 Fellowship, which has been an important part of court rights 137 00:08:31,190 --> 00:08:35,690 identity as both Reformed and Holy Spirit led. 138 00:08:36,460 --> 00:08:38,370 That's where we get the word from, for those who didn't know. 139 00:08:39,419 --> 00:08:41,630 And then there is the word authority, which is the Greek 140 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,630 word exusia. Think about permission, 141 00:08:44,680 --> 00:08:50,050 jurisdiction, domain if you will, power and authority. 142 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,760 Now, it's hard to have one without the other, but there's 143 00:08:52,770 --> 00:08:56,040 something important about Jesus conferring both of these. 144 00:08:56,440 --> 00:09:01,160 Power seems to imply that they have the actual literal ability 145 00:09:01,170 --> 00:09:05,330 and skills to do it, and authority seems to imply that 146 00:09:05,340 --> 00:09:09,670 they have been given unique dominion over these spiritual 147 00:09:09,740 --> 00:09:15,850 and physical realms. And as he gives them this power 148 00:09:15,860 --> 00:09:19,470 and authority, he sends them out on this sort of seemingly solo 149 00:09:19,480 --> 00:09:20,870 mission. And in this case, they seem to 150 00:09:20,880 --> 00:09:24,400 go out by themselves and they go all around the region. 151 00:09:25,250 --> 00:09:27,160 And the purpose of this mission was twofold. 152 00:09:27,220 --> 00:09:31,290 It was to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick and 153 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:34,910 drive out demons. Again, This is exactly what 154 00:09:34,920 --> 00:09:37,850 Jesus had already been doing, and he's now setting up his 155 00:09:37,860 --> 00:09:43,490 closest disciples and companions to do what Jesus does. 156 00:09:45,070 --> 00:09:47,720 Now, it's not random that he sends them out to proclaim the 157 00:09:47,730 --> 00:09:49,410 Kingdom of God and heal the sick. 158 00:09:49,550 --> 00:09:53,620 All throughout Luke's gospel, we have seen Jesus pairing these 159 00:09:53,630 --> 00:09:58,080 two concepts, these two ideas that the good news, the gospel 160 00:09:58,550 --> 00:10:01,800 of the Kingdom of God is not merely a spiritual state, but a 161 00:10:01,810 --> 00:10:04,660 material one as well. That the God, the the good news 162 00:10:04,670 --> 00:10:08,460 of the Kingdom of God is yes, our spiritual selves are saved, 163 00:10:08,470 --> 00:10:13,250 heart, soul and mind. We are forgiven, we're restored, 164 00:10:13,260 --> 00:10:17,210 we're redeemed by this gospel. But the good news of the Kingdom 165 00:10:17,220 --> 00:10:22,130 of God is also one of justice, putting the world to rights. 166 00:10:22,200 --> 00:10:24,410 The sick and the wounded are healed. 167 00:10:24,480 --> 00:10:27,850 The hungry are fed, The oppressed are liberated. 168 00:10:27,920 --> 00:10:33,760 The unhoused are sheltered. Jesus is beginning something 169 00:10:33,770 --> 00:10:38,150 amazing. He's multiplying his efforts 170 00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:40,940 here. Next week we're going to see 171 00:10:40,950 --> 00:10:45,360 Jesus multiply some food, but this week he is multiplying the 172 00:10:45,370 --> 00:10:48,050 Kingdom. And then he says something 173 00:10:48,060 --> 00:10:51,090 curious. He says don't bring anything 174 00:10:51,100 --> 00:10:54,370 with you. Seems kind of unreasonable, 175 00:10:54,380 --> 00:10:57,340 doesn't it? Now, a couple of things that are 176 00:10:57,350 --> 00:11:02,530 worth noting here. So there were philosophers and 177 00:11:02,540 --> 00:11:05,910 itinerant preachers of various religions and schools of 178 00:11:05,920 --> 00:11:10,130 thought, and they would often be recognized as they went around 179 00:11:10,300 --> 00:11:16,440 by their staff and their bag, which would often be for them to 180 00:11:16,510 --> 00:11:18,050 beg for money. That's what they would do. 181 00:11:20,470 --> 00:11:23,640 The 12 are called to something different. 182 00:11:24,310 --> 00:11:29,470 They're called to radical dependence on God and God's 183 00:11:29,480 --> 00:11:32,000 provision. If this mission is going to be 184 00:11:32,010 --> 00:11:35,860 successful, it is going to be only because God's grace carried 185 00:11:35,870 --> 00:11:38,860 them through it and they will rely on the kindness of 186 00:11:38,870 --> 00:11:43,300 strangers along the way. They're to stay at the home, 187 00:11:43,310 --> 00:11:46,780 anyone who will take them in. Now the idea here is that they 188 00:11:46,790 --> 00:11:48,440 don't. Jesus doesn't want them walking 189 00:11:48,450 --> 00:11:51,160 into a village and then they like someone greets them and 190 00:11:51,170 --> 00:11:54,330 welcomes them in and then they like look down the road and 191 00:11:54,340 --> 00:11:58,310 they're like that house is bigger and has better amenities 192 00:11:58,320 --> 00:11:59,870 and food. Maybe we should go see if 193 00:11:59,880 --> 00:12:02,600 they'll take us in. They weren't to be tire kickers. 194 00:12:02,690 --> 00:12:05,160 They were to go with the first people that accepted them and 195 00:12:05,170 --> 00:12:08,330 took them in and stay there for the duration. 196 00:12:10,440 --> 00:12:14,660 They were also given instruction on what to do when they're not 197 00:12:14,670 --> 00:12:17,870 welcomed. They were to shake the dust off 198 00:12:17,880 --> 00:12:20,570 their feet and this was a common Jewish practice. 199 00:12:20,640 --> 00:12:24,590 It was a way to symbolize that this place was ceremonially 200 00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:29,890 unclean and they needed to shake off literally the uncleanliness 201 00:12:29,960 --> 00:12:33,490 off their feet before they would return back to their homeland, 202 00:12:33,500 --> 00:12:35,550 lest they make their homeland unclean. 203 00:12:36,280 --> 00:12:39,610 Now this was usually done in Gentile or non Jewish regions, 204 00:12:39,920 --> 00:12:43,490 but was also adopted by early Christian missionaries like the 205 00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:46,690 disciples here. Now, at first glance, this seems 206 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:49,790 a little harsh, because it is a little harsh. 207 00:12:50,920 --> 00:12:55,650 One of the greatest modern critiques of Christendom, 208 00:12:55,660 --> 00:12:57,550 though, and so This is why I think it's a little bit of a 209 00:12:57,560 --> 00:12:59,760 mercy. One of the greatest modern 210 00:12:59,770 --> 00:13:04,690 critiques of Christendom, that's colonial Christianity, is that 211 00:13:04,700 --> 00:13:08,970 the way that Christians have at times forced themselves into 212 00:13:08,980 --> 00:13:12,730 cities, countries and neighborhoods that don't want 213 00:13:12,740 --> 00:13:16,290 anything to do with their faith. They don't just simply, you 214 00:13:16,300 --> 00:13:19,330 know, insert themselves into the community, but they impose 215 00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:22,650 themselves on the community in a way that goes beyond just being 216 00:13:22,660 --> 00:13:27,410 a faithful witness and presence. Now, I want to be generous and 217 00:13:27,420 --> 00:13:30,960 gracious and believe that the intent is ultimately good, that 218 00:13:30,970 --> 00:13:32,520 Christians want the world to know Jesus. 219 00:13:32,530 --> 00:13:36,430 Yes, Christians want to spread the message of Jesus the 220 00:13:36,440 --> 00:13:38,670 Kingdom. Christians wants to save the 221 00:13:38,680 --> 00:13:40,870 world from eternal separation from God. 222 00:13:41,380 --> 00:13:45,110 And yet here BCG is saying if they won't receive you, just let 223 00:13:45,120 --> 00:13:47,240 them go. Just move on. 224 00:13:49,220 --> 00:13:53,170 Yes, this is an indictment and a judgment on them, but it's also 225 00:13:53,240 --> 00:13:56,930 perhaps saying their hearts are not yet ready, just they need 226 00:13:56,940 --> 00:13:58,360 more time. Move on for now. 227 00:14:00,580 --> 00:14:05,680 The take away for me here is that the Kingdom of God cannot 228 00:14:05,690 --> 00:14:10,660 be spread by brute force. It cannot be spread by brute 229 00:14:10,670 --> 00:14:15,200 force because the Kingdom of God it confronts, but it cannot 230 00:14:15,210 --> 00:14:17,200 coerce. Let me say that again. 231 00:14:17,250 --> 00:14:23,230 It confronts but cannot coerce the Kingdom of God, cannot be 232 00:14:23,240 --> 00:14:26,910 legislated or codified by government in the way that 233 00:14:26,920 --> 00:14:29,190 Christian nationalism supposes that it could. 234 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,250 So the 12 go from village to village, doing exactly what 235 00:14:36,260 --> 00:14:41,000 Jesus did, and doing what Jesus had given them power to do, to 236 00:14:41,010 --> 00:14:44,010 proclaim the Kingdom, to heal the sick. 237 00:14:45,030 --> 00:14:48,580 And they did this on the power and provision of God, not their 238 00:14:48,590 --> 00:14:50,660 own. And they were gratefully 239 00:14:50,730 --> 00:14:56,180 received by those who took them in, and they just moved on from 240 00:14:56,190 --> 00:14:59,570 places that didn't accept them. And something fascinating 241 00:14:59,580 --> 00:15:02,160 happens and we get this little aside that almost at first 242 00:15:02,170 --> 00:15:07,730 glance seems kind of random and this this encounter with Herod 243 00:15:07,780 --> 00:15:10,810 the tetrarch. So no doubt some of Jesus 244 00:15:10,820 --> 00:15:14,690 actions and movements around Galilee had started to cause a 245 00:15:14,700 --> 00:15:17,410 little bit of a stir and the word had gotten back to the 246 00:15:17,420 --> 00:15:19,450 political authorities, namely Herod. 247 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:22,910 Now this is a different Herod from the very beginning of Luke. 248 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:26,450 That was Herod the Great, this is Harold the Great son, Herod 249 00:15:26,520 --> 00:15:29,470 Antipus or Herod tetrarch. You don't need to know that, but 250 00:15:29,480 --> 00:15:31,830 it's just good to know that there are two Herods in Luke. 251 00:15:33,470 --> 00:15:36,780 So Herod, as a rule over the region of Galilee had been 252 00:15:36,790 --> 00:15:38,020 hearing about what was happening. 253 00:15:38,760 --> 00:15:41,910 He doesn't yet know much about Jesus and the blossoming 254 00:15:41,920 --> 00:15:44,410 movement that's happening right under his nose. 255 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:46,750 He thinks it sounds kind of like John the Baptist. 256 00:15:46,760 --> 00:15:48,990 Wait, no, I, I beheaded that guy, I think. 257 00:15:49,060 --> 00:15:51,950 So it can't be him. Is this somehow like Elijah 258 00:15:51,960 --> 00:15:53,310 coming back? Is this one of the other 259 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,010 prophets of old that have returned? 260 00:15:56,090 --> 00:16:00,670 He's a little confused and and nonetheless his curiosity is 261 00:16:00,680 --> 00:16:03,530 peaked. He wants to see Jesus. 262 00:16:03,540 --> 00:16:07,470 It says Now we should read when he says that. 263 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:10,650 We should read that through the lens of a man who beheaded John 264 00:16:10,660 --> 00:16:12,770 the Baptist, who was a prophet of God. 265 00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:20,180 You could imagine the insecurity and the malice that Herod may 266 00:16:20,190 --> 00:16:23,180 have in his heart when he hears about the uprising of this 267 00:16:23,190 --> 00:16:28,480 so-called Kingdom of God. This man is not spiritually 268 00:16:28,490 --> 00:16:33,520 seeking. And so finally, then in verse 269 00:16:33,530 --> 00:16:37,800 10, bleeding into the next section a little bit, the 12 270 00:16:37,850 --> 00:16:42,240 disciples return and they have a little bit of a debrief and it 271 00:16:42,250 --> 00:16:44,160 feels like actually a really crucial part of the story. 272 00:16:44,250 --> 00:16:47,010 Initially I I had read, you know, verses one through 9. 273 00:16:47,020 --> 00:16:48,600 I was OK, great, great little package here. 274 00:16:48,670 --> 00:16:51,300 But then you you kind of need to include that, that next little 275 00:16:51,350 --> 00:16:56,470 half sentence there, being able to talk about their successes 276 00:16:56,560 --> 00:16:59,440 and their struggles and what God might have taught them along the 277 00:16:59,450 --> 00:17:01,530 way. It feels like a very meaningful 278 00:17:01,540 --> 00:17:04,930 step that if you miss that, you're missing out on something 279 00:17:04,940 --> 00:17:08,460 crucial. It's to learn from one another, 280 00:17:08,470 --> 00:17:12,000 to learn from Jesus, to ask tough questions about the nature 281 00:17:12,010 --> 00:17:21,359 of the Kingdom of God. So this passage, it forces us to 282 00:17:21,369 --> 00:17:24,660 ask some important questions about how we approach our faith, 283 00:17:24,910 --> 00:17:28,580 how we understand power and authority and healing. 284 00:17:31,100 --> 00:17:33,610 One thing worth mentioning before we explore some of those 285 00:17:33,620 --> 00:17:37,310 questions is that this is one of those classic passages where we 286 00:17:37,320 --> 00:17:43,070 have a decision to make. Is this passage descriptive or 287 00:17:43,140 --> 00:17:46,130 prescriptive? Is it describing an event or is 288 00:17:46,140 --> 00:17:49,390 it prescribing a process by which we should follow? 289 00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,690 So if Jesus is conferring his authority and power not just to 290 00:17:52,700 --> 00:17:55,710 the 12 but to us, does that mean we must do likewise? 291 00:17:55,720 --> 00:17:58,670 We have to drop everything in our life, don't take anything 292 00:17:58,680 --> 00:18:01,910 with us that we should shake our feet off when people don't 293 00:18:01,920 --> 00:18:06,030 accept us, that we should, you know, wipe the uncleanliness off 294 00:18:06,040 --> 00:18:07,990 of our feet when they don't accept our message. 295 00:18:08,060 --> 00:18:10,600 Should we bring absolutely nothing with us for the journey 296 00:18:10,670 --> 00:18:15,630 except the shirts on our back? The answer is in most cases, 297 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:21,530 probably not. In most cases, I'm not gonna 298 00:18:21,540 --> 00:18:24,170 stop you to do from doing what God is calling you to do. 299 00:18:24,360 --> 00:18:28,560 But in general, Jesus is very specific. 300 00:18:28,570 --> 00:18:34,260 Instructions are descriptive of this particular trip, not 301 00:18:34,310 --> 00:18:38,300 necessarily for all time. For instance, elsewhere, even in 302 00:18:38,310 --> 00:18:41,980 the Gospel of Luke, Jesus sends out other disciples and gives 303 00:18:41,990 --> 00:18:43,700 them a different set of instructions. 304 00:18:43,850 --> 00:18:46,030 And she says, he actually says bring some stuff with you this 305 00:18:46,040 --> 00:18:48,460 time. So this was a particular moment 306 00:18:48,470 --> 00:18:50,950 in time for this particular group of people. 307 00:18:51,930 --> 00:18:56,580 The question that we should ask, though, is what is the spirit of 308 00:18:56,590 --> 00:19:01,320 what Jesus is asking of his disciples that we might also 309 00:19:01,410 --> 00:19:04,200 participate in? What is the spirit behind what 310 00:19:04,210 --> 00:19:06,500 Jesus is asking? In this case? 311 00:19:06,510 --> 00:19:09,700 It seems really clear to me that Jesus told them to bring nothing 312 00:19:09,710 --> 00:19:14,960 with them because he wanted the 12 to rely wholly on God's 313 00:19:14,970 --> 00:19:17,140 provision. They're being sent out as 314 00:19:17,150 --> 00:19:21,090 representatives of the Kingdom of God, and yet they are called 315 00:19:21,100 --> 00:19:24,460 to take this vow of poverty and reliance on the kindness of 316 00:19:24,470 --> 00:19:27,280 strangers. This is meant to be in sharp 317 00:19:27,330 --> 00:19:31,300 contrast to the opulence, the excesses, and the material 318 00:19:31,310 --> 00:19:34,030 riches of these earthly kingdoms. 319 00:19:35,540 --> 00:19:37,670 We should be able to get behind the heart of that. 320 00:19:38,220 --> 00:19:41,720 Whether we have very little, whether we have very much, or 321 00:19:41,730 --> 00:19:48,690 somewhere in between, we can all stand to grow in our reliance on 322 00:19:48,700 --> 00:19:51,640 God for our spiritual and our material need. 323 00:19:52,980 --> 00:19:56,770 One of the greatest challenges in the in wealthy Western 324 00:19:56,780 --> 00:20:00,430 nations like Canada, where access is very much 325 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:04,010 comparatively high. I know we have our challenges. 326 00:20:04,020 --> 00:20:08,510 I know we have our struggles, but it is comparatively much, 327 00:20:08,560 --> 00:20:12,180 much higher than many other places around the world. 328 00:20:13,420 --> 00:20:19,810 And because of that excess reliance on God feels absence. 329 00:20:20,300 --> 00:20:23,490 One of the the things that it's not maybe something that is 330 00:20:23,500 --> 00:20:26,110 outright said, but it is something that is implied in 331 00:20:26,160 --> 00:20:30,830 what many people say and do is why do I need God? 332 00:20:30,880 --> 00:20:34,180 I have everything I need. I have no felt need for this God 333 00:20:34,190 --> 00:20:37,980 that you speak of. We have so much. 334 00:20:37,990 --> 00:20:42,890 What do we need God for? This is true of individuals and 335 00:20:42,900 --> 00:20:46,980 it's also true of churches. It's one of the tensions that we 336 00:20:46,990 --> 00:20:51,170 will always face. Where is the line between enough 337 00:20:52,190 --> 00:20:57,710 and too much in terms of our ministry wants and needs and 338 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:01,140 facility wants and needs? You know, our church, if you 339 00:21:01,150 --> 00:21:05,150 look around, our church feels comparatively humble compared to 340 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,250 say, like a a sprawling cathedral or like a Costco size 341 00:21:09,260 --> 00:21:11,570 mega church. But that doesn't mean we 342 00:21:11,580 --> 00:21:17,020 shouldn't wrestle with it. Yeah, it also seems clear that 343 00:21:17,030 --> 00:21:21,040 Jesus truly does want them making a difference where they 344 00:21:21,050 --> 00:21:24,270 go. Proclaiming the good news of the 345 00:21:24,280 --> 00:21:30,110 Kingdom of God is only good news if it's actually good news. 346 00:21:31,710 --> 00:21:34,920 Like, if you walk into a room and you said, guys, I have some 347 00:21:34,930 --> 00:21:39,520 good news, you're all gonna die. Like, not really good news, 348 00:21:39,530 --> 00:21:41,090 right? And so the idea was they were 349 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:43,380 proclaiming the Kingdom, the good news of the Kingdom, and 350 00:21:43,390 --> 00:21:46,170 that there was actually good news for the hearers. 351 00:21:46,820 --> 00:21:50,830 That meant, in part, that a part of this mission was not simply 352 00:21:50,840 --> 00:21:54,530 proclamation, healing and the driving out of evil spirits. 353 00:21:54,600 --> 00:21:58,760 People were made. Well, they were restored from 354 00:21:58,770 --> 00:22:01,810 their brokenness for many of them who were ceremonially 355 00:22:01,820 --> 00:22:05,690 unclean and meant they were able to rejoin community and family 356 00:22:05,700 --> 00:22:08,680 again. The darkness was pushed back and 357 00:22:08,690 --> 00:22:14,370 the world was brought to rights. What does this sort of good news 358 00:22:14,380 --> 00:22:18,720 look like today? It can and does look like 359 00:22:18,730 --> 00:22:22,340 praying for healing for those in need, as we do almost every week 360 00:22:22,350 --> 00:22:25,530 here. But it also looks like throwing 361 00:22:25,580 --> 00:22:29,190 neighborhood parties in celebration of our food security 362 00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:33,980 garden. It also looks like recovery 363 00:22:33,990 --> 00:22:37,410 programs helping people with addiction and other life 364 00:22:37,420 --> 00:22:41,320 struggles. It also looks like restoring 365 00:22:41,330 --> 00:22:44,840 dignity for the marginalized by giving unhoused access to 366 00:22:44,850 --> 00:22:48,020 washrooms and showering and laundering facilities like our 367 00:22:48,030 --> 00:22:51,000 mission partner Rose City Mission did this past week. 368 00:22:52,170 --> 00:22:55,020 It also looks like building large scale supportive housing 369 00:22:55,030 --> 00:22:57,830 like Christian organizations like Indwell have been doing 370 00:22:57,840 --> 00:23:01,580 across Southern Ontario. It also looks like liberating 371 00:23:01,590 --> 00:23:05,300 modern day slaves across the world like International Justice 372 00:23:05,310 --> 00:23:08,590 Mission has been doing for many, many years. 373 00:23:12,120 --> 00:23:16,200 The list could and does go on and on. 374 00:23:16,960 --> 00:23:20,310 Followers of Jesus around the world are proclaiming the 375 00:23:20,320 --> 00:23:27,220 Kingdom in both word and deed, and we are called by Jesus to 376 00:23:27,230 --> 00:23:30,690 join in. When Jesus calls his disciples 377 00:23:30,700 --> 00:23:34,100 to go out and proclaim the Kingdom and heal, he is calling 378 00:23:34,150 --> 00:23:37,270 us to do likewise. Now how that looks may be 379 00:23:37,280 --> 00:23:42,290 different. I have not personally ever 380 00:23:42,300 --> 00:23:44,230 physically healed someone that I am aware of. 381 00:23:44,890 --> 00:23:48,180 I have prayed over people, I have prayed for people, and it 382 00:23:48,190 --> 00:23:51,070 hasn't happened. I believe in the power of 383 00:23:51,080 --> 00:23:55,190 prayer. I believe and firmly affirm that 384 00:23:55,200 --> 00:23:58,490 God heals today. But for me, that hasn't 385 00:23:58,500 --> 00:24:02,370 happened. But I was reminded, even in a 386 00:24:02,380 --> 00:24:05,030 conversation that I had this morning, that healing can take 387 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,330 on many forms. We'll talk about that in a 388 00:24:08,340 --> 00:24:13,880 moment. It also seems clear that when we 389 00:24:13,890 --> 00:24:17,400 participate in the proclamation of the Kingdom, authorities will 390 00:24:17,410 --> 00:24:19,830 take notice. In this case, Herod took notice, 391 00:24:21,370 --> 00:24:23,950 sometimes in good ways, sometimes in not so good ways. 392 00:24:25,190 --> 00:24:28,820 So we see Herod Antipus hearing about all that was happening and 393 00:24:28,830 --> 00:24:31,710 having this little mini meltdown because it seems like his 394 00:24:31,720 --> 00:24:35,510 authority and power was being threatened because it was. 395 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:39,030 What can we take away from that little aside? 396 00:24:40,300 --> 00:24:42,690 In one sense, Harrod is naturally going to have a 397 00:24:42,700 --> 00:24:46,210 problem if he feels as though there is a political uprising 398 00:24:46,220 --> 00:24:48,990 happening. These representatives of this 399 00:24:49,040 --> 00:24:53,210 supposed king are going around and proclaiming a new kind of 400 00:24:53,220 --> 00:24:58,410 Kingdom, But as Jesus says, he says my Kingdom is not of this 401 00:24:58,420 --> 00:25:00,250 world, but he doesn't understand that. 402 00:25:00,320 --> 00:25:03,040 Harry doesn't understand that. This Kingdom does require 403 00:25:03,050 --> 00:25:07,520 allegiance though, and by its very nature the powers that be 404 00:25:07,530 --> 00:25:13,840 are not going to like that. Kingdom Work will naturally 405 00:25:13,910 --> 00:25:18,870 confront authority because it showcases the cracks in society. 406 00:25:20,220 --> 00:25:23,230 You know, we've been partnering with the Guelph Food Bank for 407 00:25:23,280 --> 00:25:26,570 two years starting next month, which is amazing. 408 00:25:26,620 --> 00:25:29,410 It's been a remarkable partnership and I'm eternally 409 00:25:29,420 --> 00:25:32,160 grateful that we get to serve our neighbors in that way. 410 00:25:32,220 --> 00:25:35,090 But it has been eye opening. It's been very eye opening. 411 00:25:35,100 --> 00:25:40,830 We have begun to see in new and stark ways how many in this very 412 00:25:40,840 --> 00:25:44,250 neighborhood that we call our church home are getting left 413 00:25:44,260 --> 00:25:48,200 behind and pushed aside. Across our city. 414 00:25:48,210 --> 00:25:50,500 We see the need for more supportive housing and 415 00:25:50,510 --> 00:25:53,260 sustainable housing, for more mental health and addiction 416 00:25:53,270 --> 00:25:56,620 supports. And we participate in this 417 00:25:56,670 --> 00:26:00,700 because it is a part of pushing back that darkness and bringing 418 00:26:00,710 --> 00:26:05,060 healing and reconciliation and restoring in the same way that 419 00:26:05,070 --> 00:26:07,670 Jesus called his disciples to do. 420 00:26:08,880 --> 00:26:11,870 And the amazing part is that it does open the door for spiritual 421 00:26:11,880 --> 00:26:16,550 conversations along the way because Jesus is present among 422 00:26:16,620 --> 00:26:23,280 the marginalized and forgotten. Sometimes the most Christian 423 00:26:23,290 --> 00:26:27,820 thing that we can do is pray for and then say to our city 424 00:26:27,830 --> 00:26:31,360 councillors, mayors, members of provincial parliament, members 425 00:26:31,370 --> 00:26:35,660 of parliaments, say please don't forget about the least of these. 426 00:26:36,650 --> 00:26:40,740 Please don't forget about the least of these. 427 00:26:43,100 --> 00:26:47,430 It's easy to overlook that Kingdom language is political 428 00:26:47,440 --> 00:26:54,140 language because a Kingdom implies a king of whom we have 429 00:26:54,150 --> 00:26:59,080 been sent out as representatives by the very nature of Our 430 00:26:59,140 --> 00:27:01,440 Calling. As citizens of the Kingdom, our 431 00:27:01,450 --> 00:27:05,400 role is to confront spiritual and physical realities. 432 00:27:05,510 --> 00:27:10,120 To participate in the gospel in is to participate in restoring 433 00:27:10,130 --> 00:27:14,620 soul and body, bringing the world to rights. 434 00:27:16,500 --> 00:27:20,400 I know I've laid a little heavy into that this morning, and I've 435 00:27:20,410 --> 00:27:23,470 done that purposely. In a spiritual climate that is 436 00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:28,090 increasingly apathetic of Christianity, suspicious of 437 00:27:28,100 --> 00:27:31,510 Christianity, or completely ignorant on matters of Jesus, 438 00:27:31,520 --> 00:27:36,030 faith, and spirituality, people will not care what we have to 439 00:27:36,040 --> 00:27:39,690 say about the good news of Jesus without in some sense, 440 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:42,870 addressing our material realities. 441 00:27:42,980 --> 00:27:46,570 Remember, the good news of the Kingdom is good news because it 442 00:27:46,580 --> 00:27:51,170 addresses both body and soul. And as I say that that does not 443 00:27:51,180 --> 00:27:55,730 negate that it is all grace and that God is the one who saves. 444 00:27:55,780 --> 00:27:59,550 So it is not undermining the the the power of the gospel. 445 00:27:59,560 --> 00:28:03,960 But again, it is saying that the gospel is both of these pieces, 446 00:28:07,580 --> 00:28:10,930 but bad authority will be threatened by that work. 447 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:15,670 So here's a fun little anecdote. In the 4th century there was a 448 00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:19,230 guy, he was the Roman emperor, his name was Emperor Julian. 449 00:28:19,240 --> 00:28:23,880 And he was threatened by the charitable work of Christians in 450 00:28:23,890 --> 00:28:26,350 the day. And he was threatened by it so 451 00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:31,030 much that it inspired him to provide more care for the poor. 452 00:28:31,120 --> 00:28:33,470 And so he said this in a letter, I love this, this is amazing. 453 00:28:33,480 --> 00:28:36,310 So he said this in a letter, that he wanted more and more 454 00:28:36,320 --> 00:28:39,510 resources to be distributed to those in need because this is 455 00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:43,350 what he thought he said. It is disgraceful that when no 456 00:28:43,360 --> 00:28:47,780 Jew has to beg and the impious Galileans or Christians support 457 00:28:47,790 --> 00:28:52,930 not only their own poor but ours as well, all men see that our 458 00:28:52,940 --> 00:28:57,660 people lack aid from us. So just to kind of recap what 459 00:28:57,670 --> 00:29:01,800 he's saying there, he's saying that like, you know, Christians, 460 00:29:01,810 --> 00:29:04,220 they're not only caring for themselves, but they're caring 461 00:29:04,230 --> 00:29:06,580 for other people. And it's making us look bad. 462 00:29:08,060 --> 00:29:09,740 It's amazing. I love that. 463 00:29:09,750 --> 00:29:13,290 And so I I love that he's like, he despises the Christians and 464 00:29:13,300 --> 00:29:15,670 he despises the Jews. And he's like, I'm gonna show 465 00:29:15,680 --> 00:29:17,870 those guys. I'm gonna show them what's what. 466 00:29:17,960 --> 00:29:19,910 I'm gonna provide the basic needs of the people. 467 00:29:19,920 --> 00:29:22,570 And no one can stop me. I'm like, wait, hey, man, yeah, 468 00:29:22,580 --> 00:29:23,890 we did. We did more of that. 469 00:29:26,950 --> 00:29:30,480 Christianity was on the forefront of charity, and we 470 00:29:30,490 --> 00:29:34,590 should continue to be today. This is the work that Jesus has 471 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:36,910 empowered and authorized us to do. 472 00:29:37,040 --> 00:29:39,670 And I hope that rather than feeling threatened, that we get 473 00:29:39,760 --> 00:29:43,630 some healthy competition and even support from our local and 474 00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:45,790 national leaders. And we do here at the church, 475 00:29:45,800 --> 00:29:52,590 and I hope we continue as well. So in this passage, we see Jesus 476 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,680 saying to his disciples, in effect, you've seen what I do. 477 00:29:56,510 --> 00:30:00,140 I'm proclaiming the arrival of this Kingdom and I am healing. 478 00:30:00,340 --> 00:30:04,840 I'm calling people to turn from their sin and a line or realign 479 00:30:04,930 --> 00:30:08,080 with God. I'm restoring people back to 480 00:30:08,090 --> 00:30:12,160 true life, to community, and I'm empowering you and emboldening 481 00:30:12,170 --> 00:30:17,050 you and authorizing you to go out and do likewise. 482 00:30:18,130 --> 00:30:22,510 Jesus confers that power to them, and he confers that to us 483 00:30:22,520 --> 00:30:25,610 today. This is not simply the vocation 484 00:30:25,620 --> 00:30:28,470 of the pastor or the missionaries among us. 485 00:30:28,560 --> 00:30:33,170 This is the vocation of every follower of Jesus. 486 00:30:34,280 --> 00:30:38,730 What would our neighborhood, our city, our country, our nation, 487 00:30:38,740 --> 00:30:43,040 our world? What would it look like if we 488 00:30:43,050 --> 00:30:45,290 leaned into this vocation more fully? 489 00:30:46,630 --> 00:30:49,010 People would experience the abundant life of Jesus. 490 00:30:49,800 --> 00:30:53,430 They would come to know Jesus because we have been Jesus to 491 00:30:53,440 --> 00:30:56,920 them. People would be lifted out of 492 00:30:56,930 --> 00:31:00,550 isolation and into community. People would be restored. 493 00:31:01,560 --> 00:31:04,220 No one would lack food or shelter. 494 00:31:07,040 --> 00:31:12,310 God, would you make us a people who wield the power and 495 00:31:12,320 --> 00:31:15,470 authority that Jesus has given us? 496 00:31:16,900 --> 00:31:18,430 Amen. Yeah.