The “Seventy” Today

Over the course of many years from the time I was in seminary until it ended its print publication in 2003, I subscribed somewhat irregularly to a magazine titled “The Witness.”  It was a magazine dedicated to a vigorous discussion of faith and social issues.  When it ceased its print publication with volume 88 in the July/August 2003 issue, the board of directors said, “Since its beginning in 1917, [The Witness] has served as a feisty, challenging and provocative voice of social and theological criticism.”

The board’s statement continued, “Times change. Other voices are emerging to stimulate dialogue and debate on issues important to progressives in the church. The Internet has revolutionized our ability to communicate, making it possible for almost everyone to express an opinion on issues, to be a ‘witness.’"

An important perspective I gained from reading “The Witness” was a lesson in Christian and social ethics, how we make decisions that serve the cause of justice and peace in a world and culture that often serves the needs of a few at the expense of the many.  Justice, love and compassion for others, and a commitment to reconciliation, makes living by faith in the Christian gospel so compelling.

The Gospel of Luke tells us that Jesus appointed seventy people in addition to his disciples and sent them to every town and place where he had intended to go. “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….  Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, `The kingdom of God has come near to you.'”

It is implied that the seventy went on a missionary journey beyond the boundaries of Israel and witnessed to an urgent call for peace and reconciliation among the people they met.  As one commentator stated, Jesus sent his followers to the nations beyond Israel.  The number “seventy” was the traditional Jewish number of the nations in the world.  They were sent “like lambs into the midst of wolves.”  They traveled lightly; they had no purse, no bag, no sandals, and they were not to waste time by greeting passersby on the road.  In other words it was an urgent mission.  Given the political and social climate of his day, Jesus was leading a movement of peace and reconciliation in the midst of a hostile environment.  They had been living under Roman occupation and people in many areas of the Roman Empire were oppressed.

What is clear is that those who were sent out had been called to witness to a reign of peace and hope within communities of violence and protest.  The mission of the “seventy” was to find houses where the inhabitants shared their concern for peace.  “Whatever house you enter, first say ‘Peace to this house!’ And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person…. But whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off in protest against you.  Yet know this: the kingdom of God has come near.’”

When the seventy returned from their mission they were joyful.  They reported to Jesus, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!”  Jesus replied, "I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

The seventy upon their return were not to boast about their success.  They were to be self-giving, serving the cause of a peaceful reign that is the kingdom of God.  Healing the sick, casting out demons, exercising the power they had to bring about a new way of living is what they were about.

In the Epistle from Galatians, Paul elaborates on the meaning of this mission when he says “Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ…. You reap whatever you sow….  If you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit…. So, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith.”

What these lessons teach us is that any preoccupation with greed and self-serving gratification is not the way of the Gospel.  We are to focus on the suffering and needs of others, anyone who is denied an opportunity for wholeness and fulfillment.  Those who are hungry and desolate, those who are unemployed and have no social safety net, those who lack health care and live in poverty, those who are sick and suffering with chronic disease, those who live in neighborhoods of violence and fear, --  these are the ones to whom the “seventy” are sent today.

You and I, and all people committed to a world of peace and equality for everyone are “the seventy” of today.  It is our witness, our ministry and mission, to follow in Jesus’ steps and to “bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners, to comfort all who mourn, and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”  Amen.