Luke 10 1-20 2007
Pentecost 6 (Prop. 9)
Luke 10:1-9, 16
July 8, 2007
"Peace to This House"
The prophet Isaiah walks through the streets of Jerusalem burdened by the weight conquering Babylonian army. He preaches that the end is coming. The city will be destroyed. Many people still mock his message, but others are seized by a despair they cannot shake. They are close to hopeless, for they have heard this prophet declare the Law of God, and they are well aware that they deserve His judgment. They are close to hopeless; but the prophet is faithful and does not leave them without hope. On this day, he opens his mouth and declares the Word of the Lord to those who will hear: "Thus says the LORD: "Behold, I will extend peace to [Jerusalem] like a river". (Is. 66:12).
The Lord promises peace. In the meantime, there will be heartbreak and devastation, and the world will mock the idea of peace for God's people. But the Lord has promised peace; and so peace is coming.
I. Seventy Sent
As Jesus speaks and sends out the disciples in our Gospel lesson today, the time of His cross grows nearer. Many people have flowed Him, but from here on out, more and more people will reject Him and he will face greater and greater opposition and rejection. All the while He remains faithful to His task. He continues to proclaim the Good News. There is a transition taking place, He calls and appoints people to proclaim the Gospel with His authority.
The Lord calls and sends seventy to proclaim His Gospel. We don't know much about these people: We have no idea of their looks or personality, their social status or speaking abilities. But what we do know is key: They have been called and sent by Jesus, and therefore they most certainly speak in His stead and by His command. Furthermore, we know their message. All of it is summarized in the two sentences, "The Kingdom of God has come near you," and "Peace to this house."
"The Kingdom of God has come near to you.." This is the message of the seventy. Big deal, one might think. After all, this is the sort of thing that crazy people write on signs to hold up on street corners. But no, this is not the message of a mad man; when the seventy declare "The Kingdom of God has come near to you," they are speaking a very literal truth. The Kingdom of God is near because the King is near-Jesus. And where the King is, there is His kingdom.
But is it good news that the King is near? He could be really, really angry. If He's anything like those Pharisees and chief priests running around who claim to represent the Almighty, He won't be real happy with what He sees. Isaiah, a mere prophet, preached the Word, and the Jerusalem was destroyed. What will the King do? The answer lies in the other part of the message: "Peace to this house." "Peace to this house." This king, Jesus, comes to proclaim peace. This is a different kind of peace. It is not a peace that calms the emotions, though it can. It is not a peace that gives an absence of trouble or anxiety, though it can also give these. This is a peace that the world cannot give: It is the removal of enmity and hatred between man and God. We are born enemies of God, naturally breaking His commands; so lost and dead are we in sin, that we can do nothing to save ourselves. But God, through His Son Jesus and His blood shed on the cross, offers and gives peace.
This is the promised peace of Isaiah 66, the peace that the seventy proclaim; for to proclaim this peace is to proclaim Christ Himself, for Christ is the long-awaited peace. Remember the song of the angels to shepherds outside of Bethlehem: "Glory be to God on high, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men". Peace is on earth that night because Christ is on earth that night, cradled in the arms of Mary. What does Simeon sing as he embraces the Infant Prince of Peace? "Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word". Simeon faces life and death with confidence: He has peace with God because He has held God’s Word-made-flesh in His arms. Jesus is there, so Simeon departs in peace. What do the crowds cry out as the Savior rides into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday? "Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!". The peace in heaven is also riding on a colt, the foal of a donkey that day, on His way to Calvary to secure that peace for eternity.
Five days later, the peace is won. Jesus Christ secures eternal peace for His people by His death on the cross. Sin, death and the devil - that unholy trio of God's enemies - are all defeated that day. For the people of God, enmity toward God is gone as their sins are forgiven; all that is left is peace.
Of course, the victory looks anything but peaceful. Our Savior dies – God and man in one person becomes a tortured, bloody corpse.
Three days later, Jesus Christ the King rises from the dead. That evening, He visits His disciples in a locked room, suddenly appearing in the midst of them. And when He speaks to these less-than-faithful people, His first words to them are these: "Peace be with you". Peace be with you. He is risen to forgive them-to take away their sin. To grant them peace. To grant us peace.
This is the message proclaimed by the seventy. The Kingdom is near because the King is near, and the King is near to bring peace with God. To embrace this message of peace is to embrace the Prince of Peace Himself; but to reject the message is to reject Jesus Christ and to reject God.
Jesus, the Son of God comes and brings a message of peace, and He is crucified. Now He sends His disciples out with that same message. What will happen to them? Jesus says that He is sending them out as lambs among wolves. Think about that image for a moment. It is kind of horrifying isn’t it? Jesus doesn’t offer a trip to Las Vegas baby. It is not even a trip to Vietnam. It’s like Jesus is saying, here, let me open the gate to the sheep pen, so you can have a better look at the wolves. Anybody interested in going on a mission trip now? We are not told what the reaction of the seventy was to Jesus words. We do know that they listened to Him, they went out, they preached, and as a result some believed their message and some rejected their message.
How does all of this turn out? We take a sneak-peek at the next verse, Luke 10:17: "Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name." The seventy proclaim that the Word of Jesus has been effective, that hearers have heard and been healed and delivered. This should come as no surprise to you and me, for we have the Lord's promise that He is wherever His Word is. Therefore, when the seventy have proclaimed, "The Kingdom of God has come near to you," Christ the King is already fully there, by His Word, in their proclamation. He is present in our proclamation of Christ’s good news of peace
II. Peace Proclaimed
We give thanks that the Lord is still present by His Word today, for peace is a rare in our world. There are many people who struggle with sickness, and find it hard to have peace. There are many people with troubled conscience over past sins. Without the knowledge of forgiveness, there is no peace, but only haunting memories. For many people there is no peace when loved ones die, only loneliness and despair. Even as Christians, in this world we live with inner turmoil, anxiety and despair because things in this life are not what they ought to be. We live in a broken and sinful world. Peace is hard to find. Sometimes peace is hard to give. To those that grieve, to those that are sick, to those people that struggle with a heavy conscience, to all people, the Christian is called to speak this Word, “Peace.” It is a hollow word if only intended to be a wish of good will, a charitable act, a word of niceness. Even in this church as we sometimes “share the peace”, we forget what it is we are really saying. This word of peace is not a social gesture shared by church members; it is the statement and proclamation of a fact. This peace of which we speak is connected to the most significant reality. Are you sick…peace be with your, for the kingdom of God is near you in Jesus Christ. You can have peace because God is with you even in sickness. Do you grieve…peace be with you, the Lord Jesus grieves with you and shares your burden. Have you sinned…peace be with you. Jesus has born your punishment on the cross. Brother, sister, you are forgiven and you are at peace with God. This is not an emotion or a feeling, it is a fact. (The last three weeks, David, Nathan, consequences of sin
The kingdom of God is near you. The Kingdom of God is not "out there somewhere," a "Never-never Land" to dream about. The Kingdom of God comes near to you through Jesus Christ. You are connected to His kingdom through faith. The peace that the Lord Jesus purchased on His cross for all people, you possess by the gift of faith. The Lord Jesus brings His Kingdom to you in the waters of Holy Baptism. There, He washes your sins away and makes you His child and an heir of His kingdom. Of course, the Lord is present in His Supper, giving His people His body and blood for the forgiveness of their sins. It is because He is there that the pastors are able to declare, "The peace of the Lord be with you always:" This peace is no lifeless sense of calm; it is no mere feeling or pause in anxiety. This peace is Christ; this peace is life. Therefore, this peace is real comfort and hope. No matter what happens, we know that we have a God that loves us and is with us.
This is the Lord's promise-it is His Word. As He sent out the seventy to declare His Kingdom and peace, so we have the joyful privilege of proclaiming His message of peace today-even as we have the awesome joy of our Lord's presence among us. Despite, and in the midst of, the sorrows and troubles of this life, we rejoice that Jesus Christ is here with His forgiveness, to make and keep us as part of His people. Therefore, with joy, we proclaim to all who will hear: "Peace to this house, for the Kingdom of God has come near to you." Peace to you from God, through Jesus Christ. Amen
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus." (Phil. 4:7)[i]
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[i] Pastor Tim Pauls