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WHEN YOUR NUMBER IS UP (LUKE 10:1-12)

Jesus sends out the seventy-two. 

REFLECTION 

‘When your number is up’ is the theme for our reflection today.  When your number is up is an idiomatic expression. It means the time has come for a person to die or experience suffering or an unpleasant situation. Many people had followed Jesus for various reasons. Some followed Him because He was a miracle worker. Some followed Him because they had needs that Jesus could provide. In today’s Scripture reading, we shall learn that being a follower or a disciple of Jesus means being sent out of one’s comfort zone for a soul-saving mission. 

In today’s  Scripture (Luke 10:1-12) we learn that Jesus did not have only twelve disciples but He had other followers. Jesus, having nurtured them and trained them on God’s mission in the world, sent them out on an evangelism mission. They were seventy-two in number. I am sure the 12 disciples would have played an important role in this mission as leaders in their respective groups.

The key lesson of today’s reflection is that, after Jesus has saved us, we are not to remain within the four walls of our churches, we are to go out there and preach about repentance and the Kingdom of God. In discharging this noble stewardship duty we shall experience situations that can be described as ‘our number is up’. In other words, we shall go through suffering, persecution and near-death situations. Jesus showed us that our number is up when He told the seventy-two disciples or followers that “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.” (Luke 10:2-3).  Again our number is up when we go on Jesus’ mission, Jesus forewarns us that “You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another.” (Matthew 10:22-23) My dear friend following and serving Jesus as His disciple is not a walk in the park neither is it something you do in your own leisure time. It is a life of commitment to the mission of God. We become bonded slaves or servants to our Lord and Master Jesus. That is why Paul said in Roman 14:8 that “If we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.” In other words, following Jesus is not a part-time activity, it is a full-time devotion to your calling as a disciple of Christ. We must be ready to enjoy the grace of God even as we endure the cost of discipleship. 

We take consolation in the words of Jesus which assures us that our suffering shall be rewarded when He said to the seventy-two that “…for the worker deserves his wages” (Luke 10:7). This statement although made reference to the kind reception the disciples will receive on their missionary journey must also be understood as the final reward Jesus will give us for serving Him faithfully on earth. No wonder Jesus said in Matthew 5:12 that “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for, in the same way, they persecuted the prophets who were before you”. Similarly, when Paul’s number was up while he was in prison he wrote to Timothy to encourage him “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award me on that day – and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:6). My dear friend, the Lord is still speaking to us today saying “who shall I send? and who will go for us?” I am sure like Isaiah your response will be “Here am I. Send me!” (Isaiah 6:8). We all do suffer on account of something but if a believer must suffer, it must be on an account of his or her faith and life in Christ.  Shalom.

PRAYER

ALMIGHTY GOD HELP US TO MOVE OUT OF OUR COMFORT ZONES WHEN OUR NUMBER IS UP, LET US EXPERIENCE YOUR GRACE EVEN IN TIMES OF SUFFERING. HELP US TO BE FAITHFUL, EVEN TO THE POINT OF DEATH SO THAT WE MAY OBTAIN YOUR VICTORY CROWN. AMEN (REVELATION 2:10)

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)