Luke 10:1-9
The Lord Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and village 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. Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you, for the laborer deserve payment. Do not move from one house to another. Whatever town you enter and they welcome you, eat what is set before you, cure the sick in it and say to them, 'The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.'"
The Gospel of the Lord.
The Gospel excerpt today (Luke 10:1-9), Jesus sending out the seventy-two is found only in Luke’s Gospel. We have a problem with this particular text because about half the manuscripts say Jesus sent out seventy and the other half say Jesus sent out seventy-two. Which is it? What symbolism did Luke have in mind? If we take it to be seventy we could see it reflecting the seventy nations in Gen 10, thus symbolizing all the nations of the world. If we take it be seventy-two we could see it reflecting the seventy-two nations in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) translation of Gen 10. Thus whether we take it be seventy or seventy-two, it is another indication, among many others in the Gospel, of Luke’s Gospel being directed in a special way to the Gentiles. Luke is saying that it was not the Church which began the mission to the Gentiles, the foundation for this mission was laid in the very ministry of Jesus himself. We are all privileged to have been called by the Lord to participate in this ministry either in the ordained ministerial priesthood or the priesthood of the faithful.
After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the Gospel of God: This is the Time of fulfillment, The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel. Mark 1:14-15.
Mark and Luke accompanied Paul, so that Paul takes this Gospel fragment from his experience with Paul, on how Paul went forth and preached the good news of Jesus.
Luke is The Dear and Glorious Physician from Taylor Caldwell. Luke was close to Mary, the mother of Jesus, and from Mary Luke got the Annunciation of Mary by the Angel Gabriel (the strength of God), the visitation, the Birth of the Lord, in fact the entirety of the Joyful Mysteries. Luke also painted a picture of Mary. We have if there in our Church, the Signpost. Luke is the patron saint of Artists. The symbol of Luke is the Ox.
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