Guest Preacher -- Mark Shannon
"Two by Two"
2nd Kings 5:1-17
Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
After this the Lord
appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town
and place where he himself intended to go. 2He 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. 3Go on your way. See,
I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. 4Carry no
purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. 5Whatever
house you enter, first say, ‘Peace to this house!’ 6And if anyone is
there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it
will return to you. 7Remain in the same house, eating and drinking
whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about
from house to house. 8Whenever you enter a town and its people
welcome you, eat what is set before you; 9cure the sick who are
there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 10But
whenever you enter a town and they do not welcome you, go out into its streets
and say, 11‘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.’
16“Whoever
listens to you listens to me, and whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever
rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”17The seventy returned with
joy, saying, “Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!” 18He
said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. 19See,
I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do
not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your
names are written in heaven.”
Here
we are at this time when many people travel away on vacation. Some people travel with their families
and others travel to meet relatives at a certain destination. It may be a wedding that is the reason
for the trip or perhaps a reunion.
But in the summer, when people go on vacation they travel along with
others. Have you ever gone on
vacation by yourself? I know that
many resorts these days are catering to single people as potential
customers. Even Disney markets
their theme parks to people travelling alone. Before I met my wife, I spent all of my vacations
alone. I didn’t go anywhere,
though. I enjoyed being away from
the job but life became much more fun when my wife and I began to travel
together.
You’ll
notice in both our Old and New Testament Scripture passages for today that the
people are on the move. They’re
not on a pleasure trip but in both cases there is reason for celebration along
the way.
First
we meet a man named Naamen. He is
a mighty man of valor who has won a major victory for the king of Syria. By distinguishing himself on the
battlefield he became a trusted and valued subject of the king. In our culture Naamen’s position would
be comparable to that of a general who becomes a national hero. Notice that the text says that Naamen
did not win the victory in his own strength. The Bible says that the Lord used Naamen to bring about
victory. This foreigner who did
not know the sovereign God of Israel was chosen by the Lord for His own
purpose.
In
the Bible, a person’s name was significant and gave an indication of the
person’s character. Naamen’s name
means “the beautiful” and perhaps this meant he was a very handsome man. Yet even though he was a hero in battle
Naamen suffered from the disease of leprosy. Though he may once have been a handsome man, leprosy would
lead to his disfigurement and death if he didn’t find a cure.
Before
Naamen could take his journey, we are introduced to a slave girl. She was a daughter of the nation of
Israel and as such she had a reverence and concern for the Lord; and not just a concern for God, but for her heathen master
Naamen as well. She reports to her
mistress, the wife of Naamen that there is a God in Israel that can bring about
healing in even the most dire of circumstances. Her words set in motion a physical journey to seek medical
treatment and begin the process of a spiritual journey in the life of Naamen.
Consider
the servant girl. Even in the
position of a slave in a foreign land, away from her family and among people
that were alien to her, she still had the presence of mind to remember her
heritage and the Lord of her people.
She also took to heart the command that each one of us has heard our
Lord make to us, namely that we tell others about Him and be bearers of light
to the darkness that surrounds us.
We should never let our circumstances dissuade us from sharing the good
news we have heard and have claimed for ourselves.
Many
years ago I faced a spiritual crisis.
My own faith was severely put to the test and I had serious doubts about
whether or not Jesus belonged to me or if I belonged to Him. But as I read the Bible and talked over
the situation with strong Christian friends, I came to realize that even though
I had doubts, I could still be faithful to God. And then it was announced that Billy Graham would present
one of his crusades here in Pittsburgh.
Many people in our congregation attended classes that were held in
preparation for the event so that we could participate in the experience. During one of these classes I learned
about the need for counselors that would mingle among those coming forward
after the altar call. Even though
I had a weak faith—and even though I was weak in the knees as well—I went
forward onto the field at Three Rivers Stadium and talked to people who were
curious about entering the kingdom.
So
the servant girl’s message is relayed and Naamen sets out accompanied by a
large entourage of servants bearing gifts and good will to the king of
Israel. After some delay on the
part of the king Naamen is granted
an audience with Elisha, the man of God.
Elisha tells Naamen to bathe in the river and he will be healed. Naamen is insulted. He came all that way just to bathe in a
river that might have who knows what in its waters? Weren’t there plenty of good rivers in the country of his
origin that he could have washed himself in far more easily? Disgusted with the prescription he has
been given, Naamen orders his followers to pack up the caravan and prepare to
head home.
Good
thing he wasn’t travelling alone, right?
If Naamen had made the journey to Elisha by himself he would have missed
out on all the good stuff. How
often have we given up on accomplishing a goal without knowing how close we
were to achieving it? If we are in
the midst of a quest to find a job or complete a task that is worthy of our
endeavors, we cannot give ourselves the luxury of giving in and giving up! The comedian Jay Leno tells a story
about his early days in Hollywood trying to break into show business. When he was starting out, he would make
the rounds of the comedy clubs in Los Angeles in order to audition his
act. When he arrived at the clubs,
he always took the last place in a long line that stretched in front of him as
people before him presented their acts, each person hoping to make it in the
big time. As the hours went on,
people ahead of him started to drop out of line in frustration and Jay Leno
would move up and take their place.
He realized that just by standing in line and being prepared he was
making progress by not giving up.
But
Naamen wasn’t travelling alone. As
it turned out, he had a friend in low places. Even as he was about to take his leave, a servant in
Naamen’s retinue stopped him by saying that he didn’t have anything to lose by
taking Elisha’s advice. We don’t
know anything about this servant.
Scripture doesn’t say whether he knew the Lord, like the slave girl that
appeared earlier in the story. But
whether this servant knew God or not, he spoke a word of advice at the right
time that struck a chord in Naamen’s heart. God used the words of this servant just as he used the slave
girl and Naamen himself when he was on the battlefield.
Years
ago when I was in the midst of the crisis I spoke about earlier, I was making
my rounds in the office I worked in, my thoughts deep in depression. As I passed by the desk of one of the
secretaries she stopped me and
asked what was wrong. I sat down
and told her some of the things that were on my mind. She took the time to listen and offer some
encouragement. As I left her desk
I said thanks for the conversation.
“Oh,
that’s all right,” she said.
“You’re my concern.”
I
pondered her words as I went about the rest of the day. “You’re my concern,” is what she
said. In my state of mind, seeking
answers to some profound questions of faith, I thought to myself that her words
to me were probably the same words that Jesus would say to me. That idea carried me through the rest
of the day and through many other bad times. I still remember this incident today. So often, if we stop thinking about our
own problems long enough, we might perceive the means by which God is trying to
help us through our suffering. Pay
attention to the right words spoken at the right time and we may glimpse how
much God cares for us.
Turning
to our Gospel lesson for today we see that Jesus is giving his chosen band
their marching orders. He doesn’t
send them out one by one alone to proclaim the kingdom. Instead he pairs them up and sends them
forth. Even though they could
probably cover more ground if they went out by themselves, the Lord knows what
lies ahead on the road. He knows
that one person may grow weary on the mission field and that doubts and
temptations may lead one person to stray from the path set before him. But a companion on the way will support
and encourage his partner.
Together their witness of what they have seen will be more persuasive. One person is weak where the other is
strong, and vice versa. When the
night is dark and the harvest is lean, two people can pray together and know
that the Lord will be with them. Two people together can share in the excitement
of the journey and recount details of their adventures that one person alone
might not remember or might think are insignificant. Yes, the Lord sent them out two by two for a reason.
And
look what he tells them about provisions for the trip. He says don’t pack a lot of supplies,
and don’t take much money, either.
They, and we, are to travel lightly. This will allow them to see God’s provision for them as they
set out to do His will. When we
travel today, we want all of the modern conveniences. My wife shudders when I tell her stories about camping trips
we took as a family. Some people
think they’re “roughing it” if the television in their hotel room doesn’t get
as many channels as they have on their sets at home. It might do us some good to pack less and expect more from
the Lord who accompanies us on our vacations.
Jesus
also has something to say about the local cuisine on this journey these
disciples are taking. He says what
every good mother has told her children for generations. “Eat what’s in front of you.” Don’t complain about what is not set
before you. They need to be
grateful for the hospitality that is shown to them by strangers.
Have
you heard the missionary’s prayer?
When a meal with unknown ingredients was set before him one missionary
said this prayer silently: “Lord,
I’ll get it down if you’ll keep it down!”
It
sounds like Jesus wants His travelers to keep on the move. They are to gauge the response they
receive after their proclamation of the gospel. If someone rejects their message, they are to move along to
the next village while reminding those people that the kingdom of God was near
them for a time. Jesus
Himself didn’t spend much time with people who rejected His authority. He had work to do and places to go to
accomplish it.
When
we travel through life as Christians, what kind of companions should we look
for? Jesus called his disciples
and they went off as He commanded without much choice about who they would walk
with in His entourage. But how are
we to choose our helpers in the work of God?
One
rule of thumb goes something like this, and I hope it’s helpful to us all. When we are looking for fellow
Christians to befriend, we should look for a person who can be like Paul to
us. This person should be a mentor
to us in the faith, reminding us and correcting us as need be while still recognizing
the value of our friendship.
We
should also look for someone who can be like Barnabus to us. Barnabus was a disciple who accompanied
Paul and other apostles on their missionary journeys in the New Testament. The name Barnabus means “encourager”
and we need to find those individuals who can strengthen and support us in our
walk with the Lord. The world is
opposed to us and it’s easy to become discouraged. We need to be reminded of the truth from time to time and a
person like Barnabus can do that for us.
We
should also look for someone who can be like Timothy for us. You’ll remember that Timothy was a
young man who had been raised in the faith by his devout mother and
grandmother. The apostle Paul took
Timothy under his wing and gave him inspired advice as Timothy set out to
become a new and painfully young pastor.
Likewise, we need to find someone to whom we can pass along our
knowledge of the kingdom.
Take
a moment this week and see if you can identify people in your life who resemble
Paul, or Barnabus, or Timothy as they minister to you.
We
get a glimpse of the joyful return of these disciples that Jesus sent out. They rush into His presence at the end
of their trip bursting with excitement about all of the miraculous things they
saw and that were accomplished through their ministry.
Jesus
brings them up short by recounting a strange incident He saw. He tells his disciples that when He was
in heaven, Jesus saw Satan fall in defeat and humiliation away from the
presence of almighty God. That
statement must have put a damper on the proceedings!
Make
no mistake, as Christians we have a sworn enemy in the person of Satan, or the
devil. He is a created being who
is bent on deceiving us into thinking that the Word of God is a lie. He would like nothing better than to
rob us of the joy of our salvation.
Let me be clear. He has no
power to take away our salvation.
Jesus said once a sinner repents and turns to the Lord that no one can
snatch that person out of the Lord’s grasp.
Have
you ever considered that almost every one of the miracles that Jesus performed
was also accomplished somewhere in the Old Testament? Jesus fed the multitudes and God delivered manna
in the wilderness. Jesus raised
the dead and Elijah brought back the dead son of a widow he was friends
with. Jesus healed the sick and
people like Naamen were also healed in the Old Testament. But Jesus was the first Person in
Scripture that cast out demons.
This indicates that only He has the power and the authority and the
strength to do this miracle. The
disciples could do this task only in the power of His name but He never told
them to take on the devil and his followers by themselves.
Sometimes
in our walk with God we face temptation and oppression from the devil. At those times it would be best to seek
out someone who has a strong faith in order to pray together and commit the
matter to God. Don’t go into
battles of that kind by yourself.
Take
heart, though! Notice that Jesus
paints a picture of the enemy in defeat.
His doom is sure as the hymn tells us. We have the victory and we’re just waiting for the Lord to
bring about the conclusion of this epic struggle between the forces of light
and the minions of darkness in His own good time.
Remember
too that Jesus took the most important journey on His own, by Himself. Even though He was accompanied by
others up that lonely hill to the cross, only He knew the reason for the
journey and its outcome. He walked
up that hill for me and He took those steps for you. As we remember that journey, let us be mindful that He
expects us to take what we know and bring that message into the lives of those
around us.
