Thursday, July 3, 2025
Luke 10:1-3, 8-9 – After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of Him, two by two, into every town and place where He Himself was about to go. And He said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. … Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
When I was young, I was terrified on mission Sundays at church. I would hang around in the very back of the church, hoping that God wouldn’t notice me; because what if He pointed a finger in my direction and decided to send me to Africa? All I knew about Africa was tall grass, and I was sure my allergies would kill me.
I wonder if God laughed. Because, of course, here I am, years later, working for a mission organization called Lutheran Hour Ministries, and in my after-hours life I’m involved in mission to the Vietnamese immigrants of St. Louis! And none of it has been anything like as scary as I thought it would be. In fact, I got involved in mission service long before I even realized what I was doing. I just thought I was helping kids with their homework.
In the story today, Jesus sends out 72 people “into every town and place where He Himself was about to go.” Their job is very simple: it’s just to get things ready for Him. They will do a little talking and a bit of healing with the limited authority Jesus gives them. That’s enough. Because they know that they aren’t the main event; Jesus is.
And that’s still the way it is for us today, whether Jesus sends us as missionaries to another country, or whether He keeps us right in our hometown to serve as His witnesses here. We are to get things ready for Him through the way we live and the words we speak. We aren’t the main event at all; Jesus is.
Jesus is the One who came into the world on His Father’s mission, coming down from heaven to become a human being just like us. He came to break the power of the devil over us and to set us free from evil—not by force, but by His own suffering, death, and resurrection. Because Jesus died for us, we who trust in Him are set free from the power of sin and death. Because Jesus rose for us, we who belong to Him will live with Him forever, as children of God, full of joy and love. And we owe it all to Jesus, who loves us and gives us a share in His mission—to tell others the same good news that brought us life.
WE PRAY: Dear Lord Jesus, use me so that other people will come to trust in You. Amen.
This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.
Reflection Questions: