Thursday 29th May
Read Luke 9:3-6
“He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey – no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra shirt. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. 5 If people do not welcome you, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.’ 6 So they set out and went from village to village, proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.” (NIVUK)
I have listened to many sermons by Tim Keller where he persuasively argues that God is for the cities. Paul went to major towns, Jonah went to Nineveh, Jesus ultimately went to Jerusalem. Jeremiah preached that the exiled Jews should look to the good of Babylon, settle and build it up. The final picture of the kingdom of God is of a heavenly city descending to earth, a vision that combines garden and city in one. It is strategic, wise and recognises God’s love for people in all their diversity. The gospel will flow out from cities so we should concentrate our energies there. Much the same argument was made when I was at university. Cities are indeed important. One can’t help but feel a little insignificant when one deliberately chooses to live in the country!
On this unique first mission though we can take some modicum of comfort. Jesus sends his disciples out on a blitzkrieg. They are to accept the hospitality of only one household, which necessarily put a limit on how long they would stay in each place. They set out and went from village to village. One gets the impression that no place is too small to be worthy of hearing the good news of the kingdom. They went everywhere. Everywhere perhaps except the cities. Admittedly this is not the paradigm for all subsequent mission and Tim Keller’s point is well made. But spend time praising God that even those in small villages are not forgotten. Jesus came to heal bodies and souls everywhere.
