On their return, the seventy-two are amazed at the power that has been given them through the name of Jesus. They have driven out demons, furthering Jesus’ attack on Satan’s dominion in this world. Jesus envisions Satan falling from the sky through their ministry, another way of saying that the eschatological or final battle between good and evil is taking place now; the victory is being won in Jesus’ name (John 12:31; Rom 16:20). But the disciples must not lose their perspective. The prize is not human glory through feats of power but heavenly glory through following Jesus to Jerusalem, to Calvary. 

Mission in the Modern World. I have often wondered if this passage also presents a difficulty to the modern Church in the sense that some people have the idea that “mission” is part of the realm of the “professionals” in the church. The Franciscans were the first religious order to have a specifically missionary charism in our rule of life. And that is good, but does it allow admirers of St. Francis to stay on the sideline and let “the professionals” take care of mission? I would offer that this gospel passage calls on all disciples to be part of mission. R. Allen Culpepper offers that this passage contains 10 principles of mission by which every generation should be guided:

1. affirms the world’s need for mission
2. points to the importance of prayer in and in support of mission
3. insists on the active participation of every disciple
4. warns of the realistic dangers, barriers and uncertainty of mission
5. singularity of purpose
6. the goal of mission: peace upon this household
7. the host sets the context for the missioner’s witness
8. recognition that mission and witness will not always succeed
9. nevertheless, perseverance is the hallmark of mission
10. despite the evidence or no, be assured about the ultimate fulfillment of God’s redemptive mission. This ultimate fulfillment, even if we are unsuccessful – this is why we rejoice.

On a more lighthearted note, among Franciscans we might wonder why St. Francis chose Luke 10:4 (and parallels) as the “marching orders” for our life. It would be a little more interesting if we also took on Luke 22:36. Then we would have a bag, a purse, and swords!

Image credit: The Exhortation to the Apostles | James Tissot | ca. 1890 | Brooklyn Museum NYC | PD-US