Tuesday, 7th Week of Easter

Luke 10:1-17

“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades” (Lk 10:13-15)

Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum were towns in Israel, Tyre and Sidon had always been outside the borders of Israel. They were pagan towns, with all sorts of practices that the Jewish people found abominable: human sacrifice, and “sacred prostitution,” in which priests and priestesses “imitated” the gods and goddesses in the hope that they would bless the earth and make it fruitful at the harvest time.

Not surprisingly, the Jews looked down on those pagan cities that had oppressed them. But Jesus warns his fellow Jews that their mission is not to use God as a battering ram to confront the Gentiles. Jesus’ warning is very practical and specific. Keep pushing against the Romans, and eventually they will push back much, much harder. About 30 years later, when Roman legions put down a Jewish rebellion, they destroyed Jerusalem, crucified thousands, and scattered the rest throughout the nations.

As it was 2000 years ago, so it is today. Who are the “pagans” in our midst, who seem to beyond any hope of redemption? Where are we being complacent about our own salvation?

This week before Pentecost, we will be looking at Chapter 10 of Luke’s Gospel, which is about the mission of the Church, and its focus. As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Holy Spirit, let’s look at our own mission: to become an outward and visible sign of Christ in our sacramental worship, to give good news to those who desperately need it (Evangelism), train each other for this work (Discipleship), provide a safe space for people to be in community with each other (Fellowship) and to serve those in our church and on Sand Mountain who are suffering. (Ministry). That is what the Holy Spirit is about.