And he said to them, ”The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the
Lord of the harvest to send workers to his harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs
among wolves. Set off without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of
those you know.
Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!‘ If a friend of
peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return
to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be
paid. Do not move from house to house.
When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there,
and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.‘
But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the marketplace and proclaim: ‘Even the
dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you. But know for a
certainty that the kingdom of God has drawn near to you.‘ I tell you, that on the Day of
Judgment it will be better for Sodom than for this town.
Reflect
What a gift the Word of God is! When the people of Israel finished listening to Ezra read
the Book of the Law, they were overcome with emotion. Ezra encouraged them to go
home and celebrate! Do we look at God’s Word as a reason to throw a party? Do we
respond to and share God’s Word with joy?
Every Christian is called to evangelize, to share the good news of Jesus Christ with
everyone we meet. But it’s hard to convince people that you are bringing good news
when you preach doom and gloom. That doesn’t mean that we need to sugar coat the
very real sacrifices that discipleship requires. But if living in Christ does not bring us
joy, why would anyone else want to follow our path? The joy that faith brings is not
the same as physical pleasure or mere happiness. It goes to the very depths of
our being, calling us to the ultimate joy, life with God forever. That’s the good
news that we share.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2023