The Nazareth Page - A gospel meditation for your home

July 6, 2025 – Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Luke 10:1-20

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Think of Jesus assembling a team of seventy-two as one of his initial strategies of “spreading the gospel message.” We are not told of any special qualifications of these “missionaries” except that they are disciples of Jesus. They already knew him and his basic message.

I have wondered about how his selection took place. And how many were women or married couples. Upon being chosen, they were given respectful and practical directives on how to acquaint people with Jesus. Clearly, they were to deliver a very important message: “The Kingdom of God is at hand.” That was the heart of the message of Jesus. God was not distant, but was present among them.

Historically speaking, many religious movements were expanded through the power of a powerful leader or teacher. Some even by conquest, or as historians describe it, by the sword. In contrast, the greeting to be used by these first “missionaries” was to greet those they encountered with a wish for their peace.

When you think about it, it was a fairly straightforward way of spreading the good news embodied in the person of Jesus. In a sense, they were to imitate how Jesus himself introduced himself and his message to all. He did not ask for special favors, or certainly not a request for treasures or financial gifts. He simply invited people to take into consideration the nature of God and God’s ways with all.

I have been a student of the basic message of Jesus for well over half a century. When I first began reading the works of contemporary scholars and theologians, I recall a work which presented the gospels as equivalent to the communication of “good news.” It was said that the word “gospel” actually means good news. I was reminded of this quality of the gospel as I thought about the message Jesus gave to the seventy-two. Everyone desires to hear good news. We know this today by the negative reaction of many to the seeming abundance of bad news of our times.

One of the most common qualities of Pope Francis was his joyful approach to the message of Jesus and his positive response to all those he encountered each day. And we are all a continuation of that mission of “the original seventy-two.”

David M. Thomas, PhD