"57 As they were walking along, someone said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 But Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.” 59 He said to another person, “Come, follow me.” The man agreed, but he said, “Lord, first let me return home and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus told him, “Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead! Your duty is to go and preach about the Kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “Yes, Lord, I will follow you, but first let me say good-bye to my family.” 62 But Jesus told him, “Anyone who puts a hand to the plow and then looks back is not fit for the Kingdom of God.”
10.1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. 5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay. 8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’ 12 I assure you, even wicked Sodom will be better off than such a town on judgment day."
Being in the Kingdom of God is not a easy status to have. It requires us to do things that seem counter-cultural. It may even demand our very lives, but in the end it's ALWAYS worth it! There has been an epidemic in the American church where people have forgotten what it truly means to be a Christian and follow Jesus. There are so many 'Christians' 'selling-out' in order to avoid hardship and persecution, rather than standing firm on the faith that they had been entrusted with and even defending it to the point of hardship or death, just as the early church did. I can't help but think sometimes that if Jesus were to write a letter to the American church, it would be rather long and filled with words of rebuke and correction, followed by an encouragement to overcome and obey.
Did you notice also how Jesus described what we would be like within the world? We are going to be like lambs among wolves. He also lets us in on the secret (not so much one anymore really) that people are going to reject Him and thus, reject you. There are some people with whom it will almost be entirely impossible to share the good news about Jesus and the free restoration of relationship that He is offering because of his/her stubborn heart. Jesus alludes here, as he does elsewhere (Matt. 7.6; etc.), that sometimes the best course of action is to simply say, 'Bye.'
"Father make us wise. Grant us the wisdom to not linger where there's hard soil, but to make the most of every opportunity and either cultivate the ground for the next person to possibly plant the seed, or just move on to another who is already good soil, waiting to receive the seed. I pray for wisdom that we would be able to discern this. I also ask that we would be strengthened by Your Spirit and be willing to stand our ground when we feel pressured to give up or attacked. Father we love You and we thank You SO much for Jesus! It's in Jesus' name that I pray, amen!"
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