Lambs in the Midst of Wolves

St. Luke, the Evangelist

Grace, mercy, and peace be unto you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

The words that will serve as the basis of our meditation this morning have been caused by the Holy Spirit to be written by the evangelist St. Luke. I reread these words:

"Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money bag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house'. And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you and remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you, heal the sick in it, and say to them, 'The kingdom of God has come near to you'."

The Context of Luke 9 & The Mission

Thus far, the very first words of the gospel text say "after this". There is a whole lot that precedes today's gospel that needs to be filled in so that we know what "after this" is, what this is, and why it matters, dear friends.

The "sons of thunder," as Jesus called them—James and John—knew not of the lightning of which they spoke. They had asked if they could call down fire from heaven to destroy the Samaritans who would not receive Jesus, because this little pearl was hidden at the very end of Luke's chapter nine: Jesus set His face sternly for Jerusalem. He had revealed to them that setting His face sternly to Jerusalem meant that the Christ must suffer at the hands of the Gentiles, be mocked, spit upon, flogged, crucified, and on the third day be raised. Oh James and John, the war is not fought by bringing fire down from heaven; it is fought by preaching this gospel into the hearts of men.

Jesus also had rebuked at the end of chapter nine a few people who had come and wanted to bury their own dead or say their goodbyes before following Him. Yet in this war, one must be fully committed to Jesus, because looking back is risky business—remember Lot's wife.

So now, after these things, Jesus appoints 72 to go before Him to prepare His way, like a little John the Baptist making the rough places smooth, the high places low, and the low places high, getting ready for Jesus to arrive in the next place to heal the sick and preach the gospel. These 72 must preach the presence of the kingdom of God. Immediately after our reading, Jesus gives a warning about being rejected, for indeed the gospel will be rejected in this world. The gospel is a stumbling block to the human heart, and the message that "the kingdom of God has come near to you" will be the reason for their rejection. Being rejected and persecuted is part of being under the rule and kingdom of God.

The Harvest & Entrusted Lambs

But that does not stop the march, nor does it stop the fact that Jesus is coming and must come. The kingdom of God is near—in fact, it is at hand, so close to you, to me, and to the world that you can reach out and touch it. Jesus comes, and the 72 are sent into every town and village to get them ready by repentance and faith, with a striking similarity to St. John the Baptist. They go not just to redirect hearts, but so that people believe and grab hold of the gifts of Jesus, His cross, and what it means to be the Messiah.

He tells these 72, the church, and the apostles that there is much work: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few". This was true then, and it is true now—the number of pastors needed in God's church is not calculated by the number of congregations that pay full scale or even by how many congregations exist. God's people need pastoral care, and the gospel must be preached in all the world. So the Lord of the harvest sends them with earnestness, care, commission, and authority, instructing them not to be distracted on the road: "Get going".

Thus today, you and I will bless a new school building for the use of the ministry of repentance and faith in this parish. Our children must be taught, for the Lord has entrusted children to you, to me, and to our church, and the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Spiritual Warfare & Lambs Among Wolves

The war is fought, but not like the wars of worldly kings and armies with swords, guns, and tanks. This war is fought with the Word of God, rightly divided into Law and Gospel, with children taught to rightly handle this word of truth as a sword, dagger, or knife—the perfect weapon for Christ's victory. The 72, the apostles, and you and I are sent out by Jesus to be like Him, as soldiers who resemble their King. He sends them out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Our God scatters seed everywhere, leaves the 99 to search for one lost sheep, and when He sends His faithful into the world, He sends them as juicy little lambs in the midst of wolves.

This work and preparation are done in the presence of danger, not to rain down fire upon enemies, but taking up different weapons while recognizing we are not equal to the enemy in strength or cleverness. They go like Him—sheep to the slaughter—knowing that when lambs go among wolves, some will end up dead. Even so, they carry no wallet, extra clothes, or weapons, placing their trust entirely in the Lord of the mission and His promise that even the devil cannot harm them. The 72 and pastors must live off the generosity and charity of those they serve, depending completely on the Lord and expecting to give up their lives for the kingdom.

The Power of the Word & Victory in Christ

In this way, they are ambassadors of Christ who bear His office, going forth because of the great power and joy of the message. The words upon their lips, added to water, bread, and wine, are transformative and performative, accomplishing everything God sends them to do. When they declare "your sins are forgiven," it is as valid in heaven as if Christ dealt with you Himself. They rush in and declare, "Peace be to this house," bringing a peace that surpasses all earthly distractions.

If a son of peace is there, that peace rests upon him and binds the faithful together into community, grafting individuals into families. This community is the kingdom of God, where angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven rejoice and are nourished in the presence of Lord Jesus. In the preaching of this gospel and the proclamation of the cross, the war is fought, the victory of the crucifixion is applied to sinners, and Satan is cast out. Every Sunday sermon is a victory in the war against Satan and the wolves.

Yet the harvest is still plentiful, and we remain in need of pastors to preach, forgive, baptize, feed us the Lord's Supper, and prepare us for Jesus' return. As God makes us and our children to be like Him—little lambs with the word of peace upon our lips—we stand with eyes fixed on the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. We bless a school building knowing wolves are circling and faith is under attack, but Jesus lives and the fields are ripe for harvest.

You have been transformed into little lambs who depend completely on the Lord, who has won the victory for you, so we fear nothing as we go. Amen.

The Votum

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting. Amen.