REVEALED TO LITTLE CHILDREN
Luke 10

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If we are going to talk about mission, then we need to look at Luke 10.

• Jesus sent his disciples out to preach and proclaim the kingdom of God
• It was risky
• They relied on God’s spirit and maybe help from others

We often compare Jesus to a preacher, but what if he’s more like a youth minister?

• How old are these disciples? Some of them are probably in their teens.
• Some of them leave their parents behind
• Jesus was the traditional age to go into ministry (age 30, so we believe)
• Jesus wasn’t the approved age for a pulpit minister (35-45, married w/kids, 10 years exp.)
• These disciples were considered unlearned, bumpkins, zealots, rough

The Report of the 72 who were sent:

• Evil was sent running, and we didn’t even count on that!
• The defeat of evil is exactly what the mission is all about.
• Jesus says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning!”

Jesus’ response to the report

• Jesus rejoices!
• What is it that fills Jesus with joy?
• God has revealed the power of the kingdom to “little children.”
• Not the wise, the learned, the experts, the powerful, the mature, but to little children!

Why little children?

"Star Wars" (1977) – It revolutionized pop culture. After 1977, movies and TV changed. Merchandising became big business. No one saw this coming because Star Wars was considered a “kid’s film.” Even most of the people working on it thought it was a children’s film with robots, shaggy monsters and dark villains.

But the film was popular with more than just children and it has remained popular for over 30 years. Why? Maybe because this film touched on our very basic hopes to see evil defeated and good triumph. Something that we understand as kids.

What was it like before 1977? It was the same. We still believed in good and evil and heroic deeds, adventures to save the princess, the power of evil. It’s just that Lucasfilm figured out a great way to package that and market it.

How did the church lose its child-like imagination? How did we lose our basic belief and hope in the struggle between good and evil and the faith that good always wins?

• Maybe we’ve been too jaded by a cynical world
• Maybe we got involved in so many busy activities
• So many programs and preparations

We need to recover the imagination. We need to have the same imagination and child-like faith that sees simple acts and adventures of mission that knock Satan off his feet. We need to view the world again as a field where good and evil struggle. We need to rejoice that our names are written in heaven – not because God’s keeping score or because we want Jesus to save us a seat, but because God knows that he has some agents down here that he can call on when there’s a mission.

But we’ve all gotten tired and bored! We have become so busy! And it has made us bitter and proud!

Mary and Martha (Luke 10)

• Mary is captivated, but Martha is busy.
• At least Martha is inviting Jesus to hospitality. If it were left up to Mary it would never had been done!
• Jesus explains to Martha that she only needs one thing. Why doesn’t he tell her what the one thing is? Because if he did then she would work on it the same way she was working at hospitality. She would wear herself out, upset everyone else and get upset with everyone else. Even with the one thing, she would get bitter and burdened with responsibility.

1. Let’s believe again that the world really can change – otherwise, why do we have a mission?
2. Let’s believe again that demons and evil can be sent running and that Satan (the dark villain) has fallen from the sky like lightning.
3. Let’s believe again that good wins out and let’s pledge to be on the winning side.

Chris Benjamin

West-Ark Church of Christ, Fort Smith, AR
Morning Sermon, 11 October 2009

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