2023-03-01 A Meditation on Sent Out
“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.” (Mt 10:5–15 ESV)
The gospel cohort in the community, the gospel assignation, is bold but not rude, self-sufficient but no enemy to hospitality and material dependency. Spiritually nurtured and cohort alongside fellow believers, who have seen a distance further; who are no foolishly-faithful but pragmatic and down to the business of evangelism, of living the Gospel, of being found at last day in the arms of Christ, or partakers of the fireside warmth together. Man has seen a step further, and is forever changed.
Man longs, as a perfection is prayed right through, unto the end we find ourselves not perfect but rolling with the punches, engaged, risk-taking all over again. Gone the adolescent hang-ups and insecurities; present a refusal to hide out spiritually, present a salvific impulse, dimly yet finally heard through the forest of one’s prayer life, to dive in; to take the plunge; to cease being master and mistress of overlording self-mastery, but rather to accept this day Christ and His dying will, that as He literally is ruined in a moment, before perhaps even coming to see what gifts we brought to the friendship, that we properly find Him in a classmate, colleague, or peer, and together share in the duality: despondent, but liminal and with joy on the horizon. Quieted, but excited. Mild, and murmuring good news.
Man thirsts for some guidepost or familiar lotion or balm, some drink, milk for the quieted time; Man longs, and is met because of the simplicity of his or her gesture. Jesus discerns and dismisses all irony and hedged bets, all sophistication and careless bluster. Jesus is the one we at one time only longed for in terms of drawing near, but today worship from a distance, as the healer of our former concupiscences, the correction of our human need for companionship; today we are self-sufficient, yet not ruinous to a community that does require some to go down the imperfect path: marriage, friendships, interventions, worship corporately, scripture study, evangelism. All are good things, but imperfect.
Bold but not rude, we avoid hiding out and clutching our celibacies. We avoid shortcuts, avoiding healing via avoidance, and as soon as healing is underway, we return to the scene of the crime: many are the needful. Our faith-walk will be tinged, questioned, we will wake up into a malaise, unable to see the clarion Gospel call for a moment, and a prayerful moment will remedy this. We will see with eyes anew. We will be forever marked with the proud title of soldier. We will have a second-hand innocence even as we protect and shelter our forward insights and vision. Clarion vision, years ahead in some cases, yet servant to the sinful masses, taking on faith that a leading gesture of good will does earn us the good portion of those to whom we come. And that our decisions will be questioned: we are going to a cross of infamy no different from that borne by our Lord.
And taking on faith that an incarnate religion names things, is made real by flesh-and-blood experience and weight. No pie-in-the-sky, it is our sense of belonging today, because we have found a place in the Body to live out. And who knows for how long that invitation will be extended, not because Jesus hates in the final issue, but because it is all a divine mystery and saving plan. He has seen a step further.
The malaise is because we forget to ask for total salvation, total angularity and coming alongside, a right angle or perpendicular formed between our spirit and that of Christ, who is needed this day on all fronts, to form the efficient source and map. All our thoughts need redemption. We tolerate a level of incompleteness when it comes to Christ, because we think we need to contribute of our own best efforts. This we do, but not as a partnership but rather as a servant’s joyous celebration. In our time, we celebrate that Christ has done the good deed. We then act in our own lives without thinking twice about it. But also face hatred and persecutions because our gospel is so simple. Others do not see themselves in total need; they think they are bringing things to the table. We disagree.