People thought the Messiah was coming to be a king, and a military ruler, and take away the wrath of the Roman Empire and overthrow them...
So some people wanted to follow Him with the expectation to be royalty in this new Kingdom
Like in the days of King David - King David was roaming when running away from King Saul, but at the end of the day, he became king and those who were good to him before he became king, were rewarded
The Lord tells him that he won't be getting a palace or a mansion or anything out of this. No possessions
"Follow me"
If you are going to follow the Lord, you may need to turn your back on the things of this world... including family
Some people accuse the Lord of ignoring the commandment to "honor thy father and mother" - but that's not what He's saying. He's saying that if you follow Christ, you will find conflicts.
This is especially true of St Luke's audience... Gentiles.
In those days, if you're a Gentile who decided to become a Christian it wasn't just "I'm giving up my Sunday mornings" - your whole life was going to change
No more social functions and city-wide festivals because they sacrifice to idols there
No more politics
Can't hang out in your family's house because they have household gods and they sacrifice to them
Can't eat at their table anymore
You might become a vegetarian because all of the meat at the market was sacrificed to idols
You'll be criticized as not doing your duty to your family or ignoring your city
You might lose your job
You might lose your home
You had to give those things up
If any of those things was more important to you than Christ, then you won't be able to enter the Kingdom of God
The same is true for us today
We have been blessed not to face that kind of persecution in the US (compared to the Middle East, for example) but that can change at any time
In Russia in 1910, no one would have ever thought they'd be persecuted for being a Christian... by 1918 - only 8 years later - the communists had taken over and there was a Civil War and they went around and killed Christians. They took away the rights of Christians to own property, to teach religion, to practice their faith.
And now we're seeing the rise of communism in the USA and lots of people thinking it's a good idea
We must be prepared to choose between our faith and our possessions
And even now, we sometimes have to choose - between coming to Vespers or going to a Soccer game... between coming early for confession and staying home playing video games... between waking up early for liturgy, or staying up late the night before watching movies. What am I going to choose?
Read Luke 10:1-15
The seventy are a group of followers of Christ. We have the inner circle (Peter, James, John) and the Twelve (the disciples) and the Seventy and in the book of Acts, the 120
He sent them to the places that He was about to go
He gave them very similar instructions to the Twelve in chapter 9
Don't go from house to house, don't go out looking for food, don't carry money with you... but take what you are given
Heal the sick and say to them "the kingdom of God has come near to you"
The city that doesn't receive you, will receive the same message that we saw in Ch 9 - wipe the dust of our feet off
"The very dust of your city we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near you"
Even if they reject you, preach the message and leave
"But I say to you that it will be more tolerable in that Day for Sodom than for that city"
What is "That Day"? - Judgment day
What happened to Sodom? - Fire and brimstone
In the last chapter, James and John asked the Lord to command fire to come down on the Samaritan village and consume them and the Lord rebuked them... is this a contradiction?
James and John wanted to do it now... they weren't being merciful
The Lord is talking about Judgment day - they have a chance to repent even until the day they die
Sometimes people try to pit God's mercy against His Judgment but the fact is that God is both perfect in His mercy and compassion, and perfect in His justice
We see two extremes in society
Atheists who complain about God's wrath and judgment and all of that and say "God is not merciful" - and they will look at a verse like this and say that.
Protestants or other Christians who focus on God's mercy and compassion and say "everyone will be saved" or "Be merciful like God and accept everyone"
Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, Tyre, Sidon, Sodom
Unrepentant Cities
Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum are Jewish cities
Tyre and Sidon are Gentil cities
Sodom is the Gentile city from the Old Testament that was destroyed by fire and brimstone
Matthew 11: "And you, Capernaum,who[e]are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.But I say to youthat it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
The Jewish cities that saw the signs and wonders of the Lord in them will be judged more harshly because of their greater unwillingness to repent
Read Luke 10:16
He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me
Three parts
He who hears you hears Me
The Lord was giving full delegation to these disciples
When we hear the words written by St Luke in the gospel here, we are hearing the word of God
When we read the epistles of St Paul, we are reading the word of God
He who rejects you rejects Me
This is the opposite side of the first one
Many nowadays say "I read the New Testament but not the Old Testament" - but if you reject Moses and the prophets, then you reject Christ
Or some say "I read the words of Christ but not Paul or Peter" and they "read the words in red" and reject and don't even consider the "words in black" - they are rejecting Christ
Or we might read a verse and someone says "well Jesus didn't say that, St Matthew did" or "St Paul did"...
He who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me
The obvious one is the Jews who thought they were accepting God and His Law but rejected Christ... but for us to know God, we must know Christ. We will know God the Father through the Lord Jesus Christ
Some also say "I believe in God but not in Jesus" - but how can you say that when Jesus is God?
Read Luke 10:17-20
The seventy returned rejoicing
Don't rejoice because the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice because your names are written in heaven
"I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven"
The Lord reveals who He is
Who was there when Satan fell from heaven?
God and the angels
"Behold I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you"
Angels would not have this power... let alone be able to give it out
So He must be God
Read Luke 10:21-24
Hidden these things from the wise and prudent
In those days, people thought Christianity was the religion of the undesirables - slaves, women, fishermen, poor people, etc.
In reality, it was those who humbled themselves and considered themselves sinners and made themselves disciples, that the Lord revealed everything to
Those who considered themselves better than others, did not understand or comprehend the Kingdom of God
No one knows the Son except the Father and who the Father is except the Son and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him
How can I know God?
To know and to be like the Lord Jesus Christ
To become a disciple of the Lord
I know the Father through the Son
Some people say "The Father is in the Old Testament and the Son in the New Testament"
But if you read the Bible and understand it (and attend Bible Study) you'll find that even the whole Old Testament is about God the Son; the Lord Jesus Christ
Blessed are the eyes which see the things you see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see what you see, and have not seen it, and to hear what you hear, and have not heard it"
Familiar? Litany of the Gospel.
Those in the Old Testament desired to see the Incarnation; the Messiah
Moses wanted to see! But He didn't get to see. King David waited and wrote so many psalms... but he didn't get to see. Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel all wanted to see... but they didn't get to see.
The disciples got to see.
And we get to see even more.
Why do we pray this before every Gospel reading?
Because the words we will hear in the Gospel are the words of Christ that those in the Old Testament wanted to hear.
We get to hear the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. We get to see and even to eat His Body.
We are receiving this same great blessing and honor that the disciples received.
