Into whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace to this household.’
All we need for the journey which Jesus asks us to undertake is that which he himself first gives: his peace.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid (see John 14:27).
Most of us are more familiar with the sort of peace that the world gives. This is the peace that we can have when there are no wolves eyeing us hungrily, when our money bags are full, when we don't forget to pack anything in our sacks, when our sandals fit comfortably, and when we receive sufficient affirmation from all of the bystanders along our way. Jesus sent out the seventy-two without such things to demonstrate to them the fact that Good News of the Kingdom was really the only essential thing. Just as Mary found the one thing necessary at the feet of Jesus so did the seventy-two take with them only the one thing necessary. They brought, not merely a feeling, not merely a message, but the presence of Jesus himself to others.
If a peaceful person lives there,
your peace will rest on him;
but if not, it will return to you.
Do we believe that such peace as Jesus promised is possible? Can we have peace even when we are in peril or in want? We see in Paul that it is not only possible but necessary to discover the secret of this peace if we are to be effective evangelists.
Demas, enamored of the present world,
deserted me and went to Thessalonica,
Crescens to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.
...
Alexander the coppersmith did me a great deal of harm;
...
At my first defense no one appeared on my behalf,
but everyone deserted me.
These trials that Paul faced would have quickly caused anyone seeking the peace of this world to turn aside. What Paul found was not indeed peace but the sword. He faced hardships and persecutions. Yet we read that he did learn the secret by which these external circumstances could not affect the deeper peace that he had by being rooted in Christ.
I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength (see Philippians 4:11-13).
Because Paul had the peace of Christ within him he was able to offer it to those who heard his message and read his words. In his own forgiveness of those who abandoned him we can hear the forgiveness of Christ himself. His message was not just his own, but that of the Lord who stood by him and gave him strength.
May it not be held against them!
But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength,
so that through me the proclamation might be completed
and all the Gentiles might hear it.
Perhaps Luke was inspired by Paul to internalize some of these lessons. In any event, in his relationship with Paul he demonstrated a friendship that is possible between people of faith, possible Christ himself is the heart of the friendship, and when it is based on his peace in the heart of the friends.
Luke is the only one with me.
There can be a virtuous cycle between our relationships with others and our relationship with God. This is true provided that these relationships are unified by the common theme of the peace of Christ that we have when Christ himself dwells within our hearts.
Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your Kingdom.
What are we demanding of God before we will allow him to give us peace? How are we failing as friends of others because we are insisting that something else is more important than the peace of Christ? We are so prone to worry about imagined challenges and what might happen if we don't have what we think we need. Let's instead take the Lord at his word, receive his peace, and then see what is possible for us, perhaps beyond anything we ever dreamed.
Whatever town you enter and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you,
cure the sick in it and say to them,
‘The Kingdom of God is at hand for you.’”
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