Written in Heaven
Adapted from a sermon by Fr Elijah Iskander
Reading Luke 10:1-20
The Lord prepares the seventy to go out, and gives them a series of key instructions. These are pivotal to the Christian that wants to see the Hand of God in their life.
Go Two by Two
This may seem like an insufficient way to deliver a message across a large area. To go two by two would half the amount of people reached. In Ecclesiastes 4:9, we read, “Two are better than one, Because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.”
Two are better than one for if I fall, the one that is by my side will lift me up again. The apostles had these instructions in their mind very clearly. Even when St Paul and St Barnabas served together and had a disagreement and wanted to part ways, they still did not go alone. St Paul took Silas, and St Barnabas took St Mark, as a matter of necessity.
The Lord loves our unity. We learn that in the liturgy as well. The Liturgy cannot happen without a priest, a deacon and a congregation – at least three gathered together. The Lord loves us to be united with each other, so that we are united in Him also.
In the prayer of reconciliation, we exchange a holy kiss and the Lord reminds us that if you have a problem with another, you must reconcile with that person before you come to the altar.
During the liturgy, we know that the priest will say, “Pray,” and the deacon will respond, “Stand up for prayer.” There is a slight variation in Coptic to this, where the priest will say, “Esh-leel eflogison.” This is say, “pray, and you bless,” directed toward the other priest. If there are multiple priests present, the priest praying may say, “Esh-leel eflogite,” which is, “pray and they bless.” It’s a very subtle but very blessed difference.
In the Spirituality of the Rites of the Holy Liturgy by Bishop Matteous, he writes about the “secret handshake” the priests do when one of them is offering incense around the church. One priest is taking all the prayers of the congregation when he goes around the church but he sees another priest and offers him the fellowship of incense, as if to say, “pray with me, Abouna.”
The aim of offering incense to clergymen, in general, is to involve them all in the offering of incense and in raising their prayers and supplications to the Lord. This intention can be seen in the incensing priest’s request of his associate which asks the associate to pray for him, while they offer incense to the Lord together, coupled with a supplication for the Lord’s assistance. This is known as the ‘Fellowship of Incense’.
The Lord loves us to be united two by two. Another key reason why the Lord would want us to be in fellowship is the very next reason.
Lamb among wolves
“Behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves” – Luke 10:3.
Not because we are weaker than those around us, but alluding to the prophecy in Isaiah; “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together” – Isaiah 65:25.
The wolves will be converted into lambs, so as these lambs go out two by two and face harshness, they need to overcome that with the gentleness of lambs. I might need somebody to support me, correct me, ensure my ways do not reflect the wolves around me but the gentleness of the Lord.
Sent to the Gentiles
There are a few interesting instructions that could not be directed toward the Jews. Food is mentioned twice – “And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give” (Luke 10:7) and “Whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you” (Luke 10:8).
Why does the Lord seem preoccupied with what they eat? Not just this, but another interesting instruction is given to greet no one on the road. The Lord was preparing them for a mission to the Gentiles.
If a Jewish person was invited to a meal, they could not eat with Gentiles, or the uncleanness of their food. The Lord now says to eat the food that is put before them. This goes hand in hand with the next instruction to greet no one along the road. This is so that no human traditions get in the way of the mission. They have somewhere to be that cannot be hindered.
A visiting bishop was invited into the home of one of the priests. They all gathered together to prepare a meal for him. Just before he arrived, he rang the priest and said he could not come. He had a more urgent service to attend to. The priest was so pleased with this response, because he could see that he had a mission. He was there for a purpose, and he could not allow the social conventions to get in the way of his mission. The Lord prepared the disciples to be extremely focused on their mission.
The Lord then gives them authority – “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me” – Luke 10:16. This is the height of all dignity. The apostles leave and are happy and say, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
The response of our Lord is not what His disciples were expecting. This was no easy mission that the disciples had signed up for. When they return with joy, we expect the Lord to respond in joy also. The Lord tells them, “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. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
He tells them that they are happy for the wrong reasons. St Cyril of Alexandria comments of this saying, “The Lord was a Farmer, taking out the weed of pride and love of authority before its roots were deep.” In our ministry we must do the same. We must not seek the praise of others. We should be happy when we see miracles, but this does not override the happiness in being the child of the Lord. I have done my duty as a servant of the Lord.
Let us pray together in our homes, let us reach out to those who have the same struggles as us. To the one that is living alone. To the other with kids stuck at home. To the one struggling financially. Go to another that is in the same position as you.
Let us greet no one along the road. We have the chance to do what is pleasing to the Lord, so let us not become distracted. We are numbered among those chosen by the Lord, so let this remain our focus above all else.