In missionary-speak, and even in evangelism-speak, people may often use the phrase, “A Person of Peace.” What they mean by this phrase is that this person is open to the good news of Jesus Christ, and receptive to the person sharing the message. It is not guaranteed that this person will believe right away – or even at all – but they are willing to listen to the evangelist, and to make their own judgments. But most importantly, they act as a bridge between the missionary and the community to which they belong. They may be an influencer in their community, or they might just help to spread the gospel – either by their direct receptiveness, or at the very least by their lack of interference in what the missionary or evangelist is doing.
This concept comes, in part, from the Gospel passage that we just heard today. Jesus has sent out seventy of his disciples two-by-two to all the places that he intended to travel to in the future. And he tells them, “See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Care no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person.”
What Jesus then outlines is how to interact with those people. When you find a person of peace, you stay there with them, and you drink and eat whatever they provide for you, because they deserve to be paid. When a town welcomes you, you shall cure the sick, and make the pronouncement that “the kingdom of God has come near to you.” That is, The Kingdom of Peace, the kingdom of power, the kingdom of love has come near to you today, because you have welcomed us into your house. And the disciples cured the sick who were there.
On the flip side, when the disciples came to a town where they were not welcomed, they were to go to the edge of the town, and they were to shake the dust off their feet. And, interestingly enough, they were still to say, “The kingdom of God has come near.” That is, when they spoke to people of peace, that phrase was uttered as a blessing, and when they were rejected, the phrase was uttered as a warning. Whoever, Jesus says, rejects you, rejects me, and also the one who sent me.
Now, remember that Jesus had sent out the disciples without money, and without additional clothes, and without sandals. For all practical purposes, they would appear to all the people they came to, to simply be wandering beggars, for they had nothing with them but the clothes on their back. And Jesus tells them to heal the sick whenever they are welcomed. But for those that reject them, they are to tell them, basically, that The Kingdom of God was near, and you did nothing, and so now, the Kingdom is not here.
Now, what’s interesting is that Jesus then brings up how these towns that have rejected the disciples will be treated far worse than Sodom was. You might be wondering why Jesus brings this up, since we all think we know the sin of Sodom, and what would that have to do with rejecting a couple of disciples who look like poor, wandering, sandal-less souls?
The answer to that is found in Ezekiel, chapter 16. In this chapter, Ezekiel is berating the city of Jerusalem for having taken the blessings that God had bestowed upon them and become a harlot. That is, they ran from God, and instead followed foreign gods and sacrificed their children to these gods in order to make a name for themselves among the other nations. They took the bread and wine, the sheep and goats, the fruit of the land, the abundance of their blessing that God had given them, and rather than use it to bless the nations around them, they became arrogant and forgot about the God that had loved them. Ezekiel tells them that their “older sister, Samaria” lives to the north of them, and their “younger sister, Sodom” lives to the south, and that Jerusalem has committed far worse abominations than even Samaria and Sodom; remember, Samaria was their sworn enemy, and everyone knew about the destruction of the city Sodom. Ezekiel tells them they have committed far worse abominations than these two. And what were these abominations? Ezekiel says, “This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had pride, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy.” What’s more, Ezekiel then goes on to tell them that Samaria and Sodom have not committed half the sins that Jerusalem did, and that by comparison, Jerusalem had made those two others “appear righteous.” Their sin was that they had the wealth, they had the food, they had lives of ease and plenty, and despite having all of thes power and wealth, they refused to help the poor and needy nations around them. They did not do the will of God and become a blessing to the nations, and instead they focused their lives inward, so that they could bless themselves first and foremost.
That is why those who rejected the disciples of Jesus would be seen as rejecting Jesus himself. It is also why Jesus said that those who rejected him would face a stricter punishment than even Sodom had earned. Those who rejected them were thinking only of themselves, and not of the needs of those who were standing at the entrance to their town: these wandering disciples with nothing but the clothes on their back – for all intents and purposes, looking like wandering beggars. These disciples were going from town to town, spreading the good news of Jesus. And those who welcome them, those that provide the hospitality, they are blessed with cures for the sick, and with the blessing of God. Those that welcomed these strangers might not have been paid by gold or silver, but the disciples paid them with things far greater. They gave of their abundance, and the disciples returned the favor – by giving of the abundance of peace and blessing that Jesus had given them.
So, after all this, you might be wondering how all of this relates to evangelism, or even to missionary work?
First, the people who were listening to the Gospel of Luke being either read out loud, or heard the message being preached, they would have been confronted with the idea that they were inhospitable, arrogant, overfed and lazy like Sodom. They would be confronted with internal questions like “Am I going to reject these people telling me this story about Jesus because they look dirty and smelly? Can they do something to help me improve my lot in life? They seem like unimportant people; can they help me gain recognition in the world around me?” Or, the best, “What’s in it for me?”
This question, of course, is subjective, and internal, and only those asking those questions can answer the question for themselves.
The second question, of course, is, “Am I like the disciples?”
The reason that Jesus sent out these disciples with nothing but the clothes on their back was to test their faith. That is, if you had no money, no food, no extra clothes, and you were simply going around the countryside telling people about the Good News of Jesus Christ, how confident would you feel that you would be fed, have a roof over your head, or be able to bathe and refresh yourself? It was a class in God’s provision, and it started out with the disciples saying, “Peace be with you,” to all those whom they met along the way.
Their very presence, spreading peace to all whom they met, their demeanor, of trusting God completely for a safe place to sleep, for food, and for water – all of that would have helped them to spread the message of joy and peace – the Good News of Jesus Christ, without having to utter a single word. It was in this complete trust in God that they were able to live out the phrase that is often attributed to St. Francis: “Preach the Gospel at all times; when necessary, use words.”
By being people of peace, they met people of peace, they were able to speak the Truth about Jesus to those people, and through that meeting, all people were blessed.
How much do we trust God with our daily lives? With our health? With our provision? Are we at peace enough with God to say to others, “Peace be with you?” even when it seems like we have nothing, and when all seems to be going against us?
The disciples, sent out with nothing but the clothes on their back, learned that God provides, and God provides in miraculous ways. In fact, these disciples came back from their trip, excited, overjoyed, and proclaiming that even the demons submitted to them in Jesus’ name.
And Jesus, knowing the temptation of using the blessings that God provides for one’s own desires, tells them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. It’s true, I’ve given you authority to do miracles, to cast out snakes and scorpions, and over anything at all that Satan can throw at you. Nothing will hurt you. But, don’t get a big head over that – don’t go getting yourself your own TV show. The power is mine, the blessing is for you to pass on to those that need it. Don’t rejoice in the blessing that I have given to you. Be happy instead that your names are written in heaven. Rejoice instead, in me.”
This is where the two questions meet up in real life. Those that were preaching the Gospel, those that were telling others about Jesus, those that were spreading peace to the world, could just as easily take all the blessings that they had received from God, and turn themselves into the people of Samaria, the people of Sodom, or the harlot Jerusalem.
Jesus is saying, “Do not rejoice that I have given you power over the enemy. Instead, rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Do not rejoice in the power you have received from me, because that is my power, given to you to do specific works. Rejoice instead that you know me, that you love me, and that I too love you. Because in the end, the only thing that will bring you peace is knowing me – nothing else will bring you joy or peace like I do.”
Just like the disciples, sent out with nothing but the clothes on their backs, we must ask ourselves the question:
Where does the root of our peace truly lie?
And can we, in all situations, to all people, say, “Peace be with you?”
[This sermon was delivered at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church in Wickenburg, AZ on July 6, 2025.]
