In today's Gospel reading from Luke 10, Jesus sends out seventy-two of His disciples in pairs to the places He intended to visit. He gives them instructions before they go, and a warning.
"Go on your way; behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves." If you think about it, that doesn't sound like a very nice thing to do. So why would Jesus do that? After all, a lamb among wolves will surely get eaten.
I don't believe Jesus wanted His disciples to "get eaten." I also don't believe He wanted them to be a pushover. This was a warning about what they were about to encounter. He knew that people would be hostile toward them and their message. This is a condition that has been present for 2000 years. For Christians, the world is full of wolves. We don't have to let them devour us. But we do have to be lambs.
Father, may we take the message of your love and mercy out into a world filled with wolves. Protect us in our meekness, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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