This month Jesus continues his trek towards Jerusalem. In the meantime he sends out 72 disciples on July 6. Most of the month concerns his meetings with various people whose actions lead to his teachings. Note that he does not teach in a formal setting, such as a synagogue but where the people are. He is tested by a lawyer, which transitions to the Good Samaritan story on July 13. He is in the home of Mary and Martha on July 20 for a lesson in priorities. Prayer is featured on July 27.
July 6 – Fourth Sunday After Pentecost -Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
Today’s readings focus on the Christian experience of being sent by Jesus to continue his mission.
Jesus sent out seventy-two disciples to spread the Good News and continue the work Jesus had begun. They had not yet experienced the Good News of the resurrection, but following Jesus, they proclaimed that the Kingdom of God was at hand and healed the sick. Jesus had them pack light, taking only peace with them. Whatever town they entered and whatever home, they were to greet the people with peace, even if the people did not want to hear what they had to say. When the seventy-two returned, they were most pleased by the fact that they had power over evil forces. Jesus told them not to think so much about that as the fact that they had already been assured of salvation.
July 13 – Fifth Sunday after Pentecost – Luke 10:25-37
Jesus was tested by a lawyer who wanted to prove that he was a good person. Assuming that he knew the answer, he asked Jesus what one must do to have eternal life. Jesus coaxed from the man what was the greatest commandment: To love our neighbor as we love ourselves. But the man asked Jesus to define neighbor. Jesus explained who our neighbors are by telling the story we know as the Good Samaritan. In a land where Samaritans were despised, a man traveling on a road fell into the hands of robbers who beat and robbed him. Two people who would have been expected to stop, a Levite and a priest, actually passed the man by leaving him for dead. A Samaritan, however, stopped and tended to him, took him to a safe place and paid for his care. The point of Jesus’ story was not so much who the neighbor was but how the lawyer should have responded as a neighbor.
July 20 – Sixth Sunday after Pentecost – Luke 10:38-42
Jesus upset a few Jewish norms in this Gospel about Mary and Martha. First it was unusual for a single man to be a guest in the home of a single woman, and secondly, it was usually the most acclaimed male student of a rabbi who received tutoring such as Mary. It was not the break in these norms that disturbed Mary’s sister, Martha, so much as the fact that Mary sat listening to Jesus’ teaching instead of helping her sister with the responsibilities of hospitality. Jesus, of course, knew that it was important to tend to the household chores, but he also wanted to make the point that in order to love and serve God, it was important to hear the Word of God
July 27 – Seventh Sunday after Pentecost – Luke 11:1-13
This Gospel reminds us of three things. First of all the disciples asked Jesus how to pray and he gave them a model we call the Our Father. Jesus gave the disciples a form of prayer that praises and petitions God. Next there was the example of a friend who came in the middle of the night to another’s house asking for bread. The visitor awoke his friend with a plea for bread, but the sleeping friend did not want to be disturbed. Perhaps it would not be their friendship that got the first man his loaf of bread, but his persistence. So, the only way to continue his night’s sleep was for the second man to give his friend the bread. In this parable, Jesus made clear that we need to be persistent in prayer. Finally, Jesus asked what father would hand his son a snake when asked for a fish, or a scorpion when asked for an egg. The point of this illustration was to show the disciples that God would give us the most important gift, the Holy Spirit.