19 October 2010
Psalm 26, 28; Ecclus. 6:5-17; Rev. 7:9-17; Luke 10:1-16

Do we adequately value our friends? Friends, particularly Christian friends, are a great gift from Him. Faithful friends who will walk with us in our journey, when times are good and when difficulty comes, are indeed impossible to esteem or value highly enough. In the song, What a Friend We Have in Jesus there is a line that always causes me to smile, “Do thy friends despise, forsake thee? Take it to the Lord in prayer.” My first thought is that if the answer to the question is “yes” then you need some new friends or a better understanding of friendship. The truth is that we could all answer yes to that question at some time or other and at any given time in our lives it is possible that it could be answered yes with respect to us. We have no greater, more loving, faithful or steadfast friend than Jesus and our goal should be to emulate Him in this regard.

The seventy are sent out ahead of Jesus to proclaim, as John the Baptist, the coming of the kingdom of God. Their proclamation, however, is more complete than John’s in some ways as they are to heal the sick who are in the towns as a sign to accompany the proclamation. Those that do not receive them are to be protested against with the wiping the dust off the sandals. They have seen and heard and have chosen against the kingdom, they have not been even as receptive as the Babylonians to Jonah’s message. We are to Jesus as He is to the Father, representatives with full credentials. Do we live up to that charge?

We aren’t told that the ones with white robes are martyrs but we believe them to be based on clues in the text. They are before the throne and have come through the great tribulation and it is assumed that this implies that they have been martyred. They have made the supreme sacrifice on behalf of the Lord and have received a reward for their faithfulness. They are now in a place where they shall no longer suffer want or lack or trial for they are with the Lamb. Are we living for the kingdom of God or the kingdom of man?

Blessed be the Lord,
for he has heard the sound of my pleadings.
The Lord is my strength and my shield;
in him my heart trusts;
so I am helped, and my heart exults,
and with my song I give thanks to him.