A Vulnerable Nature - The One Year Salt and Light Devotional

Luke 10:1-4

Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road. (Luke 10:4)

THE OPENING TO THE 1986 FILM The Mission shows scenes of early missionaries to South American jungles. Some are crucified according to their own message, while others simply disappear. Father Gabriel, who ends up being central to the story, goes into the depths of the jungle with little more than his oboe. In each case, the people who work toward making a difference in the lives of indigenous peoples make themselves vulnerable. Later in the movie, misguided leaders who ruin the reputation of the church and destroy the work of the missions go in with weapons and decrees. The difference between the church as a humble spiritual movement and the church as an overbearing worldly institution is startling—and devastating.

Times have changed since the historical circumstances depicted in that movie, but the nature of the gospel has not. God did not send us into the world as know-it-all, holier-than-thou, ready-to-rumble, my-way-or-the-highway kinds of people. He sent us into the world with vulnerability. His commission to the seventy-two followers (or seventy in some versions) stressed simplicity: no purse, no extra shoes, no distractions on the road. Those instructions would take on a different tone later (see Luke 22:35-37), but at first they were based on the bare character of the gospel and the humility of its adherents. The sheep went out among wolves without recourse to anything or anyone but their Master’s will.

That’s still the case, even when we have money, shoes, and a network of relationships among our possessions. We still have nothing to depend on—no person or thing we can completely rely on—other than Jesus. Only he can make a difference in people’s lives; all the rest is baggage. Far more important than the specific words we speak is the attitude we carry. We are called to be conversation starters, not dictators. We are called to serve people, not battle them. And we are called to appeal to human hearts, not condemn them. In your personal mission in this world, put aside all manipulation, all the trappings of worldly influence, and live the gospel. It, and it alone, changes lives.

{Lord, human nature complicates things, and we live in complicated times. Always bring me back to the simplicity of the gospel and the vulnerability of your ways. Lead me in humility, compassion, and service. May I have no agenda other than to embody your true nature. Amen.