Today’s Reflection
Gospel: Mt 9: 18-26
July 4, 2022 | Monday

Today’s Gospel

After this, the Lord appointed seventy-two other disciples, and sent them, two by two, ahead of him, to every town and place, where he himself was to go. And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. So you must ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers tohis harvest. Courage! I am sending you like lambs among wolves. Setoff without purse or bag or sandals; and do not stop at the homes of those you know.

Whatever house you enter, first bless them, saying, ‘Peace to this house!’ If a friend of peace lives there, the peace shall rest upon that person. But if not, the blessing will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking at their table, for the worker deserves to be paid. Do not move from house to house.

When they welcome you to any town, eat what they offer you. Heal the sick who are there, and say to them: ‘The kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’

But in any town where you are not welcome, go to the market place and proclaim: ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet, we wipe off and leave with you. But know for a certainty that the kingdom of God has drawn near to you.’ I tell you, that on the Day of Judgment it will be better for Sodom than for this town.

The seventy-two disciples returned full of joy. They said, “Lord, even the demons obeyed us when we called on your name.” Then Jesus replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. You see, I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the Enemy, so that nothing will harm you. Nevertheless, don’t rejoice because the evil spirits submit to you; rejoice, rather, that your names are written in heaven.”

Today’s Reflection:

Two of Jesus’ instructions for the “seventy two” in the Gospel Reading are of great help for evangelizers in a new mission field—the social media. The first is his advice that they first offer peace to a household where they are to bear witness to the Kingdom of God (v. 6). That his disciples are to offer peace presupposes two things. First, they are men and women of peace—God’s shalom that endures and goes beyond understanding. Second, this sort of peace is much needed in chaotic places where they are to share the Gospel message. But not all people welcome peace. Some find Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God, which ushers in peace, unsetting. Specifically, those who benefit from unjust structures of the Roman Empire resist Jesus’ proclamation of the Kingdom of God.

Which brings us to the second instruction of the Lord. Whenever their proclamation of the Kingdom gets rejected, never should the disciples engage in arguments or polemics. They should just move forward by wiping off even the dusts of a place where they are not welcome from their feet (vv. 11-12). Remarkable here is Jesus’ choice of the verb “wipe off” (ἀπομάσσομαι)—a far less provoking word than “shake off” (ἀποτινάσσω) which Jesus earlier used in advising “the twelve” whenever they would be rejected (cf. Lk 9:5; Mt 10:14). Jesus perhaps has realized that a provocative response to rejection is less helpful or counterproductive in the promotion of the reign of peace.

What does this twofold instruction have to do with doing mission in social media? It must first be borne in mind that exchanges in social media—the present-day public square—often get inflammatory and mean. Seldom do discourses online respect the rules of logic. Rarely do meetings of mind happen. More often than not, people engage in discourses not to have well-rounded and wider views on issues but to prove their points right and the others wrong—an exercise that usually devolves into polemics and expletives. It is in this sense that the Lord’s instruction to offer peace first and foremost is of great significance. Those who wish to do mission via social media should first have and be grounded in the Lord’s shalom so that they can exude this to their audience online.

However, we cannot just say what people want to hear if we are to bear witness to the Gospel. Faithfulness to the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth who “comforts the afflicted but afflicts the comfortable” obliges us to take a stand against many forms of injustices and oppressions that undermine the reign of God’s peace. We have to tell inconvenient truths and ask unsettling questions which can earn us the ire of the powers-that-be who can hire trolls to attack us.

Which brings us to the relevance of the Lord’s second instruction. His counsel as regards wiping off the dusts from the disciples’ feet finds a significant resonance in the present-day expression “starving the trolls”. Whenever discourses online devolve into ad hominem attacks and expletives, we should just move forward by ignoring those who resort to these dirty tactics. We must bear in mind that online “the harvest is great too” (v. 2). It would be a pity if we wasted our time and energy refuting those who spread negativities, promote chaos, and destroy peace. Engaging them does not only embolden them to resort to more vitriolic attacks but also does them favors. Trolls after all are paid on the basis of the quantity and quality of their online engagements. We should instead devote our time and energy engaging those who are respectful in discourse. Respectful discourse does not mean refraining from critical discussions and disagreements. Critical as well as constructive discussions should be encouraged. These widen our horizons and enable us to find the presence of God in those whose views differ from ours, including those who do not believe in Jesus of Nazareth. /Vulnerasti, 2022