In Luke 10:1, the Lord sends out seventy disciples to go before Him. He is headed to Jerusalem to die. They are to enter cities and proclaim that Jesus is the Christ and is offering the nation the kingdom of God. 

These men were highly privileged and blessed. They were serving the King. They were very much like John the Baptist had been. They got to prepare the way for the Christ. The Lord even gave them the ability to perform miracles in His name (v 9). 

The Lord told them that when they entered a city, they were to stay in one house. They were to eat whatever the home provided. They were not to move to another house. In other words, they were not to go to a nicer home with nicer food if that became available. 

It is easy to see how better accommodations might be offered to these men. If they entered a town and were invited to stay with a family, such a home might be modest. But when others in the city heard their preaching and saw their miracles, a richer person might desire that the men stay in his home. He could provide them with a more comfortable stay. 

It is also easy to see why the Lord’s witnesses would accept such benefits. They were messengers of the King. God was working through them. They were preaching about a coming, glorious, and eternal kingdom. Such men could think they deserved the best that a town could offer. It would be easy to become greedy and to believe they were entitled to the finer things of life. 

Christ, however, told them not to fall into this temptation. Greed—even if one excuses it because he thinks he’s entitled—is still greed. If these men rejected their host’s hospitality because they got a better offer, this would produce resentment in those who heard their message and saw their actions. Christ told them to concentrate on their mission, not on what they could get out of being ambassadors for the King. 

None of us is part of the seventy. This was a unique time in the Lord’s ministry. But we can be greedy too. We can think we’re entitled to whatever riches might become available to us. A Christian ministry might receive funding from a wealthy supporter. The donor might attach some strings to the money given. The ministry can accept such support, rationalizing that it’s doing the Lord’s work. The end justifies the means. 

An evangelical seminary can accept similarly regarding accreditation. If it gets such accreditation, it will attract more students and more money. This will enable it to produce more graduates and reach a wider audience with the Scriptures. Small compromises in order to obtain such results are acceptable. They are doing the work of the Lord. They are entitled to make such concessions.  

The individual believer can do the same thing. To have an impact on as many people as possible, we can compromise our message. This would allow us to work with more people. Our flesh would relish the outward success of a greater circle of influence. It might even provide us with more money. Since we are doing the Lord’s work, we’re entitled to such benefits.  

Whether we are talking about the seventy in Luke 10, a parachurch organization, a seminary, a church, or an individual believer, the lesson in Luke 10:7 is the same. Our flesh desires the approval and riches of the world. While doing the Lord’s work, our flesh will tell us that we are entitled to such benefits. This could be called “entitled greed.” 

When confronted with such temptations, we need to step back and examine what is going on. We need to remain faithful to what the Lord has called us to do. The world can offer us some attractive things. But if those things weaken our commitment to the King, we should reject them. Even if we think we deserve them.