Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra shirt. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Horsham, 12th July 2024
This Scripture marks a major turning point in the life and training of the twelve disciples. Notice that in the first verse of this section, we read that ‘Jesus went around teaching from village to village.’ (verse 6). To this point, all of the teaching and the healing has been done by Jesus. The disciples have watched and been part of the work, but it has been Jesus who actually does it. Alistair Begg has said that prior to this moment, the disciples were rather like extras in a film where Jesus was the lead actor. From this moment forwards, it is the turn of the disciples to step up a gear.
If you are offered a challenging role, you should expect to receive a period of training. However there comes a moment when it is time for you to get out and do the job.
A ‘disciple’ is, by definition, someone who follows a teacher in order to learn from them. This extraordinary group of fishermen, tax collectors, and at least one zealot have been witness to the most dramatic miracles and teaching about the Kingdom of God. They had spent nearly two years in training, and now, for the first time, they are encouraged to put their learning into practice, with the power and authority given to them by the Messiah. They are elevated from the role of ‘disciple’, as one who learns from their teacher, to the role of ‘apostle’, which means one that is sent out with the delegated authority of the one who sends.
In the Gospel of Luke, the purpose of the mission of he twelve is made crystal clear. ‘He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God.’ (Luke 9:1-2).
Two people, says Scripture are better than one (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). The witness of a second person is benficial to support the testimony of the first (John 8:17). Travelling in pairs, they are to take nothing with them. No bag. No extra clothes. No bread. No money. No bag (you will be tempted to put things in your bag if you have it with you(i)). The message is go, just as you are. Depend on me. Trust in me.
Travelling light conveys a sense of urgency to this commission. This is not a delegation of powers for convenience, as much as a vital step towards his objective and purpose. For Jesus, time is short, and it’s important to get his team match fit to cope with the first steps of building His Church when, in a short while, he is taken from them. Encouraging them to explore their own gifts, potential and the power of the Holy Spirit is the essential next step in their development.
We should feel a sense of urgency when God places a call on our life. NT Wright makes the point that the instructions given to the disciples were appropriate for that specific moment in time, for that culture, and for those specific people (Mark for Everyone, p..69). Christ does not call most of us to head out into the unknown with nothing, so that will probably not be the right route for you today, especially if that means abandoning responsibilities which are important to you or others. Having said that, we are called to ‘Go’, not to stand still. I can’t help noticing how we are burdened by our possessions, and how that can sometimes make us prevaricate rather than following His call.
For me, this teaching speaks to our tendency to load ourselves down with unnecessary baggage. It’s all too easy to find reasons not to follow Jesus. The urgency of the Kingdom is such that it may not be right to wait until you are in what feels like the perfect place to step out. If God is sending you, it’s not always right to wait until you fell that you have the right experience, the right degree, the right bank balance, the right suit of clothes. There comes a time when, like those first disciples, we have to take that step. We have to go.
Relying on the power and authority of Jesus, 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Some time later, Jesus reminded his disciples of this moment.
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?” “Nothing,” they answered. (Luke 22:35)
In the same way that you will never learn to swim unless you lift your feet from the floor of the pool, you will never learn to follow Jesus unless you take that first step of faith, trusting that he will provide everything you need.
The disciples took that step. Day by day, hour by hour, we need to be listening, and ready to step out in faith as a follower of Jesus.
A prayer using words from Psalm 25:
In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. Show me your ways, Lord, teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
(i) The bag, carried by a priest, was used to solicit gifts of food or money.