Sent Out.

Mark 6:7-13

The Twelve Sent Out

 ⁷ And He summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; ⁸ and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt— ⁹ but to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” ¹⁰ And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave town. ¹¹ Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” ¹² They went out and preached that men should repent. ¹³ And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

Reflection

As I was growing up in church, I always saw the church building as the place where God moved and God’s people acted. I thought, as Christians, our goal was to invite people to the church building to hear from God, only then could lives be transformed.  It was not until I was a junior in high school and I was asked to go on a mission trip that I realized that God sent out the Church, the Body of Christ, into the world.

At this point in the gospel of Mark, Jesus’ disciples have only been with Jesus for a short time. During that time, they have seen Jesus do some amazing things: heal the sick, cast out demons, and preach the gospel. In today’s text, Jesus now calls his disciples forward and calls them to the same things has he has done, to preach the gospel to the world.

The first thing that Jesus commands his disciples to do is to take nothing with them. Jesus does this so that at every point of their ministry, Jesus’s disciples will have to rely on God to provide for them. The disciples of Jesus will have to rely on God working through others to provide everything from a place to sleep at night to food for the next day. Through this command, Jesus is teaching his followers that in life and ministry, you will have to rely on God.

Secondly, Jesus gives his followers a command relating to how to deal with those who reject the gospel. When the disciples enter into a community that rejects the action of God in the world, the disciples are to “dust off the soles of your feet as a testimony against them.” This action is a sign would be comparable to the modern day phrase, “I wash my hands of you.” By dusting off their feet, the disciples are literally dusting off the city itself. In a way, the disciples are communicating, I have faithfully proclaimed God message to you; now you have rejected not only me, but God who sent me here.

Jesus wanted his followers to understand that there will be times in life that you proclaim the gospel; where you have been faithful to preach what God has called you to. This will not mean that because you have been faithful to God, that others will accept your message or accept you. Jesus warns his followers that his message comes to divide families and cut to the heart of people. There will be times when some are resistant to God’s work in the world. As followers, we have to remember that when we are rejected, they are first rejecting God, not us.

Following the leading of Christ, his disciples are sent out to proclaim and show or manifest the Kingdom of God. Jesus’s command to us is no different than his command to his disciples in Mark 6. As followers of Jesus, we are to be characterized as those who are sent out. Pastor Mike reminded our church community about that during the 11 am service on Sunday when he taught us that the word “church” means, “those who are sent out.” As the Church, the Body of Christ, we are those who have been sent out to preach and manifest the Kingdom of God.

Questions

1.     What did Jesus send out his disciples to do?

2.     Why did Jesus send out his disciples?

3.     Why did Jesus not want his disciples to bring anything with them?

4.     What did he command them to do when their message was rejected? Why did he command them to do this?

5.     What do you think Jesus calls us to do as his disciples?

6.     Where is Jesus sending you?

7.     What can we learn from out Jesus sent out his disciples?

8.     How might your family work to proclaim God’s message to your community?