The First Mission of The Twelve. Mark 6:7-13.
And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in their belts -But to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. “And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.”So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Dear Joint Heirs with Christ,
This the first known occasion of the sending out of the twelve. It is not necessarily the standard for all Christians all the time, because the cultural practices of Jesus’ time are not replicated in our time. One will rarely find people who will welcome strangers into their homes anymore, whether preachers or not. But there are universal principles that we can learn from this account.
Paired Up (v. 7). Jesus could have sent the disciples one by one. But he sent them in twos. Companionship is good for encouragement. Some ministry situations can be discouraging and in such situations, “Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). It is possible to make mistakes also, that a companion would warn one against. This is not to say that one cannot go out to serve alone, but “two are better than one.”
Provided For (vv. 7-11). Jesus instructed the disciples to take nothing extra, not even money or a change of clothes. They were to depend entirely on the hospitality of their hosts. Since hospitality to strangers was the common practice at the time, refusing to receive the disciples would have been a clear sign of rejection of the message they preached. If that happened, the disciples were to “shake off the dust” that was on their feet. The Jews who visited Gentile lands would shake off the dust from their feet as a way of cleansing themselves of the uncleanness they had been exposed to. This gesture by the disciples would be a sign to the town or village that they were the same as Gentiles because they had rejected the message of the Kingdom of God.
Powered Up (vv. 12-13). When Jesus sent the disciples out, he gave them authority over the unclean spirits” (v. 7). When they did go out, they were able to cast demons out and heal the sick, as they preached the message of repentance. It is important to note that the power to cast demons out was given in preaching the good news, not as an independent ministry. Again, that is not to say that demons cannot be cast out except in a preaching mission. Rather, it is to say that we must maintain our focus – the preaching of the gospel. It is a wonderful thing to know that the power of God not only accompanies those who go out to preach the gospel but is also within them.
Your Loving Pastor Chris.