“They went out and preached…” Mark 6:7-13
Jesus now sends out the disciples in pairs to preach a message of repentance. He also gives them authority to cast out unclean spirits and to heal the sick. Preaching and miracles! No wonder the world was later “turned upside down” by these guys.
We remember this story not by what Jesus provided them, i.e. a message and miraculous power, but by what he denied them: no bread, bag, money or change of clothes. Sounds like a few poorly planned hiking trips I’ve been on.
Jesus’ purpose is not to make them suffer or practice self-denial, but to continue teaching them to rely completely on God. They would be his laborers; he would clothe, feed and house them. Nowhere does anything indicate that they would be hungry, exposed to the elements or without support and assistance. In fact, Jesus expected them to learn that he would care for them through the people they would meet.
But all this is just a secondary issue in commissioning them for this “mission, quest… thing.” First and foremost was to reach the people with the good news of God’s kingdom. It was like having twelve more of Jesus out in the field.
We know the results of their efforts by the reports: many demons were cast out, many sick people were healed. But what of the message they preached? And why was it so brief? Wasn’t there more that could be said besides “repent”? Couldn’t they have given a less blunt message, one with a more appealing approach, perhaps?
Well, it was what they knew. After all, John the Baptist and Jesus himself had preached the very same thing. A well-crafted, reasonable and compelling message is not necessarily what is required. More than words are needed. The apostle Paul expressed this perspective as well in First Corinthians 2:4,5 – “My speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”
Copyright 2019 David J. Cooley
