The Gospel of Mark 6:7-13
“And He summoned the twelve and began to
send them out in pairs and was giving them authority over the unclean spirits;
and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except
a staff only—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—but to wear sandals; and
He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” And He was saying to them, “Wherever you
enter a house, stay there until you leave town. And 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.” And they went out and preached that
men should repent. And they were casting out many demons and were anointing
with oil many sick people and healing them.
Jesus had been “going around the villages teaching.” And
He called unto Him the twelve disciples; “Simon-Peter,
James and John, the “Sons of Thunder”; Andrew and Philip; Bartholomew, Matthew,
Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas
Iscariot.” (Mark 3:16-19)
The disciples had heard His doctrine and had seen the
miracles He had done and now Jesus has set them apart and sent them forth to
practice what they have learned. It is one thing to acquire knowledge and be intellectually
satisfied but what does knowledge do if it’s not put into practice?
Thus, Jesus then equips His disciples and instructs them on how they must go about their work. He sent them in pairs, so that they may be at least two witnesses to the truth and keep each other company. He gave them authority over unclean spirits. They were given the power to attack the devil’s kingdom to break people free from his control, to cast the demons out of the bodies that were possessed. And the power “to heal every disease and every affliction.” (Matthew 10:1) This was not by their power but by the power of The Holy Spirit.
I am reminded in Mark 3:13-15 where Jesus summoned those
whom He wanted, the twelve, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve (whom
He also named apostles) to be with Him and to send them out to preach, and to
have authority to cast out the demons. Jesus ordained them for the work of
miracles. They were given the ability to heal sickness and cast out devils. As
I spoke, Jesus was full of the Holy Spirit beyond measure and imparted the
Spirit upon the twelve for this work.
“He instructed them that they should take nothing for
their journey, except a staff only—no bread, no bag, no money in their belt—but
to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two tunics.” They were to
take nothing with them but the tunic they had and a walking stick. Matthew
Henry comments, “That he commanded them not to take provisions
along with them, neither sustenance nor money, that they
might appear, wherever they came, to be poor men, men not of this world, and
therefore might with the better grace call people from this world to another
world.”
Perhaps they were to learn to be dependent on the provision
of God, like the Hebrews in the desert, these men would have to lean on God for
water and mana. Like John the Baptist, a prophet, who wore sackcloth and ate
honey-dipped locust, they would go forth and proclaim the doctrine of Jesus,
that of repentance.
He was saying to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay
there until you leave town. And 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.” He directed them to make whatever city welcomes
them to enter the house and greet it (Mattew 10:12) and make it their
headquarters; a place they will operate from and “if the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it.” (Matthew 10:13).
This peace, or shalom, brought “Total well-being,
prosperity, and security associated with God’s presence among his people.[1]”
and “The presence of shalom was not
considered ultimately as the outcome of human endeavor but as a gift or
blessing of God.[2]”
This allowed then those who welcomed the disciples to be more willing to hear
the doctrines that the disciples were proclaiming. And they remained until it
was time to return to Jesus.
But “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.” For they have had a fair offer of life and
happiness, shalom was offered to them, and they will witness dust since they
have refused the offer of the good news. They cannot expect ever to have
another offer, and so shall be their doom.
“That dust, like the dust of Egypt (Ex. 9:9),
shall turn into a plague to them; and their condemnation in the great day, will
be more intolerable than that of Sodom: for the angels were sent to
Sodom, and were abused there; yet that would not bring on so great a guilt and
so great a ruin as the contempt and abuse of the apostles of Christ, who bring
with them the offers of gospel grace.” (Matthew Henry)
And through the power granted to them for this time, not forever,
but for this moment, they cast out demons from people and healed people while
anointing them with oil. The oil was not medicinal but a physical sign of the
work of the Spirit of God. Remember that the power they were given is not their
own, but of the Holy Spirit that they may not claim any works to be of their
own doing.
And so, as Jesus prayed in John 17:18 “As You sent Me
into the world, I also sent them into the world. “The disciples are sent
and learned the practical knowledge they needed to learn for the time was yet
to come when Jesus would leave, and they by all authority in heaven and on
earth that has been given to Jesus they would go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
teaching them to keep all that
Jesus had commanded them;” (Matthew 28:18-20)
And from them, Here we stand proclaiming the same doctrine.
We are not here to muse you with speculations but to preach Christ and Him
crucified. And call you to repentance. Start with God, if you don’t love Him
ask him with a sincere understanding that you need His forgiveness through
Jesus. Throw away your idols and worship Yahweh, Go to church on Sundays, take
a day of Rest, and worship Jesus. Honor your father and mother, say something
respectful about them for if you do, it will go well with you.
Turn from your hatred of your brother and sister and start
loving them for Jesus equates hatred to murder. Turn from your adultery, stop
lusting women and men, and perverting that which is Holy unto the Lord, and
live lives married in respect to God’s created order. Stop stealing and find
work, get a marketable skill that way you may be enriched by your earned wages
instead of being imprisoned by the State handouts and taking what is not yours
from others.
Honor your neighbor with the truth and stop bearing false
witness about them. Do not take advantage of others by saying false things
about them. Instead, show honor and integrity and love your neighbor. Finally,
Do not covet what is your neighbors, be satisfied and content with what you
have. Trust in Yahweh’s provision.
These are but a few things and are all in the greatest
commandments ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with
all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and foremost
commandment. And the second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.’ On these two commandments hang the whole Law and the Prophets.”
(Matthew 22:37-40)
Jesus came to save sinners. Sinners suppress the truth and
hide in their darkness because they love darkness. They are unbelieving, vile,
foolish, rebellious, and haters of God who have adopted the ideologies of this
world and the doctrines of men. They have become slaves to their sexual
desires, perverting the flesh and mind, and rebelling against the created order
of God. They are doomed to condemnation and will be judged by Jesus and sent to
Hell where they will burn for eternity in the lake of fire.
However, God so loved His creation, mankind, that He sent His Son Jesus, who can forgive you of your sins and redeem you because He has the authority and power. Jesus brings eternal life to all who repent and believe. For Jesus bore all our sins; He bore all the sins of all who believe in Him. Jesus was born and lived a perfect life of obedience to God as a man. Jesus was condemned to be executed and die in the sinner's place. He suffered the totality of God's wrath upon Himself on the Cross, which every sinner deserves, so that those who believe in Jesus may have peace with God. Jesus rose from the dead, conquering death, and lives, and ascended to the right hand of God the Father. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and He is in your midst with us offering you salvation. Come out of the darkness and enter the light of His salvation.
[1]
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). In Tyndale Bible
dictionary (p. 1004). Tyndale House Publishers.
[2]
Elwell, W. A., & Comfort, P. W. (2001). In Tyndale Bible
dictionary (p. 1004). Tyndale House Publishers.
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