Daily Bread 2010 - Mark 6
Daily Bread 2010 – Mark 6
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
8These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
This passage marks a critical juncture in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus has spent most of his time showing the disciples what it looks like for God’s kingdom to “be at hand”. Now he gathers his disciples and sends him out to do what he had been doing. Essentially this is the next step of leadership development.
The first step is: “I do, you watch”. The second is: “We do it together”. And finally, “You go and do it together”. Notice Jesus didn’t send them out alone but paired them in two’s. As they went Jesus gave them specific instructions. He told them to travel lightly. He told them to look for a “person of peace”. If they found that person and that household (“oikos” in the Greek!) there were to stay and receive provision from them.
On the flipside if they were not welcomed, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on. This is a valuable lesson to us who would try to bring in God’s kingdom as his 21st century disciples. As we look to minister to those around us we should be aware of those “persons of peace” God brings into our lives. Also when someone is not open to hearing about Jesus it is not our job to convince them.
Finally, we see the disciples actually got to do what Jesus did. They preached the message that people should turn to Jesus. They delivered people from the bondage they were in, and healed those who were sick. As John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, used to say, “They got to do the stuff”.
If this is Jesus’ plan for equipping his disciples, it would make sense that the church would have a similar plan today don’t you think? How might you be more open to God using you as his apostle (one who is sent out with the Good News)? There are many ways we can be an evidence of who God is just by the way we live, act and speak. Look for a person of peace, who might be open to God’s Kingdom coming through you. But don’t force it, if they are not a person of peace it is not meant to be.
Prayer: God bring into our lives people who we might share the Good News with. Keep us open to the persons of peace in our world who we might partner with for your purposes. Thanks for always providing for us even from some unlikely places. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
8These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."
12They went out and preached that people should repent. 13They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
This passage marks a critical juncture in Mark’s Gospel. Jesus has spent most of his time showing the disciples what it looks like for God’s kingdom to “be at hand”. Now he gathers his disciples and sends him out to do what he had been doing. Essentially this is the next step of leadership development.
The first step is: “I do, you watch”. The second is: “We do it together”. And finally, “You go and do it together”. Notice Jesus didn’t send them out alone but paired them in two’s. As they went Jesus gave them specific instructions. He told them to travel lightly. He told them to look for a “person of peace”. If they found that person and that household (“oikos” in the Greek!) there were to stay and receive provision from them.
On the flipside if they were not welcomed, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on. This is a valuable lesson to us who would try to bring in God’s kingdom as his 21st century disciples. As we look to minister to those around us we should be aware of those “persons of peace” God brings into our lives. Also when someone is not open to hearing about Jesus it is not our job to convince them.
Finally, we see the disciples actually got to do what Jesus did. They preached the message that people should turn to Jesus. They delivered people from the bondage they were in, and healed those who were sick. As John Wimber, the founder of the Vineyard, used to say, “They got to do the stuff”.
If this is Jesus’ plan for equipping his disciples, it would make sense that the church would have a similar plan today don’t you think? How might you be more open to God using you as his apostle (one who is sent out with the Good News)? There are many ways we can be an evidence of who God is just by the way we live, act and speak. Look for a person of peace, who might be open to God’s Kingdom coming through you. But don’t force it, if they are not a person of peace it is not meant to be.
Prayer: God bring into our lives people who we might share the Good News with. Keep us open to the persons of peace in our world who we might partner with for your purposes. Thanks for always providing for us even from some unlikely places. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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