Mark 6:7-13 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff — no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And 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.” They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Jesus sent the disciples out to minister without what we would consider the necessities of life. He instructed them to take no food, no bag to carry anything, no money to buy supplies, no extra tunic to keep them warm, and no dependable housing plan. They went out by faith, totally dependent on the mercy of others to supply their needs. What an evangelism plan! Would we consider this a good way to develop a ministry in any land? Would any modern-day missionary organization send out its people with such a commission? Definitely not! Missionaries nowadays must raise their support before they leave for the field. But Jesus sent the twelve out with nothing extra except the assurance that God would provide for them. The only protection He gave them was the authority over evil spirits and the power to anoint the sick for healing. The disciples were going to rely on God for the essentials of life. God would have to line up the people who would provide the basic necessities for them as they were needed. We learn later, their missionary venture was a huge success; therefore, we know God provided for their daily needs or they would not have been able to complete their journey. The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." (Luke 10:17) Their dependency on God's provisions brought a great deal of excitement into their lives, for they realized God not only subdued the demons of the spiritual world but also was intimately involved with their daily needs in this physical world. Another time when Jesus told his disciples not to worry about tomorrow--what they would eat or what they would wear because their heavenly father would take care of them, He went on to say, But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6:33) Jesus wanted his followers to know the most important step was to yield totally to their heavenly Father who loved them unreservedly.
Jesus' instructions to the disciples were pivotal to their success. He was asking them to become men of faith in all their actions and reactions. He wanted them to rely on God for their sustenance, for their existence. We see this scene carried out in the Old Testament in numerous situations where the patriarchs and the prophets as men of faith followed God's commands, his words, rather than doing what their senses told them to do. They felt God's words were more real and reliable that their rational thinking, their ideas based on what they knew. As Christians, we are people of the Word, people of faith, people who trust the will of God. We believe God made everything out of absolutely nothing. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. (Hebrews 11:2) Metaphorically, we believe there were no articles of clothing for God to make a new garment. A garment did not exist; He spoke it into existence. The world came into existence by his powerful Word. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3) The disciples in the above account had to believe in this God of creation. They had to believe that God through Jesus Christ made everything, and He could take care of them even if their rational minds said this kind of mission was impossible without adequate preparation. But they found out in their journey that God is faithful: He keeps his promises. He was not only faithful to drive out demons and to heal the sick: He was faithful to provide for them daily as they took up their tasks and obeyed his will. Obviously, this experience and others like it helped them to face life after Jesus' departure from this world. They learned to depend upon the leading of the Lord.
We too in the twenty-first century must believe that the God of creation is more real than anything our senses perceive. We must believe the Word of God rather than the hopelessness of the society around us. Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away. The Bible says: The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23 ESV) God will always exist; He will always be in charge; He will always take care of his people. The disciples learned this on their mission trip. They learned God was in control of the spiritual world; He was in control of the natural world; He was also in control of their lives. God is the overriding power of all things, the ultimate authority. The demons might take some authority for a while in someone's life, but they will never have eternal authority over anyone. Only God has that authority. We might faint from weariness for a time here on Earth because of our troubles and needs, but God is the final arbitrator of every circumstance. He decides. In the midst of our weariness, sorrow, and pain, Jesus still says, Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28-30) Jesus told his beloved disciples to go out and minister as people of faith. We too are told to go out and minister as people of faith. No, we don't have to go with one set of clothes and a staff, without provisions; but we must go in faith, believing God will provide our every need and that He will set people free from their slavery to sin. We must believe we are his children: HIS DISCIPLES. Let us embrace lives of faith. Let us follow his words for our lives, believing that just as Jesus did with the twelve: He has called us; He has sent us out! Bless you!
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