JESUS SENDS OUT HARVEST WORKERS
MARK 6: 6b--13 July 14, 2002
6b Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. 8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. 10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 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."
12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (NIV)
Dearest fellow-redeemed and saints in the Lord:
Many great things and really just about every great thing in this world have started from a very small beginning. One example is in our text this morning?that we think of the spread of Christianity as it has gone almost throughout the entire world?that it started here with Jesus? that it started here with His fellow apostles and today we see how they were sent out on their first training mission. Also we see when seeds are planted, a very small beginning and we wonder what will happen with them. And yet they grow, there?s a harvest and today we have the fruits of our labors before us. And so it is today that we heard in our lesson the seeds that are planted, the growth that is given through the power of God.
Those familiar words from Isaiah where he tells us the purpose of the rain, the snow, the purpose of the seed that grows is not just to provide seed for the sower, but also bread for the eater. From very small beginnings, great things happen.
In Corinthians, Paul re-echoes the words of the prophet Isaiah. He says, ?Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.? (2 CORINTHIANS 9:10) Today that?s really what we?re going to look at?how the Lord increases the harvest of our righteousness, how He leads us to appreciate the knowledge of salvation and the gift of faith that He has given to each one of us. So we want to examine the fact that Jesus sends out His harvest workers and really in the same sense, Jesus provides for His harvest workers:
I. With a divine call
II. With His powerful Word
The words of our text take place following the text we had two weeks ago--not last week, but the week before. If we remember the beginning of chapter 6 of the Gospel of Mark, we see that Jesus went back to His hometown to visit friends and relatives. Jesus went to preach in the synagogue, but the people did not receive Him. They did not welcome Him back, and Jesus said only a prophet is not honored in his own hometown. So He was a bit disappointed, but did that stop Jesus? No it did not. We are told as our text begins that Jesus went around teaching from village to village. We realize that there were other villages, other people, people that needed to hear the message of salvation. But also as He went around preaching and teaching, and even though He was the Son of God, he realized that this task would take more than one person, that this task of planting the seed until the Lord?s harvest would come was a big task.
And so we?re told how He sends out His disciples. He sends them out first with a call?He says ?calling the twelve to Him?. Now we remember that the disciples were already called weren?t they? Peter and his brothers were called away from their father?s fishing business, Matthew was called away from his occupation of being a tax collector, and so it went. The rest of the disciples called away from their walk of life as it were, to follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
But now He gives them another call?a call not only just to follow Him, but a call to go out and serve Him by telling others about Him. And so we?re told, ?calling the twelve to Him, He sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits. ? A couple of things here?there?s twelve disciples, they went out by twos, so there?s six groups that went out in six different directions to cover the area to go out to spread the gospel message.
He sends them two by two for a number of reasons?first of all that they would keep one another company. They could encourage one another whenever they became discouraged, and also for the simple reason that there would be testimony of two people instead of one which was a carry-over from the Old Testament times.
And then we?re told He gave them authority over evil spirits. During the time of Jesus and in the New Testament times, there was a flourish of evil spirits and demon possession. We have to remember that this was the time that Jesus walked on the earth?the very Son of God. And because of that, Satan knew that this could be possibly his last chance?in fact it would be his last chance to stop God from carrying out His divine purpose of sacrificing His Son on the cross. So Satan was very alive and used all the power that he could muster by sending out his demons into other people, by wreaking all sorts of havoc, thinking Jesus would be distracted from His mission in life?that this would be enough to stop Jesus, but of course it wasn?t. In fact then, Jesus even gives His disciples authority to cast out demons. And of course it isn?t their authority, it?s God?s authority and it?s God?s Word that does that. What exciting times there were for these believers to go out and plant the Word of God and watch the kingdom of God increase from just Jesus and the twelve called apostles to thousands today to millions from those small beginnings. Great things have happened.
Now the Word of God has not stopped being planted or stopped growing. The fact is that the Lord has called each one of us as harvest workers. It?s true that some are called to the public ministry. But when we stop and look at our lives aren?t we all in the public ministry? Day by day we live in the public, we carry on our day-to-day activities, our routines with those who live in the public-- in the world. We associate probably in our daily living sometimes more with the people of the world than the people of God. And whether we want to admit it or not, whether we realize it or not, the people of the world are always watching with a very critical eye to see if we, who call ourselves believers, act like believers. And so the Lord has called us. He has called us first of all to be believers. He has called us out of (we?re told in scripture) darkness into His light. Listen to these beautiful words that Peter, as he reminds us of the high calling of being a believer. He says, ?But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.? (1 PETER 2: 9) That is our first calling just like Jesus first called the disciples, the apostles out of their darkness into the light. And then He has made us His priesthood, His holy nation, His children (God?s very own children) and then children of light.
And you and I realize that as the days go by, the years go by, as generations go by, the Lord has told us that sin will increase until the Last Day. As sin increases that means there is more darkness in this world than light. We know that. We listen to the news, we read the newspapers, and it seems as if there?s hardly any light left at all in this world. So it?s all the more important for you and I, who were placed here as harvest workers, to let our light shine. Because of our Christian faith, you and I have a responsibility?a responsibility because we know what?s right, we know what is wrong. Now rather than always treading close to the edge of doing what is wrong, we need to stay away from that?the precipice that leads to destruction and walk down the path of righteousness and that which is light because we are children of light. Scripture reminds us, ?You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or the darkness. So let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.? (1 THESSALONIANS 5: 5,6)
As the Lord has called us, that we are His children of light, we are also the ones who bear the light of the knowledge of salvation in us and are to spread it around us. We have that calling?a calling to be alert and self-controlled, a calling not to be like people of the world, who give little regard for anyone else except themselves. Just as Jesus called His apostles, so He has called us first to faith and then He has called us to share that faith. The Bible states, ?Come follow Me,? Jesus said, ?and I will make you fishers of men.? (Matthew 4:19) He says, ?I will give you the seed to plant which is far greater than any earthly harvest? because it belongs to the spiritual harvest--when we plant the seed which is the Word of God. Some grows, some doesn?t, but it is left to the harvest of God.
So God sends us out in His harvest as workers, and then He provides for us as His harvest workers, first with that call to faith, and then to share that faith. And then he provides us with His holy Word. We?re going to remind ourselves of how important that is today.
When we heard the instructions that He gave to His apostles, we may have thought, ?Well, how is Jesus going to provide for them?? He says these were His instructions: ?Take nothing for the journey except the staff?no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.? So they had their walking staff. It was common in that day because they walked a lot. They walked along paths that had bushes by it where there were snakes and rodents, so they could defend themselves. They walked up and down mountains so they could use it for support. And Jesus says, ?That?s enough!? He says you don?t need bread, you won?t need to provide food to eat for yourselves, and you don?t need a bag for all of your possessions to carry along. He says you don?t even need money. The Lord would provide for them.
Jesus continues. He gives them one thing they can take. He says to them in verse 9?wear sandals, but not an extra tunic?so they?re going to need shoes to wear. They?re going to be doing lots of walking. But he says not an extra tunic?not an extra coat or outer covering. The second coat was usually a sign of wealth. But the second coat was also taken along so that at night they could cover themselves up with it. The Lord says don?t even worry about that. He was going to provide them with food to eat, a place to stay, and He says that in the next verse?verse 10. He says, ?And whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.? He said in each town they would find those who would show them Christian hospitality?those who would take them in and provide for them?their food, their shelter, and they would stay there. What they were given to live on, survive on and to help others survive was really the Word of God. Because as they went into the town, certainly there were those who would show them Christian hospitality and there were those who would not. And so they would preach the law to them. 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. And they would say to them, your disobedience, your unbelief will condemn you. They would even shake the dust off their feet to show that they did not want anything to cling to them that was associated with that which was evil. With God?s Word they had to preach the law and of course, with God?s Word they got to preach the gospel also.
We?re told then they went out and preached that people should repent. This is the same message as John the Baptist??Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.? The same message as Jesus Himself, ?Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand.? And now their message the same?the gospel that yes, they were sinners, but sinners who were forgiven. The result of their preaching?they drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. Now they didn?t have magic oil. Some churches say that this verse means that magic oil that God had given them, and that Jesus gave to them, blessed them. And so some churches try to bless the same oil and say that heals people. It simply was a custom of the day. For the people who were sick, they had oil to anoint them with as a soothing and comforting practice?just like analgesic balms that we use today.
There was the power of God?s Word that healed them, there was the power of God?s Word that threw out demons, there was the power of God?s Word that supplied for their needs, and it?s the power of God?s Word that still sustains us today. Sometimes we forget that. We put our confidence in our own strength. We put our confidence in our own wisdom or the strength of others. Sometimes we forget the power that we have that is unstoppable?that power of God?s Word that tells us His Word shall last, not a small portion of it, not even a letter will disappear until the Last Day. Even Satan cannot overcome His church because of His Word. God?s Word is our strength. Listen to Paul?s words to the Ephesians unto us this morning. He says, ?In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.? (EPHESIANS 6: 16,17) Well there are still times that we feel that we may be overcome, and there are times when our enemies stand against us. But the Lord says ?I am on your side and you have my word which is the sword of the Spirit?, which is even able to pierce the heart of Satan himself. That?s what God gives us as his harvest workers.
And maybe there?s times we don?t feel much like harvest workers. Maybe there?s times we don?t feel much like God?s own children, but we are, and the Lord prepares us. And maybe there?s times we don?t feel so prepared. Then the Lord reminds us, ?You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me.? (JOHN 5:39) When we feel unprepared or unsure of ourselves, or looking for help and comfort, we turn to God?s word, which testifies, about Him and remind us of eternity.
We know that it happens?we spend a lot of time thinking about this life, and maybe too little time thinking about eternity. And so the Lord says, ?Look at my word and what it has to say.?
And then he reminds us that we are well-equipped, that you and I because we are called to faith know the difference between right and wrong, and that we know the law and the gospel?the law that points out our sins and the gospel that points out our Savior. It?s a message that is the same?from the time of Jesus, from the time of the Old Testament until the end of time. And it?s a message that you and I need to cherish and to carry forth even though people don?t like to hear about their sins. But unless we hear about our sins, how can we be comforted by the gospel? This simple message are written in the familiar words of Romans where it says: ?For the wages of sin is death? (that?s the law). We deserve death; we?ve earned death by living and breathing in this life. He says the wages of sin is death, but in that same verse he says, ?the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.? (ROMANS 6:23) We deserve death?God gives us eternal life.
We are God?s harvest workers. How fitting it is today as we remember how God has blessed us with the harvest. We heard in all of our lessons reference to the eternal harvest that is yet to come. We know how as the seed was planted we probably wonder to ourselves what was going to come of that seed put into the ground. And we certainly wondered this year, as weather wasn?t the best what would come of the harvest, and yet there was a harvest by God?s power. It?s the same with His word. He says it?s like a seed, it is planted. We wonder, but the Lord says there will be a harvest and He sends us out as His harvest workers. He provides for us as His harvest workers with His call?a call to faith--a call to faith to follow and a call to faith to serve. And then He provides us with His divine word that overcomes all our enemies. In the other gospels when He sent out the twelve?in the gospel of Luke we?re told when he told His disciples, ?He told them, ?The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.?? (Luke 10:2) And so he asks us today to pray for workers to go into the harvest field. Jesus really asks us to pray for ourselves doesn?t He, because we are His workers who are to go out into His field. He asks us to pray that we, and every believer, would be given a zeal to be reminded of how we are his harvest workers and how we are sent out and provided for by God himself?with His divine and with His holy Word. Amen.
Pastor Timm O. Meyer Redeemer Ev. Lutheran Church & Water of Life Ev. Lutheran Church(WELS)
