Introduction
Our missions chairman has made it clear to anyone who gets in earshot of him that he thinks short-term mission trips is one great idea. He likes them because he thinks they are a great means to convert Christians into lifelong missionaries, whether they travel to another land or stay here. Short-term missions is mostly a modern concept, probably because technology and modern transportation makes it easy to do. Even so, it was Jesus who started the practice with his twelve disciples.
The Text
The mission trip was connected with his teaching ministry. Verse 6 notes, Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Jesus was an itinerant preacher – one who travels around preaching – and this is the work he was training his disciples to do. Let’s consider for a moment the purpose of Jesus having disciples.
There are disciples and there are disciples. There are disciples who receive that designation because they are followers of someone’s teaching or philosophy. In one sense, Jesus had hundreds of disciples, people who listened and adhered to his teachings. There are others who are disciples in that they not only follow the teachings, but they serve the teacher as well. Jesus had selected twelve men for this work and designated them to be apostles. We learned this back in 3:13-19. They were, first, to be with him and learn from him; then, they were to go out and minister on his behalf. To be apostles meant to be ambassadors, people sent out to represent the one who sent them. In summary, Peter, James and John and the other nine, were Jesus’ disciples to learn the gospel from him and to then go preach that gospel.
Now they are sent on their first field assignment. I had not noticed this until I began to write about the purpose of the mission, but Mark actually does not set forth the purpose. We can deduce its purpose from his conclusion of what happened. But most of the passage is simply a description of Jesus getting his team ready.
First of all he pairs them up. 7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two. “Two by two”: it sounds like the Noah’s Ark story in reverse. They are to go out in pairs probably for two reasons: to provide mutual support and to provide legal witness to their work. Two witnesses are required according to OT law.
Jesus then gives them only one thing to take - his authority: and gave them authority over evil spirits. Now, I want to take a moment to explain what this authority was that he gave his disciples and why he gave it. The KJV says that Jesus gave his disciples power. The NIV and KJV actually mean the same thing. Jesus gave his disciples authority that had real power. You will understand what I mean. A person may be given a powerless authority. We’ll use a classroom teacher to illustrate. Miss Apple receives her first class of fifth grade students. She has gone through teachers’ orientation day and has been assured by Principal Ruler that she has authority in her classroom to keep her students in order. She may use several ways to exercise her authority as necessary – write sentences on the board, stay after class, sit in a corner, and so on. She also may even send a child to the principal’s office. Miss Apple has authority. But Miss Apple’s class is a seasoned group of students who know all the tricks to test authority, and the first day doesn’t go by before Miss Apple learns that her authority will be challenged. The next day, however, she remembers that Principal Ruler promised to back her authority up with his own power if necessary. So when Henry and Sally start to act up, she sends them to the principal’s office. To her dismay, Henry and Sally return a few minutes later with grins announcing that Principal Ruler thought that Miss Apple had overreacted. She then realizes that her authority is a powerless one.
That is not the case for Jesus’ disciples. He gave them authority over evil spirits that possessed real power. When they called demons to come out of their victims, they would be obeyed as if Jesus himself had been the one giving the orders. And they needed such authority. Luke records in the book of Acts an attempt to cast out demons by invoking Jesus’ name, yet without his authority. Let me read it to you.
13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding (Acts 19:13-16). That was not going to happen to Jesus’ disciples.
Now, why is Jesus preparing them to cast out demons? All along I’ve said that Jesus’ primary mission was to preach. Verse 6 verifies this. It is evident, as I will show later, that preaching was the primary purpose of the mission trip. Why not simply avoid the evil spirits? There are a couple of reasons. Casting out demons authenticated their preaching. They were sent to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom in power. This was radical teaching that announced a new age, and casting out the evil spirits that opposed God’s kingdom was essential. This leads to the second reason: the disciples were engaged in warfare. Casting out demons was not part of a miracle show to attract attention; it was battle with the enemy who opposed them. It was also a mercy ministry. People who were possessed would come to them for deliverance, and they could not turn them away, no more than they could turn away the sick. Both the exorcisms and the healings, then, served as signs to authenticate their message about the kingdom and to show mercy in the name of Jesus and his kingdom. And without Jesus’ authority they could do neither.
The instructions that Jesus gives are notable, not for what he tells them to do, but what not to take. 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. That is an interesting approach to missions. Perhaps we should try that. We’ll send a team into Georgia to do street and door-to-door evangelism equipped with nothing but the clothes they would wear for a day. That would make traveling easier. But they also would have no money and no food, and no arrangements for sleeping. They would be completely dependent on the hospitality of the residents.
Why does Jesus do that? They can take nothing to eat, not even a snack. The bag is probably a “begging bag.” There were similar itinerant teachers who were dependent on the hospitality of the people they met, and they at least had bags to collect the food in. Jesus does not want the disciples to save anything. They are to have no money, i.e. no means to buy food or other necessities. And they are to have no extra pair of sandals or clothing. They can only have what is given them and only what meets their needs for the moment. And one other thing – whoever it is that offers them a place to stay, in his or her home is where they stay for the whole visit. They cannot change for better conditions.
Again, why such restrictions? Jesus is not operating under the same rules. We know that Judas was in charge of the moneybag, meaning that Jesus and his disciples saved money. One time the disciples think Jesus is upset with them for forgetting to bring bread with them on a trip. Mark doesn’t tell us and he doesn’t record an explanation by Jesus. How would such restrictions affect the disciples and their mission? They certainly would have their faith tested, for one thing. I don’t think they would be worried about starvation, but, still, there would be some concern about their needs being met adequately. I would think their ability to focus on their ministry would be tested as mealtime would come around. Their faithfulness to preaching the whole gospel would be tested. They must preach repentance to the very people who are feeding and sheltering them. If they succeed, if they can preach and minister without being concerned for their provision, they will come into a greater sense of trust in God and will experience greater freedom in ministering for the gospel.
This will be especially meaningful to them as Jesus will not be with them. God has provided so far, but they have been with Jesus. Will he provide for them now that they are on their own? Indeed, another question that must be on their minds is whether this authority that he bestows on them is really transferable. When they are confronted by a demon-possessed person and command the demon to come out in Jesus’ name, they will find out if that authority is real.
One other way that these restrictions will affect the disciples is that they are placed in a humble position, being dependent upon their hosts. They cannot even move to more comfortable accommodations if the opportunity rose. They are to accept with thanksgiving whatever is given to them. They cannot use their connections with Jesus or appeal to the nature of their mission to coax better treatment.
Indeed, they can expect that there will be times when they are rejected altogether. Verse 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.” They are going to be casting out demons and healing folks; why would they be rejected? Because, first, they are going to preach repentance; that is the reason for the mission. Note verse 12: They went out and preached that people should repent. That is not a popular message, and they can expect the same response that Jesus got from the religious leaders. Actually, they can expect more formidable opposition because they are not Jesus who intimidated the leaders.
The instruction to shake the dust off their feet would not have been strange to the disciples. Observant Jews did it all the time whenever they traveled in gentile territory. As they would return to Jewish territory, they shook off the dust of the gentiles. In this case, the practice is to be a sign against those Jews who rejected their preaching. It is a prophetic sign of judgment. The disciple who does this says, “I have proclaimed God’s message of repentance to you and you have rejected it. What you must now expect is judgment instead of redemption.” The disciples are not going into the towns to offer “a new way of looking at life.” They are not suggesting to the people helpful ways to become more spiritual. Jesus is sending them to pronounce repentance of sins and the coming of God’s kingdom which they must embrace. It is no light matter to reject such preaching.
So, the disciples preached on their mission trip. They also cast out demons. 13 They drove out many demons. The transfer of authority from Jesus to his disciples did work. There must have been some sense of relief for each of them the first time they called out a demon and he actually obeyed. Finally, they healed: and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
To summarize, Jesus sent out his disciples to do the same work that he was engaged in – preaching, casting out demons, and healing. He restricted anything upon which they could have placed a sense of security; but he equipped them with the one thing they needed to be successful – his authority. That authority gave them an effective ministry, and no doubt instilled in them the faith to trust in God’s provision. What then can we gain from this passage?
Lessons
One, God will provide for the work to which he has called us. Often he strips from us the things that would give us security and confidence, just so he can demonstrate that he alone provides and gives the victory. I am reminded of the story of Gideon who defeated the Midianites. He had an army of 32,000 men. God had him pare it down, first to 10,000 and finally to 300. His point: whatever he calls his chosen ones to do, he himself will provide what it needed. Our God does not send us forth to do the work of the kingdom with merely good wishes. He anoints us with his Spirit and with his authority. Remember that. The critical factor in whether a mission work will succeed or not is God’s calling; it is not the visible resources we are able to amass.
This is an important principle for us to grasp as a church, for we can ere in two ways in ministry. One is to presume that because we have money or other resources available, we should do whatever ministry project comes our way. Has God called us? is the question. The other mistake is to presume that because we lack money or resources, we must hold back. That may be a wise precaution for a business, but it is a sign of weak faith in a church. God delights to show forth his strength in the weakness of his people. He glories in showing what he can do in the small and powerless.
Another lesson is for the unbeliever or anyone who resists the message of the Word. You will be held accountable for hearing the gospel and rejecting it. Jesus Christ came once to call people to repentance and to believe on him. He then made atonement for the sins of those who believe. He will come again to raise those believers unto glory with him. But understand, he will judge – he will condemn – those who will not believe. It will not do to say you didn’t understand, that you were not given enough evidence, that you just needed more time. You will be judged justly for hearing and rejecting the Word proclaimed to you. That was the warning the disciples gave by shaking the dust off their feet; it is the warning that I, in the name of Christ and by his authority, give now. Jesus Christ has made atonement for sin, and you are called to repent of your sins and embrace him as Lord and Savior.
I am not called of God as a minister of the Word to give you pointers on how to live a better life. I am called to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ, to preach repentance and to make known the kingdom of God. You are called to listen and to obey. To refuse is death; to accept is life.
In closing, let me note the one work of Jesus that his disciples could not do – atone for sin. He could not send them out to do that one. That was his work to do alone. And he did it. He successfully fulfilled his mission to take upon him the sins of the world. That is called “atonement accomplished.” Now what remains is for atonement to be applied to you. What is called of you now is to believe Jesus – to believe what he says about himself and that he did accomplish his mission. You are called to believe in Jesus – to put your faith and hope in him for your salvation and to become his disciple. To refuse is death; to accept is life.
