The Sending Begins

Mark[6.7-8] Jesus called the Twelve to him, and sent them out in pairs. He gave them authority and power to deal with the evil opposition. He sent them off with these instructions: [6.8-9] “Don’t think you need a lot of extra equipment for this. You are the equipment. No special appeals for funds. Keep it simple.

Lord Jesus--So often I have looked at the act of sending out as something that is somehow qualitatively different than the rest of life. As if there was normal life and then there is the stuff that is the Jesus part of my life.

All of life  is a piece of the same cloth.  All of life is a part of the whole that you are working with me on.  Life is not segmented with a church part, a work part, a family part...and the list goes on.  Your sending is what forms the context of the whole of life. Your disciples were at this point just getting the glimmer of the idea of where you were going to go with this in the future, but for the moment your teaching them what being sent was all about.

The lessons about being sent do not stop. The context changes over time but the lesson that you call me to a life of being a sent one continues to challenge me.  It isn't about special equipment, money, or connections that are needed.  It isn't about anything other than being authentically yours within each setting you place me.


[6.10] “And no luxury inns. Get a modest place and be content there until you leave.[6.11] “If you’re not welcomed, not listened to, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way.”

Lord Jesus--This is an interesting take on of rejection.  Rejection says more about those who reject than about the message or the messenger.  Here is a hard lesson to learn.  No need for fuss just move on.

[6.12-13] Then they were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.

Lord Jesus--The miraculous in the middle of the mundane...So often I miss the work of your Spirit because of the packaging. I have been trained by a culture to look for the miraculous as if it will show up in a commercial on television.  Miracles are not a validation of anything other than the love of God written arross the bodies of the poor, the oppressed and the overlooked.

Peterson, Eugene H. (2006-06-15). The Message Remix 2.0: The Bible In contemporary Language (Kindle Locations 30708-30711). NAVPress - A. Kindle Edition.