“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9. but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12. So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them” (Mar. 6:7-13).
There is much to learn from the text today. The first is that Jesus wants us to be proactive in our Christian journey. He does not want us to hide the precious gift of eternal life He has given us from the world. Jesus had not yet been crucified at that time, but we live in a “post-easter” period where the most historic of all events has taken place. If they were willing to go out and preach the Word without hesitation, we should equally be so. Some may say they were willing because they had the fortunate experience of being granted unique gifts of persuasion, but we also have something special to offer.
We may not have miraculous abilities, but we do have what we need. We have the entire Bible at our disposal, with all its many historical narratives and commandments to share with anyone willing to listen. People have diligently studied the Bible and given us pretty detailed outreach methods. The apostles may have witnessed the miracles Jesus performed and been convinced of the reality and truth of His message, but we have something greater than that. “Wait!” you may be tempted to shout. “How can anything be greater than witnessing Jesus firsthand? What could possibly be greater than walking the dusty roads, sleeping beside, conversing with, and being taught by the Son of God?”
I will admit that it is impossible to beat but remember that even though they were afforded that privilege, they still had doubts, so personal, in-flesh relationships are not always perfect either. This is what Jesus said in Joh 20:29after the infamous doubting of Thomas, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” Our belief in God is not determined by physical contact but by faith. We have everything we need and more to be effective “in the field,” so to speak. And, if you lack the courage, remember also the words of Paul in Php. 4:13, “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”
The second thing it teaches us is that some will not listen despite our best efforts. When we have done all we can and planted the seed as best we can, it may be better for us to move on. We will not be sure if the Word will slide out of their minds like water off a duck’s back or if, at some point in the future, our words will impact their lives through the watering of another. While it is our responsibility to diligently speak the gospel message to every ear we possibly can, it is not ours to convert every soul. I know that it is hard to accept when we are trying to save those we love most from the eternal doom of hell, but we have to realize that the final decision is theirs, not ours.
The third thing we learn is that we should rest from time to time. Even as committed as we are to spreading the message of salvation to the world, we should realize the need to take a break. Nothing is more dangerous to successfully completing a task than getting burnt out. All that leads to is a lack of motivation and, in turn, that leads to diminished concentration and effort. Well-timed rest does wonders to rejuvenate fatigued bodies and minds, both of which are critical to successfully completing a task as important as making disciples.
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