He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey,
neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money,
and let no one take a second tunic.
Jesus calls us to rely on him. He wants us to be motivated by the mission. He wants our drive to "proclaiming the Good News and curing diseases everywhere." He doesn't want us to think too much about our own comfort one way or the other. He may call us to go without walking stick, sack, food, money, or a second tunic, but not because he is unconcerned about us. He wants us to rely on him.
The one thing we do need to take with us is his word. It is a lamp for our feet. Without it all the walking sticks in the world won't help and with it we won't need them. We don't need to add anything to his words. They are more than enough.
When we are too comfortable we can forget how much we depend on the LORD. That is one reason he calls the disciples to go forth on their mission with just the clothes on their backs. But he does provide for them. He does want them to have enough so that they don't have to fall back on their own efforts and resources to provide for themselves. They never reach the point of want where they steal "and profane the name of my God."
Jesus gives the twelve power to bring the kingdom into the world. He gives them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He gives that same power to all Christians:
These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover (cf. Mar. 16:17-18).
He isn't calling, necessarily to leave all we know and to go to strange missions in foreign lands. But he is calling all of us to proclaim the Good News. He is calling all of us to bring healing to a broken world. Only Jesus has authority over all the demons afflicting this world. And he shares this power with all Christians! We experience that power when use his word as a lamp for our feet. We then know that "he is a shield to those who take refuge in him." A lamp for our feet must be used moment to moment. We can't just shine it all the way to our destination, make a map, and then leave the lamp behind. We need to look down by it's light right now. We need to make sure our next step is in the right direction. We must make sure it is not toward "falsehood and lying; poverty nor riches".
Let us set out then, shining his word constantly on our paths to keep our feet from evil ways. Let us see which houses will welcome us. Jesus wants to give the world so much through us. It is something more precious than all of the provisions we leave behind. It is something more precious than the riches that can no longer motivate us.
The law of your mouth is to me more precious
than thousands of gold and silver pieces.
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