Jesus said to his Apostles:
“As you go, make this proclamation:
‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
It is not a merely earthly, physical, or military kingdom which the Apostles were called to proclaim. The rival of this Kingdom was not primarily to be found among military powers like Rome. The kingdom of darkness was that which was most directly opposed to the Kingdom of light, the true rival it came to obliterate. Hence the signs of the victory of the Kingdom of heaven were seen in the works that Jesus himself did, works that he now commanded his Apostles to go forth and imitate.
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
The enemy's kingdom oppressed mankind by the domination of sin, sickness, and death. The Kingdom of heaven was revealed to the world by the fact that that Jesus, and then those whom he sent, had authority over these very things. They could heal the sick and raise the dead. They could drive out demons and even forgive sins with the authority that Jesus himself bestowed on them.
The world needed a deeper victory than mere political conquest. They needed something deeper and more personal than mere conquest of external circumstances. It was not their nation that was most in need of freedom. It was rather they themselves. This was the conquest that the Kingdom of heaven was meant to accomplish, the task to which Jesus directed his Apostles in today's reading. It is still the task of the Church, which is led by the successors of the Apostles, in our own day.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
What sorts of things can interfere with the proclamation of the Kingdom of heaven? Or, put another way, what sort of individuals can be successful as agents of this proclamation? First, we must approach it without the need to be rewarded for our contributions, whatever shape, monetary or otherwise, that those rewards may take. We are meant to share the good news because of the generous abundance that the Holy Spirit has put into our hearts, and not for the desire for gain. Second, we must proceed, even more than in the rest of life, by complete dependence on God. We can't rely on our own intelligence, preparation, or efforts. We can't wait until we feel like we have enough or know enough. We can't depend on having the perfect words which others will have no choice but to accept. In this way we will remain open to give others, not what we have for them, but what God desires us to give them.
But make up your mind not to worry beforehand how you will defend yourselves. For I will give you words and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict (see Luke 21:14-15).
We should believe that we really have a blessing to offer, a peace that can rest on worthy households. But we don't need to be the ones who decide who is worthy. We offer generously, like the sower who sows seeds in every type of soil, so that our peace may come upon those who are "worthy". And all who are willing are by that very fact worthy. We need not become emotionally distraught if, as will often be the case, many will not receive our message.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
We need to learn the art of shaking the dust from our feet. This is not an indifference to those who won't receive the message. We would definitely prefer that all be saved, following the heart of God himself. But when we have done our duty we can be comfortable with the fact that we are not ultimately responsible for the hearts of others. We can't decide for them, and so we shouldn't invest ourselves emotionally as though we could.
When the Church goes forth to proclaim the Kingdom it is seldom a straightforward or direct path to victory or success. As was the case for Joseph, there may be pits and prisons along our path. But as for Joseph, God has the power to turn what appear to be curses into unexpected blessings. These are blessings we will be open to receive if we go forth without the desire for personal gain, trusting in God to provide for us.
“I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt.
But now do not be distressed,
and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here.
It was really for the sake of saving lives
that God sent me here ahead of you.”
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