Jesus said to his Apostles:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
They had heard and seen Jesus do all of these things, but had not done them themselves. Had we been in their situation we probably would have protested that we weren't preachers and did not know how to do the things Jesus commanded. But the original disciples did not have any of this in their backgrounds either, except insofar as they had just witnessed Jesus doing these things. And yet, that wouldn't have been very comforting, since Jesus was clearly different from themselves or from anyone they had ever met. It was even more extreme than if he had played a musical instrument at the level of a virtuoso and then commanded them to go out and put on concerts with that instrument without having previously touched it themselves. Even in that case they would have at least been familiar with the fact that other people existed who could play it. But there was no one who did what Jesus did in the way that he did it. And so the Apostles had to take him at his word, not merely in the sense of subjective agreement, but in terms acting on the basis of that trust.
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.
We have similarly been called by Jesus to go out and proclaim the good news of the Kingdom, and to manifest his healing and liberating power to the world. But insofar as we manage to attempt it at all we often only do so in a way that feels controlled and manageable to us. We do what we are able to do with our physical and economic resources, trusting in what we already have more than what Jesus will provide. It was to eliminate this option from his Apostles that he told them to go without gold or silver or copper, without sack, second tunic, sandals, or walking stick. He wanted them to rely on him and so he removed the potential alternatives. When we rely on our own resources we may sometimes succeed and sometimes fail. But it is a surefire way to never experience the miraculous possibilities that happen when we take Jesus at his word. It is only when we trust him more and ourselves less that the signs and wonders of which he speaks will accompany our proclamation.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
We don't have to force our way to success. In fact, even following the instructions of Jesus won't make us succeed always and everywhere. He promised his Apostles that there would be situations where people would not receive them or listen to their words. He didn't insist that they argue until they agreed or compel them with force. He only asked that they "look for a worthy person", someone receptive to the peace of the Kingdom that they came to offer. This approach, of offering without forcing or insisting, was what would allow their peace to return to them if it was not welcomed. In such cases it never became personal, as though their own goodness or value as human beings was on the line. Rather, they were grounded in the truth and the goodness of Jesus, which were undiminished even when he was rejected. They were grounded in the certainty that his message would one day be vindicated. This gave the Apostles motivation and added a sense of urgency to their mission. But it helped them remember that the decision was finally up to each individual heart. All they could do was convey the message faithfully.
Are there any specific ways in which Jesus is asking us to trust him more and ourselves less? Is there some specific way that the Kingdom might be made known if we were only willing to believe that it isn't about us and our human limitations? Perhaps there are some specific resources we have heretofore demanded for the sake of our comfort. What would happen if we went out, even once, without them, and let the Kingdom, as it were, speak for itself?
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