Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
The Twelve were not greater than their teacher. They went out two by two because none of them was intended to be self-sufficient. For it could not be assumed that Jesus would command what was superfluous. They would need, as he would make clear, to rely on the providence of God. But they would also need one another. They were not to go out and single-handedly create a new community of disciples wherever they went. They were already little examples of that community which those to whom they were sent could observe and perhaps aspire to join. Of the two sent to a given place, if one was discouraged, the other could encourage. If one was without a useful skill the other could supply it. If one was at a loss for what to do next the other could provide a suggestion. And their mutual prudence and discernment could help rein in anything to brash or call forth courage in the event if timidity became a problem.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were to seek first the Kingdom of God and in doing so learn to trust that all else, including the necessities of life, would be provided and arranged by divine providence. Jesus was not calling them to great acts of asceticism, or anything worthy of eliciting a prideful response. He did not prohibit that those things needed along the way be brought. But he insisted that on arrival they would need to depend on the hospitality of those to whom they came. They would, as missionaries, be entitled to such hospitality. But by not moving from place to place looking to improve their circumstances, and by not bringing a bag to collect excess, they proved that they weren't in it for the money. This also prevented rivalries from being stirred up in the village by people trying to court their favor.
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
They had seen Jesus preaching, healing, and acting with authority over unclean spirits. Now it was time to put into practice what they themselves had seen. We can imagine that in order to take such a great leap it would have been a great consolation to the help of another. Yet we can also see why Jesus did not permit much in the way of planning or provisioning for a journey of that sort. The only way to step into the shoes of Jesus was to rely on the Father for assistance. If they felt a great need to figure things out for themselves and plan ahead they would have had less mental bandwidth to listen for divine guidance. As it was, Jesus sent them in a way that made divine guidance paramount. Without it, they could not help but fall flat on their faces.
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
The disciples were able to go out and do what Jesus did. Any mistakes of theirs, or a blooper real, was not recorded in the Gospel. But it still seems likely that they were not without mistakes when they relied to much on themselves and not enough on God. And yet, it does seem like, even if that was the case, they accomplished what they were meant to accomplish. This did not mean that everyone to whom they went heeded the message. No doubt they put into practice his command to shake off the dust at times. But those meant to hear the message were able to hear it. Those in need of healing were able to receive it. Those in the power of unclean spirits were set free.
This plan and purpose which began in the ministry of Jesus and continued in his Apostles and their successors still continues in our own day. God is still about the business of summing up "all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth". And even if we are like Amos and lack the background of a prophet we are still meant to be a part of this plan. If we feel we have nothing to contribute, well, that is in keeping with the call to bring nothing with us. But really, we have a lot because God "has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens", which ought to be plenty.
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