Mark 6:7-13 English Standard Version

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles

7 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.[no undergarment] 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.

The first thing we should note is that it is Jeus who gives us the authority to minister the gospel to the lost.

The second should be that Judas was one of the twelve given authority. Yes, that same Judas that would betray Christ with a kiss. We should acknowledge that our worthiness has nothing to do with obedience of faith. If we are called to do the work of an evangelist, the authority given to us by Jesus is sufficient.

These times are different from those first evangelistic efforts. They could walk to their mission field. Ours may be around the world. Jesus charged them to take nothing. It is unlikely that Jesus would charge us to go without being prepared. Just because He charged the twelve to take nothing does not mean that applies to us, except for one thing. We must all rely on God to provide for His work.

The instruction to not take two tunics might seem an odd instruction and has its roots in our attitude. That first tunic is a chiton, a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin. The outset garment is the only thing keeping them from being naked. Naked from the very beginning in the garden is to be seen as being vulnerable. An attitude of vulnerability will be seen by those we encounter as humility. It will put them at ease as they listen to what we have to say.

Verse 11 tells us not to go where we are not welcomed. We are not to force the gospel on anyone that is not willing to listen. Kicking the dust off our shoes upon leaving is a sign that we have not sinned and that sin lays at their door. We have not given up on them, they were not ready.

Where in all this is it said that we have to be worthy to spread the gospel? Nowhere is it found. What is found is a reliance on God to make His will be known to everyone involved.

Psalm 18:31 English Standard Version (ESV) For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God?

Do we remember our first encounter with God? Did we know it was God the Father? Did we know it was Jesus? Did any name come to us or was it just knowing who it was that was present?

Why are there question marks here in this psalm? In that first encounter did we know who it was that we faced? Was there any certainty or any assurance?

What did we expect before our first encounter? Did it meet our expectations or exceed it? It can be assumed that because the encounter was at least one of the identities of our Triune God that faith must have played some role in the encounter.

Did anyone encounter God before they placed their faith in Christ? Do we even remember what was going on in our lives just before that encounter? For some of us it happened over sixty years ago. It is possible that over time, because we have changed, because we have matured, that the first encounter has been overshadowed by all that came afterwards.

The only reason it might be important to remember is in dealing with someone who is just now going through that themselves for the first time. They might want answers. They might not even know what questions to ask about their own experience.

I can share what happened to me and it might resonate with only a few people. We are all different and God touches us first in different ways because only God knows when we are ready and how to reach out to us.

Some will have a supernatural encounter that sounds like the speaker thinks of themself as special, set apart and their testimony might be received as a voice of pride. It is hard to be humble in the face of God’s miraculous touch. 

We must look to those around us and be appropriate with what we share. Mature men and women with decades of experience with God would certainly be able to receive the truth without question.

Our witness is not about us, it is for the hearer to receive and believe God is real.