Mission of the twelve disciples

Mission of the twelve disciples - Mark 6: 7-13

(Mk 6: 7-13) "Then he called the twelve, and began to send them two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits, and commanded them not to take anything for the way, but only a staff. neither bread nor money in his belt, but they should put on sandals and not put on two tunics. "And he said to them," Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place. Do not listen to you, get out of there, and shake off the dust that is under your feet, as a testimony to them. "Truly I tell you, in the day of judgment, the punishment for the Sodom and Gomorrah will be more tolerable than for that And going out, they preached that men should repent, and cast out many demons, and anointed many sick people with oil, and healed them.

Introduction

At the end of the previous paragraph we saw that Jesus "went through the surrounding villages teaching". It was after this that he "called the twelve and started sending them". We already said that the rejection of the people in Nazareth could not stop the mission of the Son of God while there was a world in need of hearing the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.
As for the purpose of sending the twelve to preach, not only was it intended to extend the Kingdom, but it also served to enable the apostles to gain experience and especially to learn to trust the Master while being away from him. This type of training would have to prepare them for the day when the Lord, once the Work of the Cross was completed, returned to heaven and was no longer present in their midst.
The instructions that the Lord gave here to the twelve are expanded in the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 10: 5-42).

Source

"He called the twelve, and began sending them two by two"
As always, the call to service comes from the Lord himself.
On the way he sent them, "two by two", we have much to learn, as the sage of Ecclesiastes taught:
(Ec 4: 9-12) "Better are two than one, for they have a better reward for their labor: for if they fall, the one will raise up his companion, but woe to the one, that when he falls, there will be no second to raise him Also if two lie down together, they shall heat one another, but how shall one heat up? And if one prevail against one, two will resist him, and the cord of three folds will not break soon. "
We could list some of the advantages of this measure:
It would allow fraternal communion among them.
It would serve as mutual help in the face of adversity.
They could advise each other in the face of difficulties.
They would receive help and encouragement from each other.
According to the law, they would be valid witnesses to be at least two.
This principle that the Lord established here was also observed in the first extension of the Gospel that the book of Acts tells us. Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas, Paul and Silas, Barnabas and Mark, are some notable examples of this principle.
Surely, this is one of the pending subjects of contemporary Christianity: learning to work together with other brothers in the work of Christ.
"He gave them authority"
In the Bible, the concept of authority always comes from God. Men have authority because God gives it to them. Parents have authority over children because God has given them (Deut 5:16), just like the rulers of this world over their subjects (Ro 13: 1), or pastors in the church (Ac 13:17), or the chiefs over their employees (Eph 6: 5), or the husbands over their wives (Eph 5:22). This means, for example, that if a son disobeys his father, he is also disobeying God.
As we have said, the source from which all authority arises is God, or what is the same, the Lord Jesus Christ. He affirmed: (Mt 28:18) "All authority is given to me in heaven and on earth." He wanted to make it clear that everything that exists, "in heaven and on earth," is included within the scope of his authority.
And if we look closely at what we have already studied in the Gospel of Mark, we will see that many of the stories have been aimed at emphasizing this authority.
(Mr 1:22) He had authority in the teaching of the Word.
(Mr 1:27) About the unclean spirits.
(Mr 2: 10-12) To forgive sins.
(Mr 4: 39-41) About the forces of nature.
(Mr 5: 39-42) About death.
It was essential that before the twelve were sent to preach, they were fully aware that whoever sent them had all the authority.
In fact, when Jesus was sending the twelve to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, what he was doing was sending them to claim his authority over this world. He is the only one who has the legitimate right to demand loyalty from all the people that exist in this world.
And notice that the way to do it, was not talking to each person from heaven, but sending his disciples in his name and with his authority.
(Mt 10:40) "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me."
This is true evangelization, in calling on people of all kinds to recognize the authority of Jesus in their lives. For this reason, the disciples of Jesus must be prepared for rejection. The Lord Himself announced that this would happen:
(Jn 15:18) "If the world hates you, know that he has hated me before you."
(Mr 6:11) "And if they do not receive you or hear you somewhere ..."

Rejection should not surprise us, especially in times of relativism like ours, when people do not appreciate the objective and unalterable truth. In this answer, preaching that Christ has all the authority, will be seen by the world as an arrogant attitude that does not take into consideration the other beliefs or other religious leaders of the past or present. This is why it is a priority that anyone who preaches the Gospel of Christ is fully sure of his authority.
"Do not take anything for the road"
The disciples of Jesus were not to carry provisions for the way, but to trust in God for everything. It is what we call, "live by faith."
This simplicity contrasts with the luxury and costly travel of many modern religious leaders who claim to go in the name of Christ. For example, in July 2006, Benedict XVI spent 26 hours in Valencia, Spain, and to this day it is still unknown how many millions of euros the Generalitat Valenciana spent on its lightning trip. In the absence of official information, the opposition estimated that the expenditure was around 60 million euros. But it is no less scandalous the luxury and ostentation of some famous evangelical televangelists who like to travel in private planes, travel in limousines and occupy the most expensive rooms of hotels. It is incomprehensible that these people, who not only do not obey the commandments of the Lord, but also in many cases publicly boast of their high level of life, still have thousands of followers, who naively contribute so that they can continue to maintain it. So guilty are the ones like the others.
The disciples of the Lord should only carry his staff and his clothes on. They should not take anything else for the trip. This might seem crazy, but it would help them to check God's constant help. They should look up waiting on God for the supply of necessary things, and avoid the temptation to look at men or to look at the circumstances.
Of course, when they returned from this mission, and from others to which the Lord sent them, none lamented because they had lacked something, rather they returned full of joy and admiration for the help of the Lord.
At this point we can not help wondering to what extent many of the modern missionaries retain this spirit. We have known of brothers with an interest in going out to work for the Lord and who have gone to a mission in search of support and who have not made the decision to get going while they have not managed to guarantee certain income. Where is the faith and trust in the Lord of the harvest? Of course, we are not who to judge, but perhaps we should reflect on this particular and return to the teaching of the Lord Jesus.
On one occasion a veteran brother said: I have met missionaries who are always working for funds, and they are always complaining that they never have enough. I know many others who are always working for the Lord without worrying about money, and they always have what is necessary.
"Wherever you enter a house, stay in it"
The generous hospitality of the Orient of those days had to supply home and bread. We regret that this vision has been lost in some countries, where it is common to find that when a brother is invited by the church to preach, he is lodged in a good hotel in the city. Undoubtedly, these decisions are often made with the comfort of the missionary, but in others, it is because families have lost the practice of hospitality, and with it a great blessing from the Lord (Heb 13: 2).
They must be in the same house until they left the city. They would have to avoid, therefore, changing from one house to another, perhaps seeking better accommodations. This would lead to rivalries and gossip that should be avoided (1 Pet. 4: 9). The servant of the Lord should be characterized by simplicity and should not seek this kind of thing.
"If somewhere they do not receive you or hear you, get out of there"
His mission was to be carried out with respect for human freedom. The Gospel can only be offered, never imposed. In the event that the people did not want to receive or hear the missionaries, they should leave.
It is not easy to know at what moment we should abandon the missionary efforts in a specific place because of the lack of positive response to the Gospel. The missionary will always have the desire in his heart to persevere in his commitment to preach the gospel while praying for the people, but at the same time, he must be attentive to the direction of the Lord that can lead him to another place as a consequence of a repeated rejection . Undoubtedly, these decisions are never easy to make, and as always, the Lord has the last word.
In any case, rejection should never paralyze the missionary. If this happened, they should shake off "the dust that was under their feet for testimony

to them "and continue on to another city.
"Shaking off the dust from the sandals" was a graphic way of expressing their repulsion. According to rabbinical law, when a Jew entered Palestine coming from a Gentile country, he should shake off all the dust particles of the unclean land. So he came to symbolize that the city that rejected the proclamation of the gospel would be considered a pagan place.
"On the day of judgment, the punishment for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah will be more tolerable"
The disciples were not commanded to execute any judgment on those who rejected the Gospel. How many wars would have been avoided in this world if some religions, very badly called Christians, had attended to this principle! How easily the pagan religious spirit feels the desire to use force against those who do not share their beliefs!
The true Christian knows that he is not called to execute any kind of judgment, although he is fully aware that there is a day of judgment for those who reject the gospel. This is one of the reasons why you feel the desire to work harder in the preaching of the gospel, praying unceasingly for the souls that are on the road to eternal damnation.
The declaration of the Lord not only announces that there will be a trial, but also the criteria with which it will be carried out: the greater the revelation, the greater the responsibility. Those who heard the gospel preached by the Lord and his disciples would have a much clearer light than that of the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, therefore, the harshness of the judgment would also be greater ... And the judgment on these two Cities was not light!

"Going out, they preached that men would repent"
The first part of his mission was dedicated to preaching: "they preached that men should repent". Notice that his mission was an extension of the Lord himself: (Mr 1: 14-15) "Jesus came to Galilee preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, saying: The time has come true, and the kingdom of God has come repent, and believe in the gospel. "
They did not invent the message, they did not preach what seemed to them, their own opinions, but what Jesus had commissioned them.
The main theme of his message had to do with "repentance."

1. What is repentance?

It is an internal change of mind and heart that is followed by a change of life that produces fruits in a new behavior. It is not something maudlin, but something revolutionary. It is much more than feeling sorry or regretting for any sin committed. Repentance implies realizing that the path that has been followed was wrong. It is something radical that involves a total investment of life from top to bottom.
If someone wants to become a Christian, he will have to do a lot with all his thoughts, customs and character, all his life up to that moment, set it on fire and let it be reduced to ashes, and then be filled with a totally different life and a totally new soul.
Repentance is much more than leaving a vice and replacing it with some religious work. Let's think of an illustration: imagine that a man goes to the doctor and he diagnoses that his lungs and heart are undone because of tobacco. The patient then regrets having smoked for so long, and makes the decision to quit. Will this solve the problem? The doctor has to tell you that the situation is too serious and that only a lung and heart transplant could solve the problem. And this is where the key to the matter lies: leaving a concrete sin and replacing it with healthier habits does not solve the problem, a new heart is necessary. But many people are not willing to "repent" at this deeper level because they do not want to accept God's diagnosis of them, they do not believe that their situation is so serious. They may come to agree with God that some things are really wrong in their lives and they have to be changed, but they are not willing to accept that their condition of sinners is so serious. Those who think like this, reject the concept of repentance as God puts it in his Word. Now, imagine that the patient decides to undergo heart and lung transplantation. What will the doctor advise after the operation? Well, it is a good time to stop smoking, because you have had occasion to see how harmful it is for your health. And in the same way, once we repent to the deep level that God demands, then we also have to do it at this other level, leaving those concrete sins that hurt us so much and that pose an obstacle to good communion with God.
True repentance means abandoning the way we see ourselves and accepting the verdict of God.

1. Why was it so important to preach repentance?
   Basically, because there is no other way to enter the Kingdom of God than that of repentance. Sin disarms God (Lk 15:21), and puts us in debt to him (Lk 11: 4), and the only way to enjoy his forgiveness and restore the divine honor that we defame through our demeaning behavior or attitude towards him, it is repentance.

2. The call to repentance is urgent
   God is merciful and offers to forgive the sinner who repents, but also warns that the day will come when those who have rejected his offer will perish in the judgment of God (Mark 6:11). And this day of judgment is coming. Jesus began his preaching of repentance by saying that "the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand" (Mark 1:15).
   "And they cast out many demons and healed many sick people"

This came to be a demonstration of the reality and the nature of the Kingdom of God that they announced. It was about what the writer of Hebrews (He 6: 5) would describe as "the powers of the coming age" that burst into the world to heal and to save.
At the same time, they credited the disciples of Jesus as their messengers. They preached the same as Jesus and did the same works as him.
They also anointed the sick with oil. Possibly, Marcos alludes to the practice performed by the priests of the church to which Santiago goes.
(Jas 5:14) "Is any sick among you? Call the elders of the church, and pray for him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord."

The mission lasts while this world lasts

We should not think that the mission was only for those few disciples and for a short space of time. The mission is still hard and all the disciples of Jesus are called to participate in it.
(Mt 28: 19-20) "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; behold, I am with you every day, until the end of the world, Amen. "