Too often we gloss over the account of Jesus sending the Apostles to prepare people to receive Him, thinking it doesn’t apply to us today. On the contrary, I think Mark 6:7-13 does have application today.
I understand why this passage might not seem applicable to us. Mark 6:7-9 states:
“[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.”
There is simply no Biblical command that we should go to neighboring communities with nothing but a staff to share Christ with total strangers. The sending in this passage was unique for that day and age.
However, Jesus does send us into our vocations. Most of us have more than one vocation, such as spouse, parent, friend, co-worker or fellow student. Within these vocations we are called to share God’s love. One way we love our neighbors is sharing Jesus with them.
There are seasons when family or friends, co-workers or fellow students do not want to talk about matters of faith. They really don’t want to explore what the Scriptures say about Jesus. During these seasons we express God’s love in other ways, such as caring for their personal needs.
However, there are seasons when our neighbor wants to learn about Jesus. This opens the door for discussions about Scripture or invitations to group Bible studies. If our neighbor is already a Christian, we have the opportunity to encourage them. If not, then there is opportunity for God to create faith in Christ through His Word.
God sending us into our vocations is not the same as Jesus sending His Apostles. That said, our sending is still a privilege given by our Lord. Until next week, the Lord
(These devotional messages are written for the congregations of the Ohio District – LCMS. You can learn more about the Ohio District at oh.lcms.org.)
Kevin Wilson 360 