MARK 6, 7-13
Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village. Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.
These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic. Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”
They went out and preached that people should repent. They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.
Ever notice that God doesn’t take “No!” for an answer! A prophet God called to preach begins to explain to God why He is not qualified, to be a prophet, and notice what God says. “You are correct! You don’t have the qualifications of being a prophet for the Lord. So, what? I don’t care! I have called you to do a job for Me, and you are going to do that job for Me! So, READY OR NOT, HERE YOU GO!”
We may try the same thing when God calls us to be His witnesses. “Oh, Lord, not me! I’m not qualified. I was never that good in Catechism class! I don’t remember all the passages that I was supposed to memorize. I just can’t do it!” And God’s answer? “You may be absolutely correct! You didn’t pay attention in Confirmation Classes like you should have! You are shy and awkward around other people. But I don’t care! I have called you to be my witness and so, you will be a witness for me. So, READY OR NOT, HERE YOU GO!” And suddenly you’re in a situation where someone is asking you about your faith and your church.
And in these verses, we have another example. The disciples are following Jesus, listening to Him preach, watching Him do miracles, trying to understand what He is saying, and sometimes, getting lost. And then suddenly Jesus tells them, “OK guys! It’s time to get into the game. I’m going to send you out to proclaim the gospel.” And even before they could begin to come up with excuses, Jesus says, “I don’t care! I have called you to go out and preach and so you are going out to preach!” So, READY OR NOT! HERE YOU GO!
I
We’re told that “Jesus went around teaching from village to village.” That’s what Jesus did from the time He began His ministry. And the disciples followed. They witnessed His amazing miracles. They listened to Him teach. And sometimes the lessons Jesus was teaching were pretty easy to figure out. Some they needed more clarification from Jesus. And some of those lessons went right over their heads, and they didn’t have a clue what Jesus was trying to teach them. And frankly sometimes they got distracted.
Instead of concentrating on what Jesus was teaching they were daydreaming about something else. Maybe feeling smug and prideful because out of the thousands of people who followed Jesus, they were the select few Jesus chose! Sometimes, they get into discussions as to which of them was the greatest.
And then Jesus calls the twelve to Himself, and shakes them out of their day dreaming, and says, “OK, it’s time that you go out and preach!” And now they are expected to put into practice all the things they had learned, and all the things they had seen, and preach to the crowds, the message Jesus has been preaching. And I’m sure the disciples were filled with panic! “You want me to do what? Oh, no Lord. I’m not ready! I need more training! I need a whole lot more time.”
But notice the instruction that Jesus gave them. “Take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.” If your boss told you, “I need you to go to our plant in Tulsa for a few days to solve some issues down there, he would usually allow you to go home, pack a suitcase, get to the bank, to get some extra cash, make reservations at the motel closest to the plant, and then get your plane ticket. You would have to figure out what to pack depending on the weather down there, and whether you need some dress clothes. There would be certain things you’d need to take along with you to make sure your trip was successful and comfortable.
Jesus doesn’t do that with His disciples. He doesn’t allow them a couple of days to go home, and pack some extra clothes. Maybe fill up their travel bag with some food, just in case they might need to sleep out in the countryside. Maybe get an extra tunic, to wear in case it gets cold. Maybe an extra pair of sandals just in case the ones you are wearing wear out. Jesus says, “No! You don’t need all that stuff!”
Just go the way you are right now! Take your staff! But you won’t need a bag with food in it. You won’t need some extra cash in your money belt. You won’t need an extra tunic. Just go the way you are. You might not think you’re prepared to go on this journey. But READY OR NOT! HERE YOU GO!
Jesus wanted His disciples to rely on God. When you went into a town as a prophet, people would listen and usually someone’s heart would be touched and they would invite you to stay at their place in their guest quarters. And Jesus tells them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.” Don’t be concerned how you will take care of your physical needs. The Lord is in control. And God will bring people into their lives, who will give them a place to stay and food to eat. Just trust the Lord.
Sometimes, that’s the same way Jesus sends us out to witness for Him. He doesn’t normally come to us and say, “Hey, I’m going to send you on a mission trip in a couple of weeks, and I want you to go to this three-day Seminar what will train you in all the things you need to know.” Rather, Jesus says, “I’ve got a job for you. You don’t have time to go home and pack extra stuff to help you along the way! You’ve got to go, NOW! So, go just the way you are! READY OR NOT! HERE YOU GO!
Quite often our opportunity to witness about Jesus comes at the most inopportune times. People confront me with questions about the Bible, when my Bible with all my notes are at home, and I need to simply rely on my memory. And sometimes, people ask me questions about why God does what He does, when I’m asking myself the same question. Sometimes, my opportunity to witness comes when I myself am suffering anguish, and pain, and my faith is being severely challenged. And the Lord would say, “Sorry about that! But you need to go now!” So, READY OR NOT! HERE YOU GO!
II
Even though Jesus may have sent His disciples out, ill-equipped! He did not send them out unprepared! We’re told that Jesus “sent them out two by two, and gave them authority over evil spirits.” The Lord gave His disciples the power and the authority to do miracles, just like Jesus did. To emphasize to the people that they message they preached came from God.
And as impressive as those powers were, there’s something even more impressive. Jesus didn’t rely on the disciples’ abilities to remember all the things Jesus preached, and on their steadfast faith and understanding of the Scriptures to handle all obstacles. Jesus gave them the power to preach! Jesus gave them the wisdom to explain the Scriptures to people. Jesus gave them the courage to stand up for God’s Word, and proclaim the truth. And because Jesus gave them this authority, they were able to preach the gospel, and drive out demons, and heal the sick. The disciples may have thought they weren’t ready to do what Jesus wanted. But Jesus knew they were! Because He was with them. And so, they went! And so, they accomplished great things!
When God sends us out today, He doesn’t give us miraculous powers to do extraordinary things, so people will sit up and take notice. But He does gives us the same things He gave those disciples.
First, just like the disciples we too have sat at Jesus’ feet and learned His Word. We’ve learned those stories in Sunday School and at home! Each Sunday we go to church, Jesus welcomes us in, and reminds us not necessarily of what we need to do for Him, but for what He has done for us. We know the gospel!
But there’s something else Jesus has given us, that is even more important. We are a disciple of Jesus, a child of God, an heir of Heaven, a precious soul that our God has redeemed. Because we are a child of God, we have Jesus living inside us. I don’t have to rely on my memory, or be able to recall all those passages I memorized as a child. I have Jesus living in my heart and soul, and He has the uncanny ability to give me words to speak, and sometimes, give me the ability to keep my mouth shut, and He has the power to give me the ability to do what I need to do to show my faith to others. Jesus has been training me every day of my life, with all the things I’ve gone through, so I can be the witness He needs me to be.
Sometimes, a job comes up that Jesus wants us to do so suddenly we don’t have time to back home and get our Bible, or prepare ourselves to what we need to do. Jesus just says, Go! Ready or not, here you go! And we may think, “But Lord, I’m in pain in the Emergency Room, because of the accident I just had.” And the Lord says, “I know, and I simply need you to be the Christian I made you, and let that light shine to that other person who is in the same emergency room.” We may argue, “But, Lord, my faith is really being tested right now, I am not be the joyful Christian I ought to be.” And He would say, “I know what you’re going through. So is the guy next to you, who is also stuck in this airport terminal waiting for the next plain. And I just need you to do what I want you to do right now, to help both of you, come to trust more in Me!”
Many of our opportunities to witness for Jesus, don’t come when we expect them, and when we are prepared for them, and when we are spiritually strong and focused. They come when we are not prepared, when we do not expect them. That’s when our Lord says to us, “I don’t care how unprepared you feel! I don’t care how unqualified you feel about doing My will! I have called you to be My child! And I have called you to do this task and prepared you for it. So, READY OR NOT! HERE YOU GO!
