Sending Out The Twelve

Now verse seven summarizes the commission that they received.

Verses eight through 11 deals with these specific instructions.

And the instructions really boil down to two categories.

What they were to take, really what they were not to take, really more so.

What they were to take and how they were to act.

And we need to remember as we come to read these verses again,

that we shouldn't apply these instructions so rigidly

that we think that we must only take these items

and must follow this same exact instruction.

That's not exactly Jesus's intention.

The specific instructions were for these men,

but the principles behind them endure for us as well.

So let's look at verse eight.

And he charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff,

no bread, no bag, no money in their belts,

but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.

And so Jesus calls these men together.

At this point, they have observed.

And now he says, fellas, it's time to go.

I want you to go two by two.

And I'm going to send you to some specific villages.

And here's what I want you to take.

Nothing.

Nothing is pretty much what he says.

There's a tremendous restriction and limitation

in what he allows these men to take on their journey.

They weren't to take any food.

They weren't to take any money.

No extra clothing.

Can you imagine?

Jesus has said, I want you to travel.

And you can have nothing.

You're going to go to places you don't know anybody.

And you're going to preach that they need to turn away from all the things that they're doing

and believe in me whom they have not seen

and maybe in some cases have not even at this point heard of.

And in the process of that,

somehow you're going to be given the provisions that you need.

And this comes as kind of a shock to us.

And we frame that in our own mindset of ministries, don't we?

We get this sense that God calls us to certain things in our life,

certain things that are on the basis of his kingdom work

and what he desires for us to do and what he desires for us to be,

not only as individuals and families, but as a church group.

And sometimes in the process of that,

we don't understand why he's asking us to do the things that he's asking us to do

because we have no way to do it.

But he just says, go.

And here he sends these men once again.

And he says, don't take anything with you.

And what was the point of that?

He didn't want them to take anything

that wasn't absolutely essential to the task of preaching his words

and performing his works.

And in this case, that included only a single set of clothes and a walking stick.

Now, at this point, it's important for us to recognize again

that this was not a permanent nor a universal instruction for ministry.

Jesus wasn't commanding an ascetic lifestyle

that's not what he meant by this instruction.

He wasn't commanded that ministry,

should you be called to it vocationally perhaps,

is meant to be accomplished in poverty.

That's not what he meant.

And we know this because Jesus addresses it specifically later on.

In fact, turn with me please to Luke chapter 22.

Luke 22 · chapter mention

Luke chapter 22.

Luke 22 · chapter mention

And we'll look at verses 35 and 36.

Now, what's happening here in Luke 22

is this is the night of Jesus's arrest.

As you recall the gospel story,

the crucifixion story,

he has instituted communion in the Lord's Supper

and he's given this great final lesson,

sermon, teaching to his disciples.

And as a part of this,

we find these two verses nestled into this discussion

as one of the final things that Jesus is saying.

And remember the context of this is,

I'm leaving and I'm going to send a helper to you.

The Holy Spirit is going to come and help you,

but I'm leaving.

I won't be with you.

The men are filled with fear.

They are nervous about this.

They don't know what's happening.

And here's what he says,

Luke 22 verse 35.

Luke 22:35

And he said to them,

when I sent you out with no money bag

or knapsack or sandals,

did you lack anything?

And they said, what?

Nothing, nothing.

So he's telling them,

I'm getting ready to leave.

I know that makes you nervous.

I'm going to send a helper to you.

But remember,

I've sent you out without me before.

And when you went without me

and you had no bag

and you had no money

and you had no food

and you had no provisions whatsoever,

what did you lack?

And they said, nothing.

And he said, good.

I'm glad you learned that lesson.

And then look what he says in verse 36.

But now let the one who has a money bag take it

and likewise a knapsack

and let the one who has no sword

sell his cloak and buy one.

What's the point in pointing that out?

Well, what Jesus told these disciples

in chapter six

was meant for these men at this time.

So don't come to this passage

and think, okay,

God wants me to sell everything that I have.

I can only have the clothes on my back.

I can only have minimal provisions

and that's the only way he's going to use me.

No, that's not what he meant.

The purpose was that he would teach them a lesson

and the lesson was threefold.

This was not meant to be permanent,

but it was threefold.

Dependence, simplicity,

urgency, a lesson on dependence,

a lesson on simplicity,

and a lesson on urgency.

And so first we see this instruction

was a lesson on dependence.

Dependence on who or what?

On the provision of God

to fulfill the needs of his people

in the way that he is determined to do it.

That was the purpose of Jesus' statement

in Luke 22.

When you went,

did you lack anything?

No.

Why didn't you lack anything?

Because I provided you everything

that you needed along the way.

And mind you that all of the provisions

of these different men

would have been different.

Think about this.

They're going two by two,

not 12 by 12.

These two are going to this place

and these two are going to this place.

This person may have been

staying in a bit of a shack somewhere

in this little town

or this person may have been

in grand luxurious accommodations

in another place.

The provisions were different

for all of them.

Each of them had different amounts.

That didn't matter.

What mattered is that God provided

the things that they needed

so long as they were surrendered

to obedience

and to do the work

that God had called them to do.

And so he provided.

That was the point.

Not to depend on yourself.

Not depend on the world's goods.

Not to be anxious

over the things

that you have or don't have.

But to be dependent

on the provision

of your heavenly Father.

And as you know,

this provision sometimes comes

in utterly unexpected ways.

Think about what's going

through these men's mind.

They've just gone to Nazareth

where you would think

that the people

that would make provision

for Jesus

actually rejected him.

And now they're thinking

we got to go out by ourselves.

And we're taking nothing.

How is this supposed to work?

And in this command,

there's a bit of a encouragement

that yes, people will reject you.

But how do you suppose it was

that God would mostly

fulfill the needs of these men

through people

that would not reject them?

And he doesn't explain

how he's going to do it.

He never does.

He doesn't provide

all the things

that we like to plan out

and all the things

that we like to prepare

ahead of time

before accomplishing a task.

He just says go

and he provides this promise

that I will care for you.

And we think back

to this same promise

in the Great Commission

as we dealt with it

a couple of weeks ago.

All authority is given

unto me, Jesus says.

So go and make disciples

of every nation,

baptizing them

in the name of the Father

and the Son of the Holy Spirit,

teaching them to observe

all things that I have commanded you.

And then it comes

with this promise.

And I will go with you

even to the end of the age,

he says.

He sends them.

They probably have

lots of questions,

but their questions

aren't met with explanation.

It's met with promise.

And the point is

that God knows our need

and he will faithfully supply.

And he will not only do it

for these men,

but he'll do it for you.

He will supply.

He knows your need.

James Edwards said,

true service of Jesus

is characterized

by a dependence on Jesus.

And dependence on Jesus

is signified

by going where Jesus sins

despite material shortfalls

and unanswered questions.

That's a great statement.

Dependence on Jesus

is signified

by going where Jesus sins

despite material shortfalls

and unanswered questions.

And so it was a lesson on dependence.

And then it was a lesson on simplicity.

Simplicity.

Taking along a bunch of clutter

on this journey

would only prevent the disciples

from faithfully fulfilling

their given task.

If they had all this stuff

to carry around with them,

it was just going to hinder the work.

You say,

how does that relate to me?

Well, it's...

Who of us doesn't have

a life full of clutter?

We get so busy.

Our lives get so cluttered

that any service for Jesus

really in any substantial way

really just seems like

an impossible burden.

How could I possibly do that?

I've got all of these other things

going on in my life.

Yes.

You've got all these other things

going on in your life.

How could you serve Jesus

with all of these other things

in your life?

It's clutter.

In the midst of our busyness,

the work of the ministry,

the work of discipleship,

the work of God

is all but forgotten.

We don't have time

to be discipled.

We don't have time

to disciple others.

We get so distracted

by all the other things.

The thought of actually

sharing the gospel

with someone in our life

doesn't really even

cross our minds.

When's the last time

that that friend

or that co-worker

or that neighbor,

you actually even thought about

sharing the gospel

or in any substantial way

ministering to them

in the way that God

has called us to minister?

It's not because

we always have

a lack of desire.

Sometimes,

we just haven't learned

the lesson of simplicity.

And this doesn't just

apply to our personal lives.

It applies to our church.

Even in our ministry work,

if we're not careful,

we can allow things

to get so cluttered,

so busy with this thing

and that thing

and this program

and this event

and all of these things

that we end up losing sight

of the whole purpose.

And what was the purpose?

Preach His words

and perform His works.

Preach His words,

perform His works.

Simplicity.

Sometimes the clutter

is not bad

in and of itself,

but it just prevents us

from doing what God

has called us to do.

And in that case,

it becomes an idol.

You say,

well, I can't give up

some of these other things.

My family would just

be so mad at me.

Well, I guess that's

the idol that's going

to keep you from doing

what God has called you to do.

Then it's a lesson

on urgency.

It's a lesson on urgency.

These men were to be free

from encumbrances

that would prevent them

from quickly moving

from place to place.

That was the point.

Sinclair Ferguson said this,

the message was an urgent one.

The kingdom of God

was near in Jesus.

Men should therefore

turn away from sin,

live in obedience to God.

Everything about their bearing

should indicate

that their visit

would be brief,

which meant the villagers

must respond now.

And the essential provisions

that God had sent them with

or that Jesus had sent them with

was a reminder

of the urgency

with which they were

to hasten from place to place.

Why?

Because the message

is an urgent one.

The ministry

is an urgent one.

It's not one to take casually.

Your work for the kingdom of God

is not a casual work.

It's an urgent work.

And we must go

with that urgency.

And we must preach

with that urgency.

And serve and minister

with that urgency in mind.

And so he gives them

those instructions.

Well, let's look at verses 10 and 11.

The instructions given

in verses 8 and 9

relate to what the disciples

were to take on their journey

or maybe more appropriately

what they were not

to take on their journey.

The instructions in verses 10 and 11,

however,

relate to how they were to behave.

So what they were to take

and how they were to behave.

Now remember,

these men were going on behalf of

and in the power of Jesus.

They were representatives of Christ.

And there was a particular way

in which they were to interact

with the people

to whom they would serve and minister.

Think about that.

They weren't going on their own mission.

This was Christ's mission.

They weren't representing

their own kingdom.

They were representing

the kingdom of God.

They were ambassadors for Christ.

Therefore, they were going

in the way that he had determined

for them to go.

They were to behave

in the way that Jesus

had commanded them to behave.

And they were to do the things

that Jesus had commanded them to do.

Why?

Because this was his mission.

It's his kingdom.

It's his work.

And it's his power.

Now think about this.

Just think for a moment.

Who is it that you represent

in this world?

You represent Christ.

And the way that you live

and the way that you behave

and the things that you do

and the way that you interact

with the people in your life

should be representative

of your love for

and your faithfulness

to the lordship

of Jesus Christ

in your life.

He gave them instructions

on how to show gratitude

to those who received them.

And then he gave them instructions

on how to pronounce judgment

on those who rejected them.

And both of these instructions

are vital

to faithful proclamation

of the gospel.

Look at verse 10.

And he said to them,

whenever you enter into a house,

stay there until you depart

from that place.

From what I understand,

local inns

were often dirty

and dangerous places to stay.

It wasn't unusual

for travelers

to seek lodging

in people's homes

in this day and age.

There was a culture

of hospitality

that is very different

from what we're accustomed to

here in our modern American context.

Like, can you imagine that?

You've decided to go on vacation

this week

and you're going to head down

maybe to Myrtle Beach

and you don't make a reservation

at a hotel.

Instead, you're just going to wait

until you get there,

see who you meet in the market,

and see if they'll let you

stay at their place.

That's basically

what was happening here.

The inns were dangerous places.

They were immoral places

in a lot of instances as well.

And so as these disciples

were going from town to town,

they had no money

to pay for a room anyways.

What were they to do?

They were to be amongst the people

and see how God would provide.

Who would receive them

into their home?

So that's what's happening here.

When Jesus says,

whenever you enter a house,

stay there until you depart,

that's what's happening.

No doubt as they

proclaimed the good news of Jesus

and displayed His mighty works,

some people would believe

and extend this courtesy to them.

There were probably many nights

that they slept on the ground as well.

But the instruction was,

whenever you are invited to stay,

stay.

And so whenever someone

welcomed them into their home,

they were to be there

for the duration of their time

in that town.

Now, there's probably many reasons

that Jesus gave this,

but really I think that

the essence of the command

has to do with showing gratitude

to the people

who willingly received them.

For instance,

if they went into town

and they found that

that the Blankenship house

was sufficient enough

and we were willing to keep them

and they stayed there

for a day or two

and then realized that

the Dupree house

was a little bit nicer

and they had a better community pool

and maybe even a hot tub

in the backyard,

you know what?

We think that we're going to stay over

with the Duprees.

They very kindly offered

and we appreciate the time

that you've given us,

but we're going to go stay over there

because it will just be

a better place, right?

This is why Jesus is saying,

don't do that.

Don't do that.

Wherever you stay, stay.

They weren't to use their ministry

for personal gain,

as many of the false teachers

were guilty of doing.

Neither were they

to overstay their welcome.

Neither were they

to use people as a stepping stone

to bigger and better things.

This wasn't about them.

The bottom line is

that the way we treat people

has a direct impact

on our gospel witness.

The way you treat

the people in your life

has a direct impact

on your gospel witness.

Think about it for a moment.

To bounce from house to house

would have made it appear

like the disciples

were only in it for themselves.

The gospel message

was only a means

of benefiting them personally,

which we see over and over

in the New Testament letters.

This condemnation

of false teachers

that were in it for themselves.

They were in it for the money.

They would deceive people

in order to get something

from the people

and then they would move on

to another place

and they would repeat it

all over again.

They used the gospel

for personal gain

and Jesus was instructing

these men,

don't do that.

It would have suggested

that the gospel of Jesus

was exclusive

to those who could provide them

with better things

and more comfortable accommodations.

What would that have said?

To the first family

with which they stayed,

if they were a poor family,

but they were willing

to provide for them

as they were in their town

and then they decided

that as we're preaching

the gospel,

we appreciate what you've provided

but there's a better place

over here

and we're going to go stay there.

Now, what would that have said

about the gospel

to these people?

That just like everything else

in this society

is rejecting me,

I guess the gospel

rejects me as well

because they're more willing

to go there

than they are willing

to come here.

Jesus says,

don't do that.

Wherever you go,

stay there.

Why?

Because you're to live

with gratitude.

You're to be focused

on the gospel,

treat people with respect

and be content

with whatever provisions

God makes.

It's a lesson

that we all must learn

as we serve the Lord.

And so let's look

at verse 11.

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.

Jews,

when they had traveled

outside of Israel,

when they came back in

from Gentile places,

they went through

this custom upon

crossing the border

where they would shake out

the dirt from their garments

and off of their shoes

and off their feet.

It was a pronouncement

of judgment

against the Gentile nations

and it was a statement

that signified

they were unwilling

to bring any kind

of pollutant

from the Gentile nations

into their holy nation

and into their promised land.

That's what the action signified.

Now this is what Jesus

is telling these men

to do as they preach

the gospel

to Jewish people

in Jewish towns.

When you go there

and they reject you,

he says,

do this thing

that says that

they are no different

than the Gentile nations

that they hate

and that they think

are without God.

This was a powerful

sign of judgment.

Kent Hughes said

it was prophetic actually.

It was a merciful

prophetic act

designed to make

the people think deeply

about their spiritual condition.

It signified

that the unbelieving Jews

were no different

than the heathen Gentiles.

And in fact,

because they rejected

Christ and his works,

they would suffer

a more significant judgment

perhaps

than even Sodom

and Gomorrah.

Now,

Jesus doesn't demand

that every time

your co-worker

or friend

or neighbor

rejects the gospel

that you shake

the dirt off your clothes

and kick the dust

off your feet

towards them.

that's not what he means.

But he does desire

that we faithfully

pronounce the judgment

that will come

on all people

who will not receive him

in faith

and repentance.

Some of us

don't struggle so much

with pronouncing

the judgment.

Sometimes we get

the spirit of it

a bit wrong.

In fact,

very wrong.

We get so offended

sometimes

if you spend

much time

on social media

or around people

that maybe

are antagonistic,

not just in rejecting

the gospel

but antagonistic

against it.

There's sometimes

a difference

in the way

that those people

behave.

And we can get

so offended sometimes

not because

Christ is offended

but because we are.

We feel like

we have been offended.

And we don't mind

to express

the proclamation

of judgment

on them

but what's behind

that in our minds

and in our spirit

is almost a delight

in the fact

that they will have

you almost throw it

in their face

like this is

you're going to be

judged for this.

So wicked.

And what's behind it

is anger

or frustration

or offense.

And that's not

the disposition

that Jesus

was encouraging here.

When we explain

the judgment

of God

on the unsaved

it's not to be

with a furrowed brow

but with eyes

that are full

of tears.

God doesn't

delight

in the destruction

of the wicked

and neither should we.

Nothing about

the way we preach

the gospel

should indicate

otherwise.

The proclamation

of judgment

is not one

that's to be done

out of hate

or out of anger

it's to be done

out of love

and out of warning

because it's true.

Like I said

God doesn't

delight in their

destruction.

Why should we?

But the fact

remains true

that all who

reject Jesus

as Lord

and Savior

will face

eternal judgment.

Therefore

we need to

proclaim the message

and we need to

do it out of

obedience

and with a heart

of compassion.

in hopes

that the Lord

will use that

message

to draw people

to himself.

So that was a lot

of time on the

instructions.

Let's quickly finish

with the pattern

that they were

to follow.

Okay?

Pattern of ministry

to follow.

Look at verses

12 and 13.

So they went out

and proclaimed

that people

should repent.

They cast out

many demons

and anointed

with oil

those who were

sick

and healed them.

And so in

verse 7

Mark summarizes

Jesus'

commission

to these 12

and then

here in

verses 12

and 13

he closes

with another

summary

of how

they actually

fulfilled that

commission.

And what's

abundantly clear

is that they

followed the

pattern

that was

modeled by

Jesus.

They didn't

come up with

a new and

better way

to do

ministry.

Of course

God doesn't

condemn

innovation.

That's not

what I mean.

It's just

they stuck

to the

essentials

of what

Jesus

commanded

them to

do

and what

he modeled.

And that

consisted

of two

things

that we've

said over

and over.

Preaching

the gospel

and performing

his works.

That's what

they did.

They followed

his pattern

and they

trusted

his power.

And that's

our mission

as well.

It's that

simple.

Preach

his words

and do

his works.

Preach

his word

and do

his works.

We know

that Jesus'

primary objective

everywhere he

traveled was

to proclaim

the gospel

message.

Sometimes we

get that

backwards and

we think

because his

miracles are

so fantastic

we think

that that

was really

his goal

and that

wasn't

his primary

objective.

There were

places that

Jesus went

where he

did no

miraculous

works.

But there

was never

a place

Jesus went

that he

did not

preach the

truth of

the gospel.

That was

his purpose.

That's what

he did.

In fact,

if you'll

think back

to Mark

Mark 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse

38,

he said to

them after

the masses

had come

to be healed

and the

disciples were

excited,

what was it

Jesus said?

Let us go

to other

towns that

I may

preach there

also for

that is

why I

came.

That's

his objective.

What's

our first

objective?

Preach

the gospel.

And when I

say preach,

I don't mean

finding a

platform

somewhere.

I mean

share the

gospel.

Talk about

Jesus.

Share

with people

that Jesus

will save

them if they

will turn

and believe.

And notice

the emphasis

that Mark

places on

this message.

Look again

at verse

12.

And they

went out

and preached

that men

should what?

Repent.

Repent.

Plenty of

people today

want to

preach the

message of

acceptance.

And yes,

God is

accepting of

all who

will come

to him.

Jesus said

it, we

quote it

all the

time.

Whoever

comes to

me, I

will never

cast away.

And it's

true.

There doesn't

seem to be

many that

want to

preach the

message of

repentance.

But if you

notice in

Mark's gospel,

that's the

message that

recurs over

and over

and over

and over

beginning with

John the

Baptist,

repent,

and then going

on to

Jesus himself,

repent and

believe the

good news.

And now on

to his

disciples,

they preach

that all

men should

repent.

And if

we're faithful

to the

gospel message,

we must

also call

people to

repent.

Because without

repentance,

there is no

salvation.

Repentance of

our sin,

a turning

away of

our sin,

a turning

away of

everything else

that we

have pursued

in life

in order

to live

and believe

wholly in

Christ as

Lord and

Savior.

And then they

performed his

works.

They went and

they anointed

some with oil

and they healed

them and they

cast out demons

and it's important

for us to realize

here that this was

not a universal

thing that was

given to these

men.

It's not like

they all of a

sudden had this

magical experience

where no matter

where they went,

they would be able

to do these

things.

No, this was a

particular empowerment

for these men

at this time.

There's even other

times in the

Gospels where they

could not do

these things.

So it's not that

this was a

universal thing

and we should

not come to

this expecting

that God has

given us power

over demons

and that he has

given us power

to anoint people

with oil and

heal the sick.

That's not the

point.

The point here

is that they

are to do

the works

of Christ

in opposing

evil

and doing

good.

Opposing

evil and

doing good

and that's

what they

did.

They went

from place

to place

and they

followed the

pattern that

Jesus had

given and

it's a pattern

we need to

follow.

James tells

us in James

James 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

religion that

is pure and

undefiled before

God the

father is this

to visit the

orphans and

widows in their

affliction and

to keep oneself

unstained from

the world.

What is that

all about?

Opposing evil

and doing

good.

To earn our

salvation?

Of course

not.

You can't do

enough good and

oppose enough

evil to be

saved.

Doesn't work

like that.

But for those

who have

Christ he

gives the

power as he

sends us to

preach the

gospel and to

do his works

and through

those works

we show his

love and his

faithfulness.

Which is what

John was getting

on about in

chapter 3 of

his first

letter.

By this we

know love.

How?

That he laid

down his life

for us and

we ought to

lay down our

lives for the

brothers.

But if anyone

has the world's

good and sees

his brother in

need yet closes

his heart against

them how does

God's love abide

in him?

Little children

let us not love

in word or

talk but in

deed and in

truth.

What's that all

about?

Opposing evil

and doing good.

He said I

don't really

know what all

this has to

do with me.

It has

everything to

do with you

if you're a

believer.

Because you

have the same

commission to

fulfill.

To be with

Christ and to

go for Christ.

And you have

instructions to

obey.

To depend on

him wholly for

your provision.

to treat

people the way

that Christ

treated people

and to

proclaim the

message the

way he

proclaimed the

message.

And then he's

also given us a

great model and

pattern to

follow.

In fact it's

not really an

option.

If we're going

to be obedient

to Christ, if

we're going to be

obedient to this

commission, we're

going to have to

fulfill it in the

way that he

designed for us to

fulfill it.

Which is simple.

Preach his

words and do

his works.

And so the

questions are

these.

Are we

fulfilling our

mission?

Are we

following the

instructions?

And are we

committed to his

pattern?