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| I doubt Jesus looked like this. Just a picture. |
“Don’t take any
money in your money belts – no gold, silver, or even copper coins. Don’t carry
a traveller’s bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick.
Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.
Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in
his home until you leave town. When you enter the home, give it your blessing.
If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not,
take back the blessing. If any household or town refuses to welcome you or
listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave. I tell you
the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such
a town on the judgment day” (Matthew
10:9-15, NLT).
Jesus commissioned the
twelve (read Matthew 10:1-8). These instructions were given to them. It seem,
at first, to be contrary to normal travel plans (I’m thinking of our last Timor Leste medical mission trip. We
brought lots of medical stuffs and our bags are heavy), but they simply reveal
the urgency of the task and its temporary nature. This was a training mission only; the apostles
were to leave immediately and travel light, taking along only minimal supplies.
Instead of being sent out as an isolated individuals, Jesus sent them in pairs
(Mark 6:7). Each pair of disciples would enter a city or village and stay in
the home of a “worthy person.” What does
it mean by “worthy person”? “Worthy person,” based on the context, is
someone who are eager to “welcome”
and “listen” to their message.
The disciples’ dependence
on others had four good effects: 1) It
showed that the Messiah had not come to offer wealth to his followers; 2) It forced the disciples to rely on God’s
power and not on their own provision; 3) It involved the villages, making them more eager to hear the message;
and 4) it built long-term relationships.
As we do mission, let us take notes of these four dependence effects of Jesus’
command to his disciples.
Jesus also had harsh words
concerning those who would reject them and their message. Shaking the dust from
their feet would demonstrate to the people that the disciples had nothing
further to say and would leave the people to answer to God. Jesus was clearly
stating that the listeners were responsible for what they did with the Gospel.
As long as the disciples had faithfully and carefully presented the message,
they were not to blame if the townspeople rejected it. Likewise, we have the
responsibility, but we are not responsible when others reject Christ’s message
of salvation.
Think about this: These
days, with instant communication, modern transportation, and other high-tech
resources, we can be tempted to maintain our independence or to rely on
impersonal ministry methods. But God created us to live in relationship and to
do his work with others. This training assignment implies that we have clear responsibility to care for
those who minister among us, especially those who visit from out of town or
those who are not normally among us. What can you do to relate more personally
to those who minister in your community? Also this training shows that we are very much responsible to bring the
message of the Kingdom of God to the town, village, campus or community that we
are in right now. Besides ministering the message through social media
(like what I do with my Blog and Facebook
now) are you building a long-term and personal relationship with the people
you’re ministering now? One more lesson: There is no “lone
ranger” in the work of God. Find
your partner.
I have to rethinking my own ministry now. Pray.
THINK BIG.
START SMALL. GO DEEP.
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