First Hand Training in the Gospel and in Faith
Truth Taught- The Disciples, as Jesus’ representatives, were sent out to share the Gospel, cast out demons and heal the sick.
The Gospel of Mark is very interesting especially in how Mark connects various accounts. His putting together certain separate accounts is often his way to help his readers see what is going on and what is being taught.
As an example, Jesus just went to His hometown to preach in the synagogue there. As astonished and amazed as His hometown was concerning His teaching and proclamation, there was no faith there. They rejected Him as Lord, Son of God and Messiah. How did Jesus handle this massive rejection? He knew that God was in some cases judging His hearers. Jesus declared to this very hard-hearted group that it will be better for Tyre and Sidon in the time of judgement than for the people who have seen and heard Jesus and still reject Him. If you remember, Jesus was amazed at their unbelief. They would come under eternal judgement because of their lack of faith.
Luke 10:13–16 (ESV)
13 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. 14 But it will be more bearable in the judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. 15 And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades.
16 “The one who hears you hears me, and the one who rejects you rejects me, and the one who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”
To reject Jesus is to also reject God the Father and to place yourself into the category of judgement.
Jesus has demonstrated great authority, wonders, miracles, preaching and teaching, power and many other amazing things that the Apostles saw and learned from. Jesus also demonstrated to the twelve He’s about to send out on their own, what will happen when the Gospel is preached…there will be some who listen and there will be others who reject the Good News.
When the Gospel is proclaimed, there will be some who are saved and some whose judgement is sealed by their rejection of the message of Jesus.
Our Lord’s followers and especially His ministers must be ready for both responses.
PLEASE STAND…
Mark 6:7–13 (ESV)
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. 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And 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.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
I believe there are many things we can learn from the mission Jesus gives His disciples. They are now going to experience what it’s going to be like with Jesus gone. Once our Lord ascends back to heaven, after the resurrection will His disciples be able to carry on His mission? Here is their trial run.
Our Lord knows that this method is best. He sends them on their way while He is not gone yet but able to meet with them and further teach. Some things you learn best through an apprenticeship. Teaching, preaching and evangelism are learned best while you go and do it…as you are going says the Great Commission…
1. The Disciples Were Sent Out (6:7)
7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits
Our Lord calls the twelve to Himself and then begins to send them out two by two. The pairings are not mentioned but what is mentioned here is that they were first called to Jesus and sent out in pairs by Jesus.
The Greek is apostello duo. Messengers two-by two.
Traveling in pairs was the much safer mode of travel. Also, they were much safer from demonic attacks. They were stronger as a unified team…one could speak while the other prayed.
Ecclesiastes 4:9–10 (ESV)
9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up!
Also, God’s Law requires two witnesses to establish any matter.
So, Jesus sends His disciples in six teams to go out and share the Good News. Jesus was well known by now and it was God’s desire that His Apostles get their feet wet, so to speak.
This seems to be the practice of God…to send His messengers out two-by two.
Acts 13:2–3 (ESV)
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.
What we also notice in our passage today, is that Jesus gave His disciples power. This is not a strengthening of their own power nor is it making them better speakers from their own skill set but what we should understand is Jesus literally gave His disciples, His power.
Here it specifically states that they have authority over the unclean spirits
Jesus is giving them His power and authority to move God’s Kingdom forward. They will be preaching the Gospel and they will be casting out demons. So, from two different directions God’s Kingdom will be advancing. Our Lord is sending out six Jesus’ to begin this ministry of proclamation of the Kingdom.
2 Corinthians 5:17–20 (ESV)
17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
I want to encourage you today to remember that God calls each of us into the ministry. We are jars of clay and then He gives us power.
In John 14:12 Jesus made a startling statement. He said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” He gives us His power to serve Him in the world today.
When Jesus saves a soul, He gives them the power to carry His message to the world, Acts 1:8. We may feel inadequate for the task, but His power rests in us and on us. We may be weak in our words and we may feel that our testimony lacks power, but Jesus has promised to give us His power. And His power is more than enough to get the job done! Therefore, we can go into this world and share the Gospel, knowing that He has called us and empowered us to do just that!
You may not even feel the power and all you may feel is weakness. Never forget Jesus will impower you and your words to have real impact even if you think you are weak. Don’t let those ongoing feelings keep you from sharing with others the good news because Jesus will give you power and the Holy Spirit will take your feeble efforts and empower them for God’s glory.
2. They Were to Exercise Faith (6:8-9)
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 are a few points here from these verses we should take with us.
They were to travel light. Jesus told them NOT to take any extra provisions. Just the clothes on your back, the shoes on your feet and a walking stick in your hand. Nothing extra. Why?
Traveling in this way causes the disciples of Christ to also exercise faith. In other words, they were calling on strangers they meet to have faith in Christ and it is important that the speaker also shows the same faith. Jesus would provide for them.
When the Lord calls us to a specific task, we must depend on Him and not on ourselves, our talents, or our goods. They were sent out this way on purpose.
Is there a task God has called you to but you think you’re unprepared? Do you know better than God? Are you seeking to make excuses? What seems to be the issue? Do you tell God, I’ll do it when this or that is done first. If God has called you then He will give you what you need. Be obedient by faith.
Another very important point here is a theological point. Jesus is the greater Moses who leads His people out of Egypt to a greater Promised Land. Jesus told His disciples to take exactly what God told the Israelites to take with them as they left Egypt. By this, Jesus is showing us that He is the greater Moses who leads His people out of bondage.
The Israelites were to trust God for everything…
Exodus 12:11–13 (ESV)
11 In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. 12 For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. 13 The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.
The Exodus out of Egypt was all about faith. They were to paint the blood on their doors and just take what clothes they were wearing, their shoes and their staffs. The emphasis here too was that they were to depend on God for their provisions.
The Israelites grumbled. What would be the response of Jesus’ new Israel? Would they too grumble and complain when called on to trust God?
I pray we do not grumble and complain in our Christian walk but trust God.
The disciples learn that little provision requires big faith. They were to have faith as they went from place to place.
Philippians 4:19 (ESV)
19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
I wonder if you believe that promise for your life? God will supply every need we have. The disciples were told not to take anything extra so that they would learn to trust God and His provision.
I remember when we went to Bible College…four small children, no job but we knew God was leading us there. We were shown the very truth of this passage. We were given an old glass jar full of money when we left with the prayer that it would never run out. The lid was chipped. We kept it on top of our refrigerator and when we received money, we would put it in the jar and when we needed money for food or whatever we would take it out of the jar. The prayer was answered…it never ran out.
Remember, beloved, God will meet all your needs because…He is rich!!
3. If People Did Not Listen, They Were to Leave that Village (6:10-11)
10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And 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.”
Here we see some ancient hospitality codes. When the disciples travelled to a town preaching Christ and a family took them in for a few days they were to remain there. They were not to leave that house if a better offer came and thereby dishonor the first family. Accepting more comfortable provisions was to dishonor the first home. So, Jesus told them to stay.
Then Jesus warned them that they would not always be welcomed. Sometimes, they would be turned away and sometimes outright rejected. There would be towns and people who would have no tolerance for Jesus and His followers.
It is interesting that Mark highlights this right after the section where Jesus was rejected by His own hometown.
When Jesus was rejected and when His disciples were rejected, they were not to stay but leave and move on to another place.
When the disciples entered a village and they and their message were rejected, they were to leave that village and shake the dust off their sandals. The Jews often did this when they were returning from a journey to a pagan land. Before they crossed back into Israel, they would shake the dust off their clothes and off their shoes. It represented a total disassociation from the pagans and the pollution of their land.
In this case, Jesus told His disciples to do this as a sign that those who rejected the Gospel would face a harsh judgment someday. In fact, their punishment would exceed the judgment that fell on ancient Sodom and Gomorrah. Why? All Sodom and Gomorrah had was the testimony of a wayward believer named Lot. These villages had the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ! They would face a harsh judgment for rejecting His offer of salvation.
The primary message of the disciples was a message of hope and salvation. However, those who rejected the offer of salvation the same message was one of judgment.
There is a Heaven to gain and Hell to shun. The only way into Heaven is through the Lord Jesus Christ,
John 14:6 (ESV)
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
The only way to avoid Hell is through the Lord Jesus Christ,
John 5:24 (ESV)
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
That is our testimony! It is a testimony of deliverance to those who receive it. It is a testimony of judgement to those who reject it!
The message that we preach is the same message they preached. We are all sinners and must repent. We are under God’s wrath and the only remedy is Jesus Christ. The results of rejecting the message of hope are also the same…Judgement and wrath.
4. The Message They Preached (6:12-13)
12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
In obedience to their Master, the twelve proclaimed the Gospel through Word and deed. They preached the Gospel that Jesus saves and called everyone to repent. They cast out demons and healed many who were afflicted. They were representing their Lord…They were an extension of Him.
When they came to a village, they brought healing and salvation. They were missionaries who preached the same message Jesus preached. They were given power by Jesus to do many of the things He did.
They preached that men should “repent”. That word means “to change one’s mind for better, heartily to amend with abhorrence of one’s past sins”. It refers to “a change of mind that leads to a change of action.” It can literally mean “be converted”. When genuine repentance takes place the change in a person’s life is radical and powerful!
Most of the time repentance is only preached in its negative sense. People are told that they need to stop doing certain things, and that is true. Repentance is far more that that!
Repentance has both a negative aspect and a positive aspect. Repentance looks backward, but it also looks forward. Repentance says, “I will stop doing the things I should not do and I will begin to do the things I should do. I will stop living a life of sin and I will start to live a life of holiness.” This takes place when the person begins to desire holiness more than their sin.
Repentance arises out of a heart that is sorry for the wrongs it is guilty of committing, 2 Cor. 7:10. That sorrow produces a desire to change the way the repenting sinner is living. That is genuine biblical repentance.
Have you repented? Is there a sin that God wants you to end and replace it with something positive?
We have seen how the disciples were sent out together two-by-two.
We saw that they were to exercise faith as they went and trust that God would meet their needs.
We learn that we too are to trust God in all things. He will meet all our needs.
We must have faith to follow Christ through good times and through difficult times.
Expect resistance in this life. Jesus was rejected. The disciples were rejected. We too will experience rejection. Jesus kept going, the disciples kept going, we too must keep going.
They preached the Gospel and called everyone to repent. We too must repent every day. We are also called to be His messengers and representatives in word and deed.
In light of the great probability of rejection, we may be tempted to do as many have today…sugar coat the hard things of God and to not give people the whole counsel of God but just the parts they will accept. We must declare the truth from the Bible some will reject that message and reject you as the messenger. Even more than this, they are rejecting the One who has sent you.
When you share the Gospel, share the Gospel not some other message that itching ears would love to hear.
Resources Used:
Mark 6:7-13 www.danielakin.com
Mark by William Lane
Mark by J C Ryle
Mark by R Kent Hughes
Words of grace
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