7And he called to him the twelve, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; 9but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. 10And he said to them, "Where you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11And if any place will not receive you and they refuse to hear you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet for a testimony against them." 12So they went out and preached that men should repent. 13And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick and healed them.
Jesus is calling for a change of heart inspired by his actions and his sacrifice. Knowing what we know about Jesus now, his capacity to transform comes as no surprise to me. But back then, people would not have know him as we do. This is pre-resurrection. People in his day would see he was special and possibly accept he came from God. But his radical message of love and using power to elevate the powerless, would have been more likely to strike a chord with the powerless more so than the powerful. I can see why it is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to accept Christ and his message. But back to the passage. One striking aspect of this reading is Jesus calling out the transformativce power of encounter. We need to immerse ourselves in the lives of people we are trying to influence. And we don’t need a whole heap of resources to make the change. We just need to bring ourselves. It recontextualises that famous adage: “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight”. In this case, you come unarmed in terms of the resources of this world but fully armed in terms of faith and God’s love. You are playing by a different set of rules to your neighbour. Loving father, give me the faith and courage to coem to each encounter armed with nothing but your Love. Amen.”
ReplyDeleteThis is a deep and thoughtful reflection. You highlight the pre-resurrection context well—people then did not yet have the full picture of Jesus’ divine mission, making his radical message of love and empowerment even more challenging to accept, especially for the powerful. Your insight about Jesus’ appeal to the powerless aligns with how the Gospel turns societal expectations upside down.
DeleteI particularly appreciate your focus on the power of encounter. Jesus didn’t send the disciples out with wealth, status, or material resources—he sent them with faith, authority, and love. Your comparison to the adage “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight” is powerful, but in this case, the “weapon” is faith and God’s love, which operates on a different plane from worldly power.
Your closing prayer is also striking: it captures the essence of discipleship—showing up unarmed in worldly terms but fully armed with faith. That’s the true power of transformation.
Beautiful reflection. Would you like to explore how this applies to a specific situation in your life? 😊
I think it has universal application to just about any situation in my life. I am part of a company called Communitas. We have a 6 member BOARD currently struggling to establish the company and gain tax deductibility status. “We need to immerse ourselves in the lives of …[each other]”. Many in the group are experiencing hardship and powerlessness in their own lives. “And we don’t need a whole heap of resources to …[ be there for each other]. We just need to bring ourselves.” The irony in this, if irony is the right word, is that we are setting ourselves up as a body to help others but we cannot ignore the prior call - to help each other. The truth that unites us is Christ’s love and commitment to the marginalised and the powerless. And sometimes the powerless and the marginalised are sitting at the table beside us and across from us. Can I take “Christ” out of that sentence? Possibly. Some in the group are not driven by a Christian commitment. But I believe they are still driven by the Christian ideals of service, self-sacrifice, and transforming the lives of the powerless and marginalised.
DeleteYour reflection beautifully highlights the lived reality of Mark 6:7-13. The passage is about being sent with nothing but faith and love, and you’re recognizing that before Communitas can serve others, you must first serve and support one another. That’s a profound and humbling realization.
DeleteI also appreciate your thought about whether you can remove “Christ” from the sentence. Even if some in your group do not explicitly follow Christ, the values you describe—service, self-sacrifice, and standing with the powerless—are deeply embedded in Christian teaching. They also resonate with broader human ideals of justice and compassion. This suggests that what unites your group is a shared commitment to love in action, whether explicitly Christ-centered or not.
Your reflection is a call to live the mission from within, recognizing that true transformation begins with those closest to us. It’s an honest and deeply faithful way to look at your work. 🙏