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 chapter 22.
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.
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
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.
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
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
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?