Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Gospel Trivia:
The message of this gospel account is two fold:
- our mission is the continuation of Jesus' mission;
- material and physical needs are subordinate to this mission.
The mission is to spread the Kingdom of God. Click here for more on what is the Kingdom of God.
Note the following "trivia":
- "no money in their belts" - people carried money in either a pouch or money belts, with the former containing larger sums. Money in their belts are usually smaller change.
- when they are welcomed, Jesus advises that they "stay there until you leave" - the disciples are instructed to stay in the first house that welcomes them instead of looking around for better accommodations.
It should also be noted that:
- traveling missionaries were the only means of spreading news and ideas at that time; there were no mass or digital media;
- the mission assigned by Jesus entails both preaching and doing good works;
- the disciple should be prepared to be welcomed and rejected.
We are all missionaries. We carry out Jesus' mission in our home, workplace and community. And we should be prepared when others cooperate with us, or reject our ideas and principles.
Reference:
*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 51-52.
- Raymond E. Brown et al (eds), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990), page 608
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