Mark 6:7-13 NRSVue
7He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8He ordered 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 to put on two tunics. 10He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. 11If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. 13They cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
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Reflection on Mark 6:7-13
Inspiration from 2025-02-06 Daily Prayer
The apostles and disciples of Jesus were on a training course and did not realise it. Jesus knew that he would be in need of them if his Father’s kingdom was to spread. Today, our God asks each of us to be his hands, his feet, and his voice to bring the message of the Gospel to others by the witness of our Christian lives. May we not disappoint him.
Jesus has promised to be with us always and works through us for the good of others. Our acts of kindness and even a smile can bring comfort and healing to those in need.
Further reflection
Lord, you warned the twelve against carrying anything they did not need. They were to be counter-witnesses to possessiveness, retail therapy, and the consumerism to which advertisements propel us. The more we have, the less we are. The greatest treasure which the twelve carried with them was the good news of Jesus.
The message of the Lord is to travel light in the journey of life. Wealth, desire for recognition and personal pride can stunt our desire for God and our freedom to love and to do good. We are just passing through our world for a short time; Jesus advises us to make the most of it for ourselves and for others.
Jesus sent his disciples to preach his kingdom with little other than their dependency on him and on God. They were always pilgrims, with the sandals of the wanderer. Following Jesus means becoming a bit of a wanderer, both interiorly and, perhaps, externally. In our relationship with him and in our knowledge of him we are never grounded and stuck but are always on the move into new love and new knowledge. This is his gift to us, not just our achievement.
The power over unclean spirits that the Twelve are given is an extension of Jesus' own power. The austere working conditions that Jesus lays down are meant to signify that the Twelve are to trust in God and not on worldly possessions if their mission is to be successful. Mark's Christians probably had come to expect such austerity in their own missionaries as well.
What might it be that holds me back from 'travelling lightly.' austerity in their own missionaries as well.