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Gospel: Mark 6: 7-13
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 from there.
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.
The Gospel of the Lord.
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Why does Jesus send his disciples out into the world without food, extra clothing, or money in their belts? Even if they had a big breakfast, they’d find themselves hungry and homeless by nightfall without the charity of others.
Certainly, there’s a lesson here on self-reliance. Although the disciples are empowered with the gift of the Spirit, enabling them to cast out demons and heal the sick, they cannot survive in this world alone.
Nor can any of us. As the old saying goes, “No man is an island.” We need the grace of charity and the warmth of friendship in life.
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But, more directly, Jesus is training his disciples in a Jewish tradition.
Before walking into the Temple to pray, it was customary for a person to part with their belongings. They’d leave their money, extra layers, and walking stick at the door, while shaking the dust from their feet.
Only then could a person enter the Temple to pray physically unburdened – and by extension, spiritually free.
After praising the Lord, people could gather their belongings and re-enter the world.
By sending his disciples out into the world with the bare essentials, Jesus is teaching them to see everything and everyone they meet as within the Temple.
The world, and we who inhabit it, are meant to be “holy,” set apart for God.
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Perhaps this is also what the Lord is asking of us – to remove the barriers we impose between the “holy” and the “unholy,” between God and the world.
Rather, treat everything and everyone we encounter as within the Temple, and thus belonging to God.
How might this change the way we treat others today?
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Image credits: (1) LIFE Runners (2) Pastor Chris Bass, WordPress (3) Crosswalk.com