Introduction
After months of intensive leadership training, it is finally time for the twelve apprentices to be sent out on their own mission trip. Remember, Jesus called these twelve guys for two reasons: first, so that they might be with Him and grow closer to him and second, so that He might send them out (Mark 3:14). It is no surprise to them that Jesus is sending them out. It is an exciting time, and yet the twelve are scared to death. How will they respond to the challenge? Where will Jesus send them? What will He say to them and what will happen? Check it out!
Reading [You can read as much as you can, depending on your availability]
Luke 9:1-6
(or)
Matthew 10:5-23
(or)
Mark 6:7-13
Meditating [Use these questions to start your thinking]
- Preparatory to this story is Matthew 9:35-38. What was happening in the heart of Jesus in those verses?
- As the twelve listened to Jesus instruct them, what do you think they were feeling? What questions did they probably have?
- What are Jesus’ instructions before he sends them out?
- What lessons do you think they learned from this mission trip?
- What other questions do you still have?
Sharing: Text ONE of your answers to the questions above to your team. Each team should post a sharing from a team member in the comments below.
I think that Jesus waited until the night before to tell His disciples, “In the morning, I will send you out on a trip. Come ready for the adventure of a lifetime! Get a good night’s rest, because you will need it.” I imagine they did not sleep much that night as their minds raced with questions about the coming adventure. As day breaks, they assemble around the fire and get a little breakfast. Jesus mingles among them and embraces each one. He notes what each one has brought for their journey. He quiets the twelve down and has them take a seat on the ground. A few last words of instruction and they will be ready to go. This was the culmination of His promise to them that He would send them out (Mark 3:14). I am sure some thought they were ready and others were scared and very unsure of what was about to happen. What did he tell them before sending them off?
“First,” Jesus said, “drop everything you packed for the journey on the ground in front of you. You won’t need it! Take nothing! You won’t need that staff, Peter, and you can leave that bag, John. James, that loaf of bread in your pocket can stay behind. And Matthew, you will not need any of your money. No extra tunics, Andrew. Just leave everything here. I will be praying for you. You will go out like sheep among the wolves, but you will see great things!”
Why would Jesus send them out without the minimal creature comforts? What could He possibly be wanting to teach these leaders?
I believe He wanted to teach them dependency on the Father. He sent them out just like the Father had sent Him into the world, in complete dependence on God for everything that they would need. This was a crucial time in the movement. Would they depend on the Father? Not just for their physical needs, but even for the words that would come out of their mouths? He instructed them: “‘… do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matt. 10:19-20). Wow! This experience is to teach them to fully depend on the Father. Jesus so wanted them to understand that if they would only have faith in the Father, He would provide everything they needed. Remember the expectations He gave them months before in Luke 6:20-22? He said you are blessed when you are poor, hungry, weeping and people are speaking evil of you. Each of the things they leave behind corresponds to something from Luke 6.
Jesus then gives them instructions about how they are to enter the cities and villages and where exactly they are supposed to go. This is a mission trip to the lost sheep of Israel (Matt. 10:5-6). This mission trip is to be within their own country, to people who look like them and speak their own language. It is their first step — to take the gospel to their own people. The transcultural trips are coming, but for now the focus is on Israeli settlements and Jewish people. Jesus gives many more instructions on what house to enter, what exactly to say, how long to stay and when to move on. He even instructs them as to how to respond when persecuted for the message. It is like a training manual about how to do short-term missions within your own culture. This experience is meant to teach these young leaders complete dependence on the Father.
Finally, Jesus pairs them up and sends them out. I wonder how Jesus paired them up? Who went with whom? Did Peter draw Matthew? That would have been some trip. I can only imagine the emotions that filled that place as pair by pair set off in different directions. Six pairs of two on the adventure of a lifetime, taking the Good News of the Kingdom to lost Jewish people. I imagine that Jesus called each pair forward and gave them specific instructions as to where to go, when to return and then prayed over each one. Jesus left without the twelve guys He had invested in as leaders for the last months. What will Jesus do as they are away for the next several weeks?
Have you ever been on a short-term mission trip within your own country? If not, I would highly encourage it. It would change our lives and the lives of our own disciples. Now you have the instruction manual for this kind of experience. Why not plan one with some of your disciples? It doesn’t have to be some huge, expensive thing. It is simple — just go out with the gospel and nothing else. You will be trusting God to provide for everything you will need. You do not need to raise money before or during the trip. Remember, it is a trip in your own area, with people who speak your language and has your same customs. I can guarantee one thing if you take on this challenge: it will be an adventure. I imagine for most of you this will scare the life out of you as it did for most of the disciples. Pray about it and chat with your disciples as you look at this passage together. Then take a risk and set a date.
“As the twelve listened to Jesus instruct them, what do you think they were feeling? What questions did they probably have?”
The question they probably had was “What if I’m not ready?”. The 12 disciples must have been scared and worried to go out alone. Especially because Jesus instructed them to bring nothing. I think they had feelings of doubt about their own capabilities and “what ifs” about being able to live up to what Jesus was doing. They probably felt like they needed more training before being sent out. After all, they were ordinary men who were chosen. But in this situation, it’s clear that God is showing the disciples how to rely on His guidance and provision.
Here’s the disciples big moment of being sent out. Jesus gave them power and authority to heal and cast out demons. They must have been excited and terrified at the same time for this big mission! Ironically, they didn’t need to bring any food, money, supplies, or extra clothes. What a freeing yet scary feeling. Jesus wanted them to see they have what they needed. He wanted them to utterly trust and rely on Him. Similarly, He reminds us to do the same when it comes to ministry and serving Him. He wants us to trust and depend on Him. We tend to focus on the supplies, money, and food; rather we need to focus on the people.
I feel like if I were the disciples and if Christ told me to not bring anything I would definitely feel anxious. I like being prepared for big journeys or then doing things so the fact Christ told them to just go is crazy to me. The whole idea of parallel is something that was brought up to my boys I coach. We recently talked about how in all the gospels the account of Christ rising from the dead and the tomb being empty is in all of the books but they all start of differently but the main thing was that Christ rose and the tomb was empty. So the main thing here was that disciples were told the exact same thing when being sent out
I always like reading about Jesus’ humanity and what he’s feeling. In V.36 I think its clear that Jesus feels compassion and is moved to help the people in the crowd.
Another thing I realize is that the harvest is plentiful, all we need to do is pray for laborers. I’m sure the disciples felt something similar.