A Mission for Others

Today we hear Jesus sending the twelve disciples out to proclaim the good news by word and deed. He had given them “authority over unclean spirits to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness.”  To the modern eye with our scientific understanding of medicine and a knowledge of mental illness this ability given to the disciples looks suspicious. Even today we are leery of faith-healers. To the world of Jesus it would not have felt out of place. It was assumed that certain people could cast out demons and cure the sick. There were many accounts of such people. This authority then, is not the central issue of this account of Jesus. The main point would be the proclamation, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” The authority given to the disciples was to help others see the kingdom of God. 

If you continued reading in the Gospel of Matthew you would note that he does not report the result of the sending of the disciples. Was it an abject failure? Did Matthew not know? Did he know but exclude it? If you remember that this is gospel and not a history book you would see that Matthew, as all the gospel writers, wrote to a community of believers. A community who were also called to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.” And they were being persecuted and dragged before synagogues, kings, and governors. For Matthew, the results of that first mission were unimportant. In some way they – Matthew’s community – were a product of that mission. What is important now is the mission at hand, one that is difficult but can be done. Matthew’s message is that the mission is hard but, if the disciples were able to do it, they could too.

Which now brings up the obvious question. Does the mission still go on? Who is called to it? You already know the answer. We are the ones who are called to carry on the mission. We are the ones given the authority – our gifts – to share so that we can declare that the kingdom of heaven has come near. We know this and, I hope, have been proclaiming it by our whole lives. We must also admit that it is much easier for us than it was for those early followers of Jesus. So why do it? We are saved anyway, are we not? Would Jesus remove our baptism if we do not proclaim his word? The reason is in our text today. Jesus sent the first disciples out because he had compassion for the people. The Greek root for the word Matthew uses here is σπλάγχνον. The literal meaning of this word is the inner parts of the body. It is used that way in Acts 1:18. In most of the New Testament it is used for compassion or pity and most often when God or Jesus is the one showing compassion. Jesus does use it in three parables – Matthew 18:27, Luke 10:33, and Luke 15:20. It is that feeling when you see the situation of another, or their mistreatment and it “turns your gut.” That is why we answer Jesus’ call to mission; we see how others are mistreated, suffer, and struggle and we know that it is wrong – our guts tell us. Knowing that we have been given the authority, we then answer the call and bring Jesus and his love and care to those in need.

Come to think of it. It is just as hard for us to answer Jesus’ call as it was the disciples. While we are not persecuted for it, we have other distractions and issues that get in the way. Let us pray that we never cease hearing Jesus’ call to proclaim the kingdom and that we are able to answer that call despite our reluctance and fear.