Gospel: Mark 6:7-13
How many of us, when preparing
for a journey, spend many hours packing suitcases, making sure our finances are
in order, arranging transportation, hotels, planning activities, and many other
tasks- before we even step out the door?
Often in our preparations, we pack too much for the journey, wanting to
be prepared for all possible situations. And often, we find that the items we
packed “Just in case” were not necessary- they only cause us more trouble,
because we must lug them around with us until we return home.
Now imagine if you were told to
go on a journey, and were told to leave immediately, taking nothing with you.
How would you feel then? anxious? Scared? Afraid?
The disciples in today’s Gospel
must have felt some of these feelings when they heard the instructions of Jesus
telling them how they were to go out and preach the Gospel to the villages and
towns. It seems strange to us that Jesus would tell his disciples to go out to
preach without basic necessities, and basic means of providing for their own
survival. Jesus, however, knew what he was doing.
By commanding the disciples to
bring no food, money, or extra clothing, Jesus is telling the disciples that
their own personal needs are to take second place to the proclamation of the
Kingdom of God. He does not want them to be worried about where they are going
to buy lunch, or whether they have enough money to pay the innkeeper- rather
Jesus wants their sole focus to be on proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom,
trusting that if they faithfully proclaim the message, God will take care of
everything else. Jesus doesn’t want “extra
baggage” to get in the way of proclaiming the Gospel. In fact, the faithfulness
of the disciples to these instructions will begin to make the reality of the
Kingdom of God manifest.
Too often, our “extra baggage”
weighs us down, and keeps us from authentically proclaiming the Gospel Message
through word and deed. Jesus’ instructions to the disciples challenge us to
examine our own lives, and ask “What can I leave behind so that I am better
able to make the Gospel known through my life? Do I truly trust that God will
take care of me?” Learning to leave aside our extra baggage will help us to
focus on our own needs less and less, and increasingly focus on the needs of
others. It will help us to build relationships, and better communities. It will
make us authentic witnesses to the Gospel. and in the end, we too, will make
the Kingdom of God manifest.
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