The Message, July 7, 2024: "He Sends Us," Mark 6:1-13

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
July 10, 2024

 

“He Sends Us”
A Message by Rev. Scott. W. Cousineau
Mark 6:1-13

            Over the course of the last several weeks, we have spent a good bit of time in Mark’s Gospel. His Gospel record is action-packed. His is the shortest of the gospel records, so he offers us the most concise telling of the ministry of Jesus. We have not explored Mark’s Gospel chapter and verse, but we have captured the essence of the timeline.

            After calling the first four fishermen to follow him, Jesus got to work. The first stage of Jesus’ ministry as recorded by Mark was a ministry of healing. He healed the man with the unclean spirit, Peter’s mother-in-law, the leper, the man with paralysis, and the man with the withered hand. To name just a few.

            Then Jesus called the rest of the twelve disciples, and after doing so began his teaching tour, teaching with parables. You may recall that publicly he only taught in parables: the Parable of the Sower, the Parable of the Hidden Lamp, the Parable of the Growing Seed and the Parable of the Mustard Seed. That second stage concluded with Jesus calming the storm as they crossed over to the other side of the “lake” … the Sea of Galilee.

            I share this summary to provide the context for this morning’s passage. This pericope … selection of scripture … really is two stories in one.

            As we heard, Jesus arrived back in his hometown. If we imagine the scene in our minds, we might imagine that Jesus was excited to be back in his old stomping ground. Perhaps he was showing the disciples around the village. “Here is the first house that my dad and I worked on. That is the meadow where I used to pick flowers for my mother. There are Ben and Isaac, my best friends growing up.”

            Then, when the Sabbath came, they made their way into the synagogue and Jesus began teaching. Initially, the people were amazed. He spoke with power and authority. No doubt the stories of his ministry … the healings and the teachings and the calming of the storm had made their way to them. Word travels fast even without the world wide web.

            But the voices in the crowd moved from amazement to grumbling. “Wait a minute. Is that not Mary’s son, the tekton … the laborer?! He is way out of line! He is speaking above his station!” And they took offense with him.

            Literally, the word for offense means that they ‘stumbled,’ ‘they fell afoul of him.’ They rejected him.

            Jesus was not an “educated” man in their eyes or in their minds. He was a lower-class citizen, a laborer. In the honor and shame culture of the day, an individual speaking above their status or their role would result in resentment from the villagers. Jesus had no place speaking … teaching … at the synagogue. Who did he think that he was?!

            Think about it. Have you ever tuned out because of the person that was speaking at the moment? It could have been the co-worker or the boss that drove you crazy. It could have been the political candidate that you detest. It could be happening right now during this sermon. It happens all the time. Change the channel … delete the email … scroll to the next video … because we struggle with the person in front of us.

            The people in Nazareth did not necessarily reject Jesus’ message that day. They rejected Jesus himself.

            So, when we read that Jesus could do no acts of power while he was there, we can understand what may have been happening. Jesus did not lose his power. The atmosphere was not correct. The people were not receptive. Despite the power that he possessed, someone that does not want to be healed will not be healed.
            Someone who is unwilling to listen will not be taught.
            Someone unwilling to bend will not compromise.
            If people gather to hate, they will hate.

            The people who knew Jesus the best had already rejected Jesus. In that village at that time, the line of people seeking to be healed by Jesus was likely very short. And Jesus was amazed, or dumbfounded, by their lack of faith. Most likely he was also deeply saddened. He wanted them to enjoy the best possible life, life in God’s Kingdom, but they just did not listen.

            Now, we do not know how much time passed between verses six and seven in this passage. But we do learn from Mark that Jesus continued teaching in the towns and villages. He had to. Time was of the essence. There was no time to waste. It was time to spread out. Jesus could cover more ground if they split up. So, he sent them out.

            Jesus sent the disciples out with nothing more than the sandals on their feet and the tunics on their backs. He sent them out with the bare minimum. No coin satchel, no extra cloak.

            Now, I do not know about you, but when Renee and I travel we take more than a pair of sandals and a tunic. Last weekend we were away for two days, and we had five bags between us … a bag for shoes, a garment bag for her dress and my suit, a couple of toiletry bags, and two bags for the random stuff that did not go in any of the other three bags! Imagine if I had shown up to officiate the wedding wearing a tunic and sandals! And even with all of that … with those five bags, we said, “Well, if we need anything we can always run out to the store.”

            Jesus sent the disciples out with less than what they needed. They did not have a cloak to wrap themselves in when it got cold at night. They did not have a satchel of coins to run out to the store if they needed anything. Jesus sent them out with nothing but faith and trust that God would take care of them. Jesus sent them out knowing that they would need to depend upon the kindness and hospitality of strangers.

            Jesus also knew that in ancient Palestine travelers did not have to search for hospitality. It was actually incumbent upon the town or village to extend it to the traveler. They had to offer them dinner. They had to offer them overnight accommodations. In fact, they were required to invite them three times. Failure to do so brought shame upon them.

            Jesus knew that the disciples would be cared for by the culture and customs of the day. Even more, what better way to make connections than to share meals together. Traveling light, as they were, would enable the disciples to connect with the people to whom they were sharing the message of God’s Kingdom.

            And there was yet another piece to their mission. Thus far, the disciples had traveled with Jesus. They watched him, listened to him, and learned from him. But even so, they still struggled to understand who Jesus was. What better way for them to learn than to be sent forth to do what Jesus did. It was time for experiential learning, they would learn by doing.

            He sent them out. That may have come as a surprise to some of them. “What? You want ME to do that?! I am not ready for that! How about if I spend a few more months watching you, Jesus? Then I can go out on my own.”

            “No, brother. You can go now. Have faith. God is with you. I am with you.”

            And they went. They went forth and preached. They went forth and told people to turn their lives toward God. They went forth and healed the sick and anointed with oil. Jesus sent them … just as they were … and they went.

            And now we have arrived at the “so what” portion of the message. What does this passage say to us? What do these stories have to do with our lives today?

            I am glad that you asked.

            These are both stories for US. They are not stories that are directed to people long, long ago in a far-off country. They are for us.

            We are Jesus’ family. We are his village now. We are the sheep of his flock. If Jesus asks us that same question that he asked Peter, “Do you love me?” and we answer as Peter did, “Yes, Jesus, of course we love you,” then we have to live as if we do. If we say we love Jesus, then we have to place him at the center of our lives. We have to be willing to follow his Way. Saying that we love Jesus means that we are more than just buddies who pal around with him when we are kids who then reject him when we get older. Saying that we love Jesus means that we put aside our need or desire to be “right” or in control, and we allow Jesus to instruct us, and to lead us.

            And then saying that we love Jesus means that when he calls us to go forth to love and serve our neighbors, we go whether we think that we are ready, or not. When Jesus sends us, we do not look around and say, “Surely not me. He must be talking about someone else. He must be sending someone else.”

            He sends me and he sends you. He sends us … just as we are. We are God’s Beloved. We are loved by God and blessed by God. Jesus sends us to bless. Jesus sends us to love.

            Jesus sends us. Let us go forth to love. Amen.

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