Mark 6:7 And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;
8 And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse:
9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats.
10 And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place.
11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
12 And they went out, and preached that men should repent.
13 And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.
The disciples faced some very intense training for three and a half years. They followed Jesus wherever He went. They heard His teaching and they were also given in-depth training separate from what the multitudes received. The disciple of the Lord needs to spend quality time in the Word of God in order to be able to live the Christian life. The challenges of life are great. The devil will look for every opportunity to get the true child of God to fall. In our time, the devil is quite successful playing with “pseudo Christians” that make a mockery of true Christianity. Those who are truly born again need to be fed the truth and their souls will desire that. A true church will be involved in intense training that will feed the soul of the saved and be used of the Holy Spirit to convict the lost and wayward.
In our text, Jesus sent the disciples out in groups of two to begin their ministry that they would continue after His ascension. Sending them out by two was for their safety and for support. Going out on visitation is better by two in that the one person can be quietly praying while the other one is talking to the person. It is also a good thing to have a second person as a witness to what is being said and also for protection in case there is a person of the opposite gender at the door. Moral purity is important for the true child of God.
The disciples were given power over unclean spirits. We find that Jesus often encountered someone with an unclean spirit. We have noted that the unclean spirits are still around in our time. We also need to remember that the disciples needed some way to give authenticity to their work as they were going to the different cities and towns. We must keep in mind that the disciples were living in a transition time. Jesus Christ is the Only Saviour of mankind. He would finish the Old Testament system and establish the local church. The Scriptures were not yet complete and they were not in print form where everyone had access to them. There had also been about four hundred years of false teaching by the Pharisees and their friends. The people needed to know who was teaching the truth. Jesus gave the disciples the power to demonstrate they were speaking the truth.
We do not need signs and wonders today to authenticate our message. You can take your Bible and you can examine what I am writing. If you are a true child of God, He will guide you to know if I am telling you the truth. The “signs and wonders” crowd of our time is the deceived crowd. Most are lost. A few are deceived and will come away from that deception. God does not want His children wallowing in the mud.
We see from this passage that the main purpose of the disciples’ ministry was to preach and teach the people. The greatest need of man is to hear the Word of God.
The disciples were to travel light. They were to trust in God to open a way for them as they would travel. They were not going on a sight seeing trip. They were going out as evangelists. Those who lived in a certain area needed to demonstrate their appreciation for being taught the Word of God. God would guide different people to support these men as they travelled.
This was not an opportunity for the disciples to get rich. It was an opportunity for them to learn to trust in the Lord to supply their physical needs as they went out to supply the spiritual needs for the people.
In verse 10 they were commanded to appreciate any hospitality shown to them. They were not going out to take advantage of people. They had an important work to do and if someone would welcome them into their home, they were to be content to remain there until they were finished ministering to the spiritual needs of that community. They needed to trust in the Lord to guide them in their ministry.
It was true then and it is true now that doing the work of the Lord requires the gifts of God’s people. Doing the work of the Lord is an important work. Those who serve the Lord faithfully may not have much of this world’s goods, but God will supply their needs. Sometimes the evangelist will need to do some “tent making” work, but God will provide. Those who are willing to help cover the material needs of the evangelist will be rewarded by God for their faithfulness.
In verse 11 we see that the disciples were also to warn those who would not receive them. The Word of God is important. All people should welcome the truth, but many have no time for it. In our text, Jesus and the disciples spent their time in the land of Israel. Jesus’ commission after His resurrection was to go into all the world. God calls some to stay in their home country and others are sent abroad. Those who are called to this important work need to know where God wants them and then they need to press on to do what God has called them to do.
In our world, I am told that some countries will not allow an evangelist in unless they can prove they have support from their home country. That is a restriction that does not speak well of the receiving country. Many people do not see the value of the Word of God.
Jesus told the disciples to shake off the dust of their feet against any city that would not receive them. He told them it would be worse for that city than for Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment. We know that Sodom and Gomorrha were destroyed due to their sodomy. Some false teachers have twisted what happened there and they claim that those cities were judged because they were inhospitable. They were judged for their vile nature.
We read that the disciples were willing to go out and preach that men should repent. That is the greatest need of mankind. Without repentance there is no salvation. A person that does not want to turn to God and leave their sinful lifestyle behind them cannot be saved. God’s gift of salvation is not an “add-on” to a person’s life. It is a life changing gift. Those who receive that gift will never be sorry they chose that path. There are many who think they have negotiated a deal with God and they think they can keep their sinful lifestyle and still be saved. They will be shocked when they find out that is not true. It is better if they find that out now, rather than after they die.
In verse 13 we read that the disciples cast out many devils. They did not do that for entertainment. They genuinely set people free from being possessed of devils. That was different than what the frauds do today. They also anointed many sick with oil and healed them.
James 5 tells us that this is still a ministry that the elders in a local church have the privilege of fulfilling. We have stated before that the Lord can still heal people today. He does not always do so. He has His purposes in what He does. It is important to know Him and be prepared to accept His will for our lives.
The local church is still an important part of God’s ministry to our world. It is through the local church that the work of God is to be conducted. Evangelists are sent out from the local church. The saints are strengthened as they join a true local church and serve through that venue. The lost have opportunity to visit a true local church and hear the Gospel of Christ preached. They can interact with Christians and see how they behave and see their joy in the Lord. God’s work is important and it must be done God’s way.
Pastor Bartel
