MARK 6:7-13
JOHN WESLEY WAS ORDAINED A PRIEST IN
THE CHURCH IN ENGLAND. HE WAS THE RECTOR OF A CHURCH, AND LOOKED
FORWARD TO A NICE MIDDLE-CLASS LIFE, SEEING TO THE SACRAMENTAL NEEDS
OF HIS FLOCK, PREACHING A SERMON ON SUNDAY, DOING SOME COUNSELING AND
TEACHING, AND BEING SUPPORTED BY A GOVERNMENT SALARY, BECAUSE HIS
CHURCH WAS THE OFFICIAL CHURCH. BUT AS TIME WENT ON, WESLEY SAW THAT
HIS FLOCK WAS JUST GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS. THE MESSAGE OF JESUS
HAD NOT PENETRATED VERY FAR OR VERY DEEPLY. HE BEGAN ORGANIZING
SMALL GROUPS WHO STUDIED THE SCRIPTURES AND CONSCIOUSLY TRIED TO
CHANGE THEIR CHARACTER; TO BE MORE GENEROUS, TO BE LESS SELFISH, TO
CARE LESS ABOUT THEIR PLACE IN SOCIETY, TO LIVE THE BEATITUDES. THE
WAY THEY WENT ABOUT THIS WAS LIKE FOLLOWING A RECIPE, AND BECAUSE OF
THIS THEY WERE CALLED “METHODISTS”. THE MOVEMENT MADE SOME
HEADWAY IN ENGLAND, BUT NOT A LOT; IT WAS STILL A LOT EASIER BEING A
MEMBER OF THE OFFICIAL CHURCH, WHICH LOOKED WITH SUSPICION ON THE
METHODISTS, BECAUSE THEY SEEMED ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING AWAY AND
BECOMING LIKE THE OTHER ALTERNATIVE CHURCHES – BAPTISTS, QUAKERS,
THE SO CALLED “PURITANS” WHO FOLLOWED JOHN KNOX. BUT WESLEY FELT
CALLED TO GO TO AMERICA, WHERE HE BROUGHT THE MOVEMENT. WESLEY'S
CHURCH OF ENGLAND, LIKE WE CATHOLICS, BELIEVED THAT ONLY A BISHOP
COULD ORDAIN A PRIEST, AND WESLEY COULD NOT GET ENOUGH CLERGYMEN TO
JOIN HIM, SO HE BEGAN TAKING ANYONE WHO WAS FAMILIAR WITH SCRIPTURE
AND UNDERSTOOD HIS METHOD OF BECOMING HOLY. AND THESE HE SENT OUT TO
SPREAD THE MESSAGE. WHEN THE PRESBYTERIANS AND LUTHERANS SENT
MISSIONARIES TO THIS COUNTRY, THEY TRAVELED WITH THEIR PERSONAL
LIBRARIES, SO COULD ONLY GO WHERE THE RAILROAD TOOK THEM. AND
USUALLY THEY WOULD DISCOVER THAT A METHODIST CIRCUIT RIDER HAD
ALREADY BEEN THERE AND WAS HOLDING SIMPLE SUNDAY SERVICES IN A SMALL
CHURCH. EVENTUALLY THE METHODISTS FORMED THEIR OWN DENOMINATION, AND
FOR A TIME IT WAS THE LARGEST IN OUR COUNTRY, A PHENOMENON WHICH WAS
ENTIRELY ATTRIBUTABLE TO POORLY EDUCATED MEN WITH A BIBLES, HORSES,
AND A LOT OF ENTHUSIASM.
JESUS GIVES HIS DISCIPLES RATHER
PECULIAR INSTRUCTIONS. THEY CAN TAKE A WALKING STAFF AND SANDALS,
BUT THEY CAN'T TAKE FOOD OR MONEY OR EXTRA UNDERWEAR, OR EVEN A
SUITCASE. IN OTHER WORDS, HE ALLOWS THEM WHAT THEY NEED TO TRAVEL –
A WALKING STICK AND SANDALS – BUT DOES NOT PERMIT THEM TO TAKE
ALONG WHAT WE WOULD CONSIDER NECESSITIES OF LIFE. INSTEAD, THEY ARE
TO BE COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON THE PEOPLE THEY MEET IN THEIR TRAVELS.
AND OF COURSE THE DISCIPLES HAVEN'T BEEN WITH JESUS THAT LONG. THEY
HAVEN'T GOTTEN THEIR CERTIFICATES, THEY HAVEN'T BEEN AWARDED THEIR
DIPLOMAS. I SUSPECT VERY FEW OF US WOULD ACCEPT THESE CONDITIONS. I
WOULD AT LEAST WANT TO TAKE MY CREDIT CARD, MY DRIVER'S LICENSE, A
FEW EXTRA SOCKS … THE LIST GOES ON. AND JOAN WOULD NEVER BE
WITHOUT HER PURSE, WHICH I CAN BARELY LIFT. RECENTLY WE TRAVELED TO
OCEAN CITY FOR A FAMILY REUNION. JOAN AND I DROVE OUR MINIVAN, WHICH
WAS LOADED TO THE HILT WITH STUFF.
IN FACT, YOU MIGHT TRY THIS LITTLE
EXERCISE. WHAT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR YOU TO EMBARK ON A
MISSION FOR JESUS? BECAUSE IF YOU ARE VERY HONEST WITH YOURSELF, YOU
MIGHT LEARN WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU.
SO WHY THESE INSTRUCTIONS? I THINK
THE ANSWER LIES IN THE NEXT FEW PHRASES. THEY ARE TO PREACH
REPENTANCE – THAT IS, THE NECESSITY TO CHANGE HOW ONE THINKS,
BECAUSE THE GREEK WORD FOR REPENTANCE DOES NOT MEAN BEING SORRY FOR
SINS, IT ACTUALLY MEANS GETTING OUT OF YOUR MIND. AND IF PEOPLE
DON'T LISTEN, SHAKE THE DUST FROM YOUR SANDALS. BECAUSE THAT WAS THE
CUSTOM WHEN JEWS CAME TO THE CITY OF JERUSALEM; THEY DID NOT WANT TO
TAKE EVEN THE SOIL FROM THE OUTSIDE WORLD INTO THE HOLIEST PLACE ON
EARTH. IF PEOPLE WOULDN'T LISTEN, THEN THEY WERE NOT IN THE KINGDOM
OF HEAVEN, AND NO MORE TIME SHOULD BE WASTED ON THEM.
AND IT SAYS THAT THE DISCIPLES HEALED
PEOPLE, DROVE OUT DEMONS, WORKED MANY MIRACLES. THE CONDITIONS JESUS
GAVE THEM WERE NECESSARY FOR WORKING MIRACLES, BECAUSE THE HOLY
SPIRIT GIVES YOU THE POWER OF JESUS TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU LET GO OF
WHAT YOU FEEL ARE YOUR NECESSITIES.
AS I TURN MY ATTENTION TO GUARDING MY
BELONGINGS, MY RELATIONSHIPS, MY CAREER, AM I LESS ABLE TO REACH OUT
IN KINDNESS TO ANOTHER? FOR ME THE ANSWER IS YES. BECAUSE I CAN'T
DO ANYTHING FOR ANYONE ELSE WHEN I AM NOT LIVING IN THE PRESENT.
AS I CAREFULLY PLAN FOR EVERY
EVENTUALITY, AS I COUNT MY PENNIES AND CONSULT SCHEDULES AND TRY TO
LIMIT UNCERTAINTY AS MUCH AS I CAN, AM I ISOLATING MYSELF FROM THE
SURPRISES GOD HAS IN STORE FOR ME?
AS I STRUGGLE TO ACCUMULATE ALL THAT I
WANT AND ALL THAT I NEED, AM I CLOSING MYSELF OFF FROM THE GIFTS THAT
COME TO ME IN NATURE, AND THROUGH MY FELLOW MAN?
A FINAL POINT OF THIS PASSAGE IS ITS
URGENCY. JESUS DID NOT SAY “FORM A COMMITTEE TO COME UP WITH A
PLAN TO DEVELOP A TASK FORCE TO IMPLEMENT A PROGRAM TO MAKE THE NEXT
DECADE THE “DECADE OF SPREADING THE GOSPEL”. AND THERE ARE
PEOPLE YOU KNOW, PEOPLE AMONG YOUR ACQUAINTANCES, YES, BUT ALSO AMONG
YOUR LOVED ONES, WHOSE SALVATION MIGHT HINGE ON WHETHER YOU
PERSONALLY ANNOUNCE THE GOSPEL TO THEM. AND THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME.
SO THE WAY JESUS SENT OUT HIS
DISCIPLES – UNPREPARED, VULNERABLE, COMPLETELY DEPENDENT ON THE
KINDNESS OF STRANGERS – BEGINS TO MAKE MORE SENSE WHEN WE SEE IT IN
RELATION TO JESUS' OWN PRIORITIES. THE LESS WE DEPEND ON OURSELVES,
THE MORE WE DEPEND ON GOD. THE EMPTIER WE ARE, THE MORE THE HOLY
SPIRIT CAN FILL US UP. AND THE MORE URGENT WE SEE OUR MISSION, THE
MORE WE ARE LIKE JESUS HIMSELF, WHICH IS THE GOAL OF BEING A
CHRISTIAN.
