He Sent Them Out
And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. (Mark 6:7)
From the early days of Christ’s public ministry he revealed that the work he came to do was missionary in nature. He sent out his apostles — before the crucifixion, before the resurrection, and before the coming of the Spirit upon the church in Acts 2. Certainly there were some limitations to their mission at this stage of his public ministry. They could not declare the atoning death and glorious resurrection of Christ. They were not yet clothed with power from on high as they would be from Pentecost onward (Luke 24:49). But they could do something.
He sent them out in fellowship. He did not send them as lone individuals. He teamed them up with others — two by two. This does not mean that he will never command one believer to do something by himself — for the Spirit sent Philip alone to the Ethiopian Eunuch (Acts 8:26) — but it does stress the importance of supportive relationships in ministry. “To are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!” (Eccl. 4:9–10).
As teams they supported one another in work, in prayer, and in times of rest and reflection. It has been the general rule of Christian missions ever since to send people out in teams — two-by-two, or even more if the situation calls for it.
He sent them out in efficiency. Though they went out two-by-two, we also recognize the efficiency of the mission. He spread them around that they might cover more territory. He divided the twelve into six teams and then he himself made the seventh. And, again, a principle is revealed here that has served Christian work well through the centuries — to be wise in our deployment of personnel and our use of resources. Not to spread them so thin that they do not good, but neither to lump them all in one place.
They did not take provisions, rather they were dependent on receiving their supplies for life from the people who received them. Later on this was overturned as a strict principle (see Luke 22:35–38), and in the modern world a missionary must often show his financial support before he is allowed into a nation, but still the matter teaches us an important point. The missionary will always find on the mission field some means provided by God to meet essential material life needs, whether it is friendship, financial support, job opportunities, prayer support, or information. There are always needs and provisions that we cannot anticipate, which God provides for us.
He sent them out in power. There was a special dispensation given to them, to go out and preach, heal, and exorcise demons. When they found reception they were to “stay there until you leave that town” (6:10). Response to their message and mission was to be nurtured with relationship. The one who received blessings was to support the work through housing the apostles. Through remaining in one house, they deepened the work in those lives. The work of world evangelization is in some places planted “a mile wide and an inch deep,” meaning that there is no quality discipleship taking place. But from the beginning Christ sent his disciples out to form meaningful personal relationships with those who received them, and who received their Lord who sent them.
When a town did not receive them, then they were to shake the dust off their feet and move onto the next. The command is not given to create some form of ritual, rather it is given to teach the disciples to look for response and to place their emphasis there. It is a mistaken approach to missions, to look and find a fine city, or attractive setting, and a handsome people, and then to try to convert them. In the process of trying to convert a people and culture that rejects Christ, many missionaries have been seduced to the comfortable and godless lifestyle themselves. I do not say that they have lost their salvation, but they have missed the God-ordained target of their mission. Neither does this mean that we should have no witness in hard and cold lands, but it does mean that we must be where God is moving, working where people are responding, and not letting the dust of unbelief stick to our clothes, bodies, and hearts.
He sent them out with purpose. They found that people responded to their witness. They preached that people should repent — that they should turn away from sin and turn to faith in God. They had power to “cast out” or to “drive out” demons — the emphasis was not only to expel them from individuals, but to deprive them of power, and to drive them out of the land itself. The exorcising of demons was connected to the preaching repentance. Demons find little work to do in the hearts of those who genuinely repent and believe. They are deprived of means and power to further ruin and enslave a life. And, we learn from Luke 11:24–26, that driving out a demon is never enough by itself. Unless there is a substantial change in that life, the demon will simply return, perhaps with more demons along with him.
And they anointed with oil and healed. Only here and in James 5:14 is this referred to. The word used in both passages for “anoint” is not chrio which has a religious and spiritual context, but aleipho which means a physical application of oil. Olive oil was used in those days as a medical ointment, so scholars are divided as to whether these two passages are instructive for a certain ritual or merely describing the use of a medicinal salve. You may take your own choice, but if we see some ritual introduced here, we also have to admit that it is likely to do harm as well as good. People will quickly put their faith in the ritual and the oil rather than in God and prayer. God heals, not oil. And even if medicine is used and applied, we still look to God as the Great Physician. All healing is actually divine healing — sometimes God just uses medicine to do it.
He sent them out to make a difference. Ministry is never about “me finding myself” or “me making a name for myself.” It is about making a difference for Christ, helping others, exalting the name and Person of Jesus Christ, helping people repent and believe in him. Christ warned the rejoicing disciples when they returned, “Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:20). Effective ministry can be used as a temptation in the life of the evangelist to make him proud. Give the devil his due. He is clever if nothing else. No sooner do we see God using us until we hear his demonic voice whisper vain imaginings to our hearts, “Aren’t you special!” And we are tempted with pride, arrogance, and our hearts harden. The effective servant of Christ is just that, a servant for Christ, not a servant for his ego, or his reputation, or his professional advancement. He loses himself to serve Christ and help others, and in that process he finds himself. Never are we so close to spiritual failure as when we start to feel sorry for ourselves.
