POWER AND WISDOM BELONG TO HIM

Then Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, ‘Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’ So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. (Mk 6, 7-13)

In today’s liturgy the Gospel selection starts: “Jesus called the twelve …” In the Bible there is a small word that connects today’s selection with the verses preceding it. The word is: “Then”. This little word can help us understand better today’s gospel.

What does it refer to?

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Mark tells us that, after being rejected in his hometown and by his own people, Jesus called the twelve apostles, gave them authority over the unclean spirits and sent them out to proclaim that all should repent. Why was Jesus rejected by his people? It was because he was the village carpenter and people knew him and all his family. How could a carpenter preach like Jesus did, they asked themselves? How could he perform the miracles he was doing? They were confused and they rejected him! They thought they knew Jesus! They did not!

Mark tells us that after this rejection Jesus called together his disciples and sent them to proclaim that all should repent. In this sending of the twelve, it seems that Mark was pointing to a profound teaching about this carpenter’s power and wisdom and to a bit of practical humour on the part of Jesus. It was like Jesus was saying: “My people do not want to listen to the preaching of a local carpenter. OK, I will send uneducated fishermen from Galilee with the power to teach and to heal.

People in his village had asked: “Where did this man Jesus get all this?” Isn’t it sort of stupid of them to refuse real benefits because they did not know where Jesus’s power and wisdom came from? They knew the man! They knew his family! They knew his background! They saw his miracles. Because of their unbelief Jesus could only lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.

Very wisely, Mark linked the two stories of the rejection of Christ and his giving his apostles a share in his power and wisdom. Mark is telling us that Jesus had the power and the wisdom not only to go out and preach and to heal people, but also to share this power and this wisdom with those he wanted to.

This reminds me of the day when the resurrected Christ gathered his disciples in Galilee and said to them: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me”. I give it to you. “Go therefore and ... remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt 28, 19-20).

People were always asking where Jesus got his power from. The Pharisees even hinted that it was the devil who gave it to him! Just before his ascension into heaven Jesus announced that his power came from heaven and that he would share it with disciples. He still does!

In today’s gospel Jesus instructs his disciples on how to go in mission. “He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics.” He asked them to accept the hospitality that people offered and not to be greatly disturbed if they were not well received. These are not only practical things to see to if you are sent on a mission; they point to a profound meaning too. The power belongs to God!

This is how St. Paul interpreted Christ’s instructions. To the people of Corinth he wrote: “If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness (2 Cor 11, 30) for whenever I am weak, then I am strong I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.” (2 Cor 12, 9-10) To the Romans Paul wrote: “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires” (Rm 13, 14) To the Ephesians he wrote: “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armour of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Ef 6, 10-11). To the Colossians Paul wrote: “As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Bear with one another” (Col 3, 12).

Christ’s instructions on sending his disciples in mission are not to be understood as an outward sign of poverty, to impress people. They are meant to be a sign of truth. To his disciples Jesus said: “When you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’” (Lk 17, 10). Indeed, can a brush tell the painter ‘I did this painting!’?  Can a chisel boast that it did the sculpture? Is it not the artist who chooses the medium and the tools he wants in order to create a work of art? Our God is a creator God and we are but instruments in his hands. That is why, together with Saint Francis, we can pray: O Lord, make us instruments of your peace. God is able to create many beautiful things, and he wants us to share in this creative power even though we are limited in our abilities and we are far from perfect.

Indeed, his is the power!