Talk about responsibility.
Can you
imagine Jesus sending you out to represent His ministry? Would it be a heavy
thing? Would it be a heady thing?
I try to
imagine the meeting between Jesus and His disciples. He called them “together.”
It would have been a very great thing to be called together to be given
instruction by Jesus. What would the instruction be today?
To date,
every time Jesus had called them together, it had been to teach them something,
or show them something He wanted them to learn. That was always a wonderful
experience, and I imagine whenever Jesus called them together they were excited
and happy to come to Him. They had given their lives for these moments, but as
yet, they probably didn’t truly understand why.
Now it would
be brought out into the open a bit. This time, when Jesus called them together
it was to send them away. Try to imagine how frightening it may have been to be
sent away from Jesus just when you had staked your life on being with Jesus. There is no safer place
known to man than to be with Him, why is He sending us away?
Would you be
all for this? Confident? I doubt it. I think it would be more troubling than
comforting. But Jesus often takes us outside our comfort zones – to the place
ministry takes place - and that is what He is doing here.
Listen to the
things He sent them to do: 1) to preach the kingdom of God, and 2) to heal the
sick. Wow. I can certainly sense being totally overwhelmed by that assignment.
I’m quite certain they were.
But before
telling them to go and do, Jesus had given each of them both power and
authority over both demons and disease. And this, I think is the lesson. Jesus
never sends us to do without giving us the power to do. The temptation may be
to attempt to do in your own strength, but the ministry won’t allow it. The
task is impossible apart Christ. So how can I be ‘in’ the power of Christ even
though I am apart from Him physically? You have to go and do to learn that
lesson, once empowered.
-Pastor Bill
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