David Bahn – Reflections

Mark 6:7-13

And [Jesus] called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. ⁸ He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— ⁹ but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. ¹⁰ And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. ¹¹ And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” ¹² So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. ¹³ And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.

I was running an errand a couple of months ago. I never got out of a nice area of northwest Harris County. I was never on a lonely stretch of road. My car is relatively new and very dependable. But the whole time I was on this errand – about 45 minutes to an hour – I was anxious. I nearly turned around and went back home. Why? Because I had forgotten to bring my cell phone along! I almost stopped and called home to check in on the way – except I never saw a pay phone and I figured that somehow I could make it for those 45 minutes!

Silly, wasn’t it? But I’m not alone; we all have our security blankets of some sort. Whether it’s a checking account with an overly large daily balance, or a back-up generator that we use once every 5 years, or a storehouse of survival gear: we all have our sources of security.

So when Jesus sends out his disciples with no bread, no bag, no money in their belts, sandals but not two tunics, we can imagine how insecure they might feel. On the other hand Jesus does give them some survival tips. They are to stay and enjoy the benefits of any host who will receive them. They are to spend no extra time on those who will not. And they were given authority over the unclean spirits.

I’m not certain exactly what it looked like, but it’s clear that they embraced that authority and cast out demons, anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them. Jesus provided what they needed for their mission. Their security lay in his authority and their partnership with one another in their charge. He wanted them to lean into those sources of security rather than their provisions or their success.

We all have true and false sources of security. A large savings account is not necessarily a sign of unbelief. A back-up generator is essential for those who rely on electricity for life-support purposes. If you live in the mountains of Colorado you better have a stash of survival gear in the face of winter blizzards. But it’s likely that we neglect the more significant security of living in partnership with other Christians in pursuit of God’s kingdom. We too easily lay aside the authority we have under the King of the Universe. We may overlook the hospitality of someone in our rush to catch the brass ring.

Is there someone in your life who is your partner in kingdom living? Is there a place in your world that needs to come under the authority of the King? Is there a place of hospitality which you might leverage for the sake of God’s kingdom? If you’re missing a familiar source of worldly security it may just be God calling you to lean into the provision and protection he already has aligned for you.