[Journey with Jesus – Day 14]
The more healings Jesus performed, the more people he set free, the more his reputation grew, and the greater the crowds became. Wherever he went, he was followed. Our job as his disciples, it seemed, was to give him some protection, to prevent him being trodden on. We were worried about him – at times he looked absolutely exhausted, but he wouldn’t have anyone turned away. When he did decide to escape – like when we went out on the boat across the lake to the Geresenes, even then we it seemed the need followed him – on that occasion, we were confronted by a man from whom Jesus drove out demons, which went into the nearest herd of pigs – that was something we wouldn’t forget in a hurry! And then, when we returned to Galilee we were quickly surrounded by crowds of people, including a poor man whose daughter was seriously ill – me, John and James had the privilege of seeing Jesus raise that little girl from the dead! It never stopped – and Jesus never stopped. He went through all the local towns and villages. He would teach in the synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and then he would heal every disease and sickness. It was absolutely incredible. But it had an impact on him. We saw tears in his eyes when he encountered the sea of need in front of him. “They’re harassed and helpless,” he said, “Like sheep without a shepherd.”. We nodded in agreement and wondered how Jesus was going to deal with all this need, then we got a bit of a jolt when he turned to us and said, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”
Of course, only God could meet all the need that we encountered – and there must be so much more out there. It made sense to pray for workers. But where would the workers come from? Local synagogues, John the Baptists’ disciples? People from the temple?
By this time, Jesus had quite a few dedicated followers, his disciples, including women, with whom Jesus spent the most time. Our life was based mainly around Capernaum and my home. My wife and mother-in-law were run off their feet looking after everyone, although they were helped by the other women in our group – Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna, among others. Anyway, one day, Jesus called twelve of us together. Being typically concerned for the feelings of others, he approached each individually and invited us to join him for one of his early morning sessions. We gathered around him in a circle, like children at class, and waited expectantly. “Thank you for coming out so early, lads,” Jesus began, “I’ve called you out because I have a special role for you – you are to be sent out as my apostles. I’m giving you authority to do what I do – to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.”
We looked at each other with excitement. We would be a band of brothers. There was myself, my brother, Andrew (I was particularly pleased about him being included); our close friends and former colleagues, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, who had been a tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and finally Judas Iscariot. Some of these I knew well, others I wasn’t so sure about. We were all so different. At least life together with Jesus wouldn’t be boring!
Jesus continued, “Listen carefully to these instructions I’m giving you. When you go, focus only on the lost sheep of Israel, don’t go among the Gentiles or any samaritan town. Their time will come. And the message is simple – it’s the same message as you’ve heard me proclaim, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons.”
In my mind I listed the things he was telling us to do – all the things that he himself had been doing. The things Messiah would do. He was calling us to that. How was it possible? Jesus was extra special, he had the Spirit of God in him. Us? We were ordinary men. I couldn’t heal anyone or drive out a demon – I’d be petrified.
He seemed to see the questioning in my – and no doubt the other guys’ minds – and continued, “You have received generously, so live generously. And I want you to rely on me, to take a step of faith, not on any resources you think you need. So, don’t get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts — no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. You will be provided for. All you need to do is this – Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. As you enter the home, give it your greeting. If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words – and be prepared for that to happen, because it will – leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”
We well knew the story of Sodom and Gomorrah – they were infamous for places that had been destroyed due to God’s judgment, and yet, Jesus was saying things would be worse for any town that rejected us? Jesus’s eyes were burning as he spoke. He was absolutely serious. But then, he got really serious.
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”
Well, if I hadn’t been nervous before, I was now. I didn’t like the idea of being opposed, or being sent out like a sheep among wolves. Too often we saw the evidence of what happened when a sheep got set upon by a wolf, and it wasn’t pleasant. We had a sense that Jesus wasn’t preparing us for what we would encounter here and now, but in the future. We would face opposition, and yet we wouldn’t be alone. I felt like Joshua faced with the task of leading his people across the Jordan and into the promised land. The Lord told him to be strong and very courageous, because his presence would go with Joshua. In the same way, Jesus was promising us that whatever we faced we wouldn’t be left alone – the Spirit of the Father would be with us, giving us strength and the words to say. Jesus’s warnings about what would happen only got stronger:
“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. Truly I tell you, you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
“The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for students to be like their teachers, and servants like their masters. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!
“So do not be afraid of them, for there is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground outside your Father’s care. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.”
We would be hated, betrayed, possibly killed. It felt so much to take in. How was it possible when Jesus was bringing so much good? So many lives were being transformed; people were receiving fresh hope and restoration. Why would anyone oppose that? I didn’t understand it – actually, I didn’t believe Jesus when he was telling us these things. There was, however, comfort that God saw and knew us. That we were precious to him. Jesus wanted us to hold onto this just as much as the warnings he was giving us – and sometimes the warning came hand in hand with the encouragement –
“Whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. But whoever disowns me before others, I will disown before my Father in heaven.
“Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn ‘a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law — a man’s enemies will be the members of his own household.’
“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not The take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”
Jesus had seen that already his message was causing division – while many loved all he had to say, others took offence. Members of his own family were saying they thought him crazy. This kind of division would be seen in families as some accepted and others rejected his message. He was calling us to put him above all of our other allegiances, to follow his path alone, to be prepared to die for him. It was all so big, so frightening. I had to go back to the promise he made that we would not be forgotten by God – that he saw us, that we were precious to him and that by being prepared to give up everything for him, we would discover life in a way we would never imagine. His final words were directed at those we would encounter on the way.
“Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones who is my disciple, truly I tell you, that person will certainly not lose their reward.”
Jesus looked around at us all. He sensed the fear in our eyes, so repeated, “Remember the sparrows. Don’t be afraid,” and he blessed us on our way. We looked around at each other and nodded, then sorted ourselves out into pairs (I partnered with Andrew, of course), and worked out who would go where in the villages around us. There was excitement as well as nervousness. We knew we couldn’t do this in our own strength, but we also knew we didn’t have to, because the Spirit of God would go with us.
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