Sunday, June 17 ~ “CALLED to Leave the Building”
He called for the Twelve and sent them out in pairs. He gave
them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take
nothing for the journey except a walking stick—no bread, no bags, and no money
in their belts. He told them to wear sandals but not to put on two
shirts. He said, “Whatever house you enter, remain there until you
leave that place. If a place doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, as you
leave, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” So they went
out and proclaimed that people should change their hearts and lives. They
cast out many demons, and they anointed many sick people with olive oil and
healed them.
–Mark
6:7-13
Jesus calls them. Then, He sends them. Simple as that. No intensive leadership training session
required. Jesus presumably doesn’t teach
the 12 apostles the proper hand placement when casting out demons as if they
were in a CPR class. He simply calls
them, mentions some brief instructions, and sends them out. I wonder how it really went down. Did the apostles just drop their stuff and
run to the nearest houses? Perhaps some
just stood and stared at Jesus for a moment, dumbfounded, mouths half-open. Did anyone say, “Wait! I don’t even understand what I’m supposed to
do! All you said was to invite ourselves
into people’s houses!” Who knows if any
of these things happened, but the Scripture just says, “So they went,” and they
did it. They proclaimed the Gospel of
Jesus, cast out demons, and healed the sick.
Jesus really doesn’t even tell them
what to do. “He gave them authority over
unclean spirits,” but do they even know He had done that? And what are they supposed to do if they
figure that out? Jesus casts out demons,
not me! He also tells them not to bring
any food or money and nothing but minimal clothing. All they can bring is a walking stick (for
walking or whacking demons?). And if
this mystery mission isn’t challenging enough, then Jesus warns them about the
places where they won’t be accepted. If
someone is “not welcoming,” it’s probably less like “no thanks” and more like
“get off my lawn, we don’t want what you’re here for.” What a headache. What a nightmare. What an adventure!
The Church is called to live an
adventurous life, just like the apostles.
In fact, the word “church” in Greek, or “ecclesia,” means “the ones who
are called out.” Hear that? Church is not a building! It’s a people! The Church is a group of people who are
called to an adventurous life – a life of following the calling of God. The adventurous life to which the Church is
called may be mysterious or uncertain or confusing at times. We may have few possessions. We may even have to rely completely on God to
have food some days. We will probably
run into dangers along the way, or at least some people who don’t welcome
us. We may get bumps and bruises, and
sometimes worse. One thing is for sure,
if we as the Church are faithful to the adventurous life to which we have been
called together, it will not be boring!
So, if you thought Church was boring, you must have been thinking of the
building (the beautiful places that help the true Church worship
together). No, the Church is the people
called out by Jesus to an adventurous life together – a journey in which the
Church will proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ, help bring God’s heavenly
kingdom to earth, and maybe even help cast out demons. Let the adventure begin!
Blessings,
Daniel Collins
