In this week’s Gospel passages (Mark 6:6-34), Jesus entrusts the proclamation of the Good News to the Apostles by sending them out to preach. Until this time, the disciples were following him, learning from him, asking him questions, and seeking clarifications. Now it was time for them to put what they had learned into practice.
Jesus gave them all the tools they would need: the grace to proclaim the good news, authority over demons, the power to heal the sick. Jesus sent them out “two by two.” Why did Jesus send out the disciples in pairs, rather than individually? Wouldn’t they be able to spread the word more widely if they had gone individually?
Part of the answer lies in the Jewish tradition of “two witnesses.” The Old Testament law (see Deuteronomy 9:15) stipulated that at least two witnesses were needed in order to convict someone of a crime. In the culture of Jesus, this legal requirement also underscored the commonsense idea that two witnesses are more reliable than one. So, when two of Jesus’ disciples proclaimed the presence of the kingdom, they would be more likely to receive a hearing. (Of course, it wouldn’t hurt their credibility if they cast out a few demons or healed the sick!).
There may be another reason why Jesus sent out his disciples in pairs. He may have been thinking of the power of shared ministry, the added impact when two or more people work together toward a shared goal. This co-laboring is not only effective, but it also is reflective of the theological nature of ministry in the era of the new covenant. By sending his disciples out two by two, Jesus foreshadowed the collegiality that would become the hallmark of the Spirit-filled church.
Who are your colleagues in ministry? Are there places in your life where you feel alone in your effort to serve the Lord? Who might be available to share in this ministry with you?
The apostles were admonished not to worry about their comfort or provisions. Those would be provided by those who heard and appreciated their work. Their focus should not be worrying about their day-to-day needs but should be in the proclamation of the message. Jesus told them to live in extreme simplicity, poverty, and sobriety in place of power, possessions, and prestige. He told them, “to take nothing for their journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; that they were to wear sandals and take only one tunic.” The responsibly of meeting their needs on the mission rested on the hearers of the message. Any town that did not accept the message, they were instructed to leave and shake the dust from their feet, a custom among the Jews on returning from a pagan territory as a sign they will have nothing further to do with the pagan world. Those who refused to listen were now part of that world.
Today’s world also needs the message of repentance. The ills denounced by Amos, the prophet of social justice, are present at our own time too: oppression of the poor, immorality, injustice, unfair trade, and worship devoid of true sacrifice. At the same time there are many demons controlling people and making them slaves. The demons of illicit drugs and concoctions, alcohol, gambling, pornography and promiscuous sex, materialism and consumerism, and many other activities to which people are addicted and over which they have no control or have lost control. People in such bondage sometimes do not realize their own entrapment. We need the help of Jesus to set them free and prevent others from falling victims. Jesus needs you to become an agent of that liberation today. Accept his call.
Jesus does not only send the apostles, priests and religious to proclaim the good news, but he also sends everyone worthy of the name Christian. The lay faithful must also illuminate the world by witnessing to Christ wherever they find themselves. Those of us Christians who celebrate this magnificent love of God cannot keep salvation exclusively to ourselves. We cannot constitute a closed society. Our faith demands a universal evangelization. Our effective response to this vocation often puts us at odds with society. They say to us, “go and evangelize elsewhere! We have no use of your holiness here.” We must be ready for insults, ill treatments, and trials if we truly want to do this job.
Let us pray: O Lord, you sent the twelve to rescue those in bondage and proclaim God’s liberation. Give us the courage to take on the evils of our times that are making many captives. Help us, Lord, not to be alone in our efforts to serve you. May we consistently share your work with those who can encourage us, support us, guide us. Most of all, may we never forget that this is your work, which you have graciously chosen to share with us. Even when we alone, dear Lord, we are always “two by two” with you. Amen.
May God Bless You and Grant You His Peace!