A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, among his own relatives and in his own house

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

- Mark 6:1-13

In yesterday's reading, we read about the woman with the twelve years long blood flow, and the daughter of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. Jesus heals both of these women, younger and older, in the reading. One is healed midst the crowd as it jostles and pushes and is so close no one can tell who touched Jesus. The other is healed in the privacy of a home, with only her father, Jesus and His closest disciples present. Yet these healings teach us about faith, and time - and how God uses power to connect with our capacity for faith. See Your faith has made you well.

Then He went out from there and came to His own country, and His disciples followed Him. And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. At this point in Mark's Gospel, we are given to understand Jesus' travels. He is going to all regions preaching, teaching and healing. He is wildly famous and sought after everywhere. Here in today's reading, He journeys to His own home country.

And when the Sabbath had come, He began to teach in the synagogue. And many hearing Him were astonished, saying, "Where did this Man get these things? And what wisdom is this which is given to Him, that such mighty works are performed by His hands! Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. Jesus is following His custom, as He has in other places, of teaching in the synagogue. But the people who know Him - with whom He grew up from childhood - are really offended at the change they see. How can He be the person they knew? It's especially telling that they are offended at His "mighty works." He's the carpenter, and they know His family ("brothers" and "sisters" may also be kinspeople such as cousins or half-siblings - this is still a common form of reference in the Middle East). His image has shifted and they are uncomfortable with that, what they think they know about the person Jesus is not what they see before them now. And therefore they are offended by Him.

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do no mighty work there, except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching. We have seen in the previous readings (and discuss in yesterday's commentary) how faith works to create a connection with the power (or dynamis in the Greek) of God's grace, God's energy. This faith is lacking here; it is blocked by what they "know." So, these people, in fact, do not "know" at all the person Jesus reveals Himself to be. There is an important lesson here about our own receptivity, and the faith we put in image, and in what we think we know. Faith, then, requires of us a heart open to a kind of truth and knowing that sees us past our own understanding, and involves a willingness to grow and change our understanding and perceptions. Jesus moves on, "marveling" at their unbelief, and goes about the villages in this country in a circuit, still teaching.

And He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits. At last, the twelve are ready to be sent out. They have already traveled widely with Jesus as He went about teaching and healing, and they have learned from living with Him. They have also experienced the rejection in His hometown, a very important lesson. Jesus gives them power over unclean spirits - they are bringing a kingdom into the world; it is a spiritual kingdom to replace slavery to that which oppresses spiritually. My study bible notes that they go out two by two for mutual support. A note says, "This is the first time the twelve are sent out, as it were, on a training mission, preparing them for taking the gospel to the ends of the earth." The word "apostle" comes from the Greek apostolos - one who is "sent out." The word translated as "power" here is not dynamis, but exousia. We understand that He invests His authority in them; He shares His kingdom with them.

He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff -- no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics. Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place. And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!" This is a picture of a powerful mission, clothed in the appearance and form of humility. They take nothing with them, not even bread. They are missionaries of peace. They are not to leave a house for better conditions elsewhere, but to go where they are received - to those who welcome them first, in a working of faith. And when they are rejected, the only thing they may do with their authority is to shake the dust from their feet "as a testimony against them." The authority works for the day of judgment, not as worldly power, and it is only faith that can understand it. This is, in short, a mission of faith - of those sent out as workers of a kingdom that is not worldly but is yet present in our world. We need the perception of faith to understand it, the spiritual eyes and ears we are exhorted to possess in all of Scripture, and repeatedly in the words of Jesus.

So they went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them. Preaching comes first, teaching the repentance, or "change of mind" necessary in order to understand the spiritual reality of the kingdom that is among them. These apostles are spiritual warriors: they wear the peaceful garments of a single tunic and sandals, and they are armed only with the weapons of the authority of Christ over the unclean spirits, preaching, and healing oil. Retribution for rejection of these who are sent out for the kingdom is to shake the dust from under their feet where they are rejected. And yet the kingdom proceeds, they cast out many demons, and anoint with oil many who are sick and heal them.

What do we make of Jesus apostles, sent out like a missionary army, with only a single tunic and wearing sandals, without even bread for the journey? This kingdom begins in humility, armed with the power or authority of the Lord to heal, to restore, and to establish a spiritual kingdom in our midst. Earlier in the reading, we see Jesus' rejection among His own people in His own country. "Jealousy," my study bible reminds us, "affects faith. Every person could have been restored. But in the absence of faith, Jesus does not release the divine power which is always His." This peaceful kingdom works with and through us, depending on our own reception. Its powerful work is only capable in us when we open the door to it; it needs our cooperation - and so much can stand in the way of our own cooperation and understanding and receptivity. As we go along in these readings, let us consider the humble and peaceful kingdom, that can establish its authority over demons, and can heal and restore. We first need to open our eyes to it, and to understand the things of the heart that lead to knowing, to recognition. Pray to your Father in the secret place to open your own eyes to this kingdom, at work amongst us and within us. And remember that the peaceful world of such a kingdom can build mountains where there are none, and turn a world upside down with faith. It is all a question of what we will be open to receive, and in order to grow beyond what we think we already know. Its power works great things in us, but the humility with which it appears is so easy to discount without spiritual eyes and ears to see. To do that, we need the humility to truly see what is before us.