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Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So he sought to see Him.
And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of leftover fragments were taken up by them.
- Luke 9:1-17
Yesterday we read about two miracles, a kind of "double miracle," really. This double miracle is found also in Matthew and Mark's Gospels. When Jesus returned from the country of the Gadarenes (where he healed the man possessed by a legion of demons), the multitude welcomed Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus' feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped. And Jesus said, "Who touched Me?" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, "Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'" But Jesus said, "Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me." Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, "Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace." While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, "Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher." But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, "Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well." When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, "Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping." And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead. But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, "Little girl, arise." Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. My study bible tells us, "After being with His disciples for a considerable period, Jesus sends them out on their first mission, giving them power and authority to perform exorcisms and healings as well as to preach the dawn of the kingdom." What we notice first is the authority. What is it for? This is Luke's Gospel, in which we have a consistent emphasis on healing. Jesus has said earlier, of the sinners and tax collectors with whom He sat at table, when criticized by the Pharisees: "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
And He said to them, "Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them." So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere. Clearly, they are relying on God and grace for their mission, but most especially they are walking in humility. There is no fanfare for this kingdom, no great retinue and impressive carriages and grand processions with many possessions adorning such a mission. They are down to the essentials. Staying in one place implies that they are not to "trade up" as they are made more welcome or invited to grander accommodations. Rather, whoever welcomes them first is the place where the good news may take root and spread. Furthermore, there is no retribution here, this is not a grand army forcing its might, but their authority is to "shake the dust off their feet" in testimony against those who cannot receive this Gospel. Judgment - and its outcome - is in the hands of God. There is no retribution. We can simply witness, testify to what we know.
Now Herod the tetrarch heard of all that was done by Him; and he was perplexed, because it was said by some that John had risen from the dead, and by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the old prophets had risen again. Herod said, "John I have beheaded, but who is this of whom I hear such things?" So he sought to see Him. My study bible says that "this is Herod Antipas (a son of Herod the Great), ruler of Galilee under Rome. This is the Herod who had John the Baptist beheaded, and the one in Jerusalem at Jesus' trial, to whom Pilate sent Jesus." The important thing we understand now is that Jesus' fame has reached such levels that the king has heard about Him, and wants to see Him.
And the apostles, when they had returned, told Him all that they had done. Then He took them and went aside privately into a deserted place belonging to the city called Bethsaida. My study bible points out that these twelve are now called "apostles" --- which means "those officially sent on a mission." It notes that this becomes "their proper title after Jesus' Resurrection." As is reported also in other Gospels, Jesus first draws them away privately to a deserted place, presumably for rest and prayer after their first mission.
But when the multitudes knew it, they followed Him; and He received them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and healed those who had need of healing. Again we observe Luke's emphasis on healing, which always accompanies the good news of the kingdom.
When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, "Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here." But He said to them, "You give them something to eat." And they said, "We have no more than five loaves and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all these people." For there were about five thousand men. Then He said to His disciples, "Make them sit down in groups of fifty." And they did so, and made them all sit down. Then He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke them, and gave them to the disciples to set before the multitude. So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of leftover fragments were taken up by them. My study bible notes: "All are satisfied when Jesus feeds them. No one need go away hungry. This feeding of the 5,000 is a messianic sign." We note the twelve baskets of fragments left over, one for each apostle. It is a sign of the "food" which they will offer the world, and with which anyone who comes to Christ will be fed.
What does it mean to feed people in a deserted place? So often in our lives we may feel called upon to heal, to feed and to nurture without being prepared first, without feeling that we have what we need to call upon in order to help others. But Christ always prepares a way. The Apostles are sent out on their first mission, and told to take nothing with them. They remain simply under the protection of God for everything, and any form of rejection is met simply by shaking the dust off their feet. The kind of authority and power they have in this kingdom is from a kingdom that is "not of this world." So what do we do when we feel we are unprepared -- when we feel really way out in the wilderness somewhere, in a deserted place, and we have no resources with which to heal and to feed and to nurture those for whom we may feel a responsibility, or depend upon us for sustenance? First of all, today's story teaches us that whatever we have at hand, it is enough at least to start with. We take whatever it is we have, and we start from there, with God's help and with prayer. From there, we put things in God's hands and we ask for the best outcome, and we do our best. So often I see people who feel unprepared to live up to the challenges they may be given, and we all feel this way at times. But it is important to remember that we are in this world on a journey, and just like the disciples we are here not to do one thing or to stay in one place, but to grow in our understanding of God's grace and God's call to us. As faithful, we are not expected to be perfect, to be the perfectly strong or the perfectly prepared, nor are we expected to have all the answers. Rather, we are called to live in His kingdom, in faith, and to help one another to grow in that calling. Let us remember St. Paul's answer he received to his own prayers about infirmity: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). St. Paul's response was to say then, "Gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." Let us remember God's grace when we are called to cope in difficult situations. Our strength is not of ourselves, and we are not called to be perfect without the Physician who heals and makes us whole. Rather, we live one step at a time, knowing that God's grace, God's strength, is made perfect in weakness.
