He called the twelve to Himself, and began to send them out two by two

 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

Yesterday, we read that when Jesus had crossed over again by boat to the other side of the Sea of Galilee after being in the country of the Gadarenes, a great multitude gathered to Him; and He was by the sea.  And behold, one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name.  And when he saw Him, he fell at His feet and begged Him earnestly, saying, "My little daughter lies at the point of death.  Come and lay Your hands on her, that she may be healed, and she will live."  So Jesus went with him, and a great multitude followed Him and thronged Him.  Now a certain woman had a flow of blood for twelve years, and had suffered many things from many physicians.  She had spent all that she had and was no better, but rather grew worse.  When she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment.  For she said, "If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."  Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.  And Jesus, immediately knowing in Himself that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and said, "Who touched My clothes?"  But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitude thronging You, and You say, 'Who touched Me?'"  And He looked around to see her who had done this thing.  But the woman, fearing and trembling, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him and told Him the whole truth.  And He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well.  Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction."  While He was still speaking, some came from the ruler of the synagogue's house who said, "Your daughter is dead.  Why trouble the Teacher any further?"  As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  And He permitted no one to follow Him except Peter, James, and John the brother of James.  Then He came to the house of the ruler of the synagogue, and saw a tumult and those who wept and wailed loudly.  When He came in, He said to them, "Why make this commotion and weep?  The child is not dead, but sleeping."  And they ridiculed Him.  But when He had put them all outside, He took the father and the mother of the hand, and those who were with Him, and entered where the child was lying.  Then He took the child by the hand, and said to her, "Talitha, cumi," which is translated, "Little girl, I say to you, arise."  Immediately the girl arose and walked, for she was twelve years of age.  And they were overcome with great amazement.  But He commanded them strictly that no one should know it, and said that something should be given her to eat.

 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."    My study bible says that the double of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (see Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  His rejection in His own country foreshadows the rejection of the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).   His "brothers" are likely extended family; throughout the Near and Middle East, cousins are commonly referred to as "brothers."

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.  Yesterday's reading was set in Capernaum, and we witnessed the power of the faith of the woman with the blood flow, and Jesus' teaching to Jairus so that his daughter could be healed, "Do not be afraid; only believe."   But here in Jesus' hometown of Nazareth, He finds no belief, no faith.  My study bible says that He could do no mighty work there, not because He lacked power, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.   A note says, "While grace is always offered to all, only those who receive it in faith obtain its benefits."

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.   The disciples ("learners") are also now apostles (those who are "sent out" on a  mission).   We note how they go out; my study bible bible emphasizes that this is so that they could not be accused of greed but also so that they learn dependence upon God.   He has shared His power with them, as a King would His weapons of war to deal with the enemy:  power over unclean spirits.

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!"    Humility is all-important; the disciples are to stay wherever they are first welcomed, and not to change lodgings -- presumably not to "change up" for better accommodations.  What's important is wherever the Kingdom is welcomed, with the gospel message they bring.  And here's also an effect of the power of the holy:   where the Kingdom is rejected, there is judgment.  Or rather, it will be accounted in the Judgment. (Of course, we know that repentance can also happen at any time later as well.)   These apostles are also witnesses for the Kingdom; where the gospel is rejected, they "give testimony" by shaking the dust off their feet.  My study bible says that persecution must not cause the disciple to quit, but simply to move forward in his mission.

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.    To "repent" in Greek is to have a "change of mind."  They are to turn to the Kingdom and the gospel message.   To heal is also an essential character of the power of this Kingdom, it permeates all of Mark's Gospel.  My study bible says that anointing the sick with oil has not only medicinal but also sacramental value.  God's healing power is bestowed through creation (see Mark 5:27; Numbers 29:8, 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15; Acts 19:11-12).   Thereby oil becomes a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14).

We see Christ's power on display through the Gospel so far, and mostly it's a power of healing.  Casting out of unclean spirits and healing infirmity go hand in hand, it's the character and quality of Christ's power and thereby the nature of His Kingdom.  But today we get more dimension to this understanding of the power and nature of the Kingdom.  Jesus is rejected in His hometown of Nazareth; He can't do much there.  They're mostly resentful of Him; how can this person they knew as the carpenter's son be such a Man?   Jesus marvels.  We know that by now His ministry is extraordinarily popular, great crowds forcefully push at Him wherever He goes.  But not here.  Jesus says, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house."   This is a very important statement, as it appears in all four Gospels.  But He sets the tone for the disciples, He moves on.  And the next step is sending them out, two by two.  Nothing will stop the gospel message and the news of the Kingdom.  We see more evidence of the reality of this Kingdom in the instructions to the apostles:  go humbly, rely on God, take not much for the journey, stay and remain in the first place where you are welcome.  And when the message is rejected and the Kingdom isn't received, they are to shake off the dust of their feet in testimony.   Everything is a preparation for the ultimate Judgment.  This is the power of the Kingdom, the power of the gospel message.  And of course, there is healing and casting out of unclean spirits.  All of it is to "set things right."  Repentance is to turn from other ways of thinking toward the "thinking" of the Kingdom.  This is a kingdom of hearts and souls, its place is within us and among us.  Its place is in the persons of the apostles, and they bring the Kingdom to others, they carry it with them.   It's important -- in my opinion, essential -- that we "get" the note my study bible makes about the healing oil.  The work and power of the Kingdom is infused through creation.  Just so, God's work is in us, the Kingdom is in us, and we may bear it wherever we go via our own "repentance" or "change of mind."  Like these apostles, we also can be those who bring the Kingdom near to others.   And this is the mission, that we bear the presence of the Kingdom in ourselves, carry it with us to others wherever we go, that we keep looking forward and moving on.  Where we find rejection, we leave Judgment to God.  We know also the fruits of the spirit, and God's peace.  Let us remember their first mission and strive to be like them, and remember what we bear within ourselves, and that the real job is to carry the Kingdom within us by following His commands ourselves.