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

 

 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 not might 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 (after the encounter with the Gadarene demoniac), 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 child, 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.  This double response of being both astonished and offended is something my study Bible says occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (Luke 11:14-16; John 9:16).  Christ's rejection in his own country is a foreshadowing of His rejection by the whole Jewish nation at His trial before Pilate (John 19:14-15).  We recall that the term brother is used to refer to all manner of relations, such as cousin or nephew.  The brothers and sisters referred to by the townspeople are Jesus' kin, either children of Joseph via an earlier marriage, or other extended family.  Mary had one Child; had she had others to care for her, Jesus giving her into the care of the disciple John at the Cross would have been unthinkable (John 19:26).

 

 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 not might 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.  My study Bible comments that Jesus could do no mighty work there, not because He lacked power, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  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.  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.  These twelve are those whom He called to Himself to both live with Him and learn from Him and to become apostles (Mark 3:13).  In Greek, disciple means "learner," while apostle means "one sent out."  Here they are sent out on their first apostolic mission.  We note that here St. Mark tells us they were sent out two by two, and that St. Matthew's Gospel lists the names of the disciples in pairs (Matthew 10:2-4).  My study Bible suggests that this possibly indicates who traveled with whom.  It also notes that Jesus gave them power over unclean spirits, while Jesus Himself did so by His own power.  Note that healings are closely connected with this power, and with anointing by the apostles.  All of their actions and Christ's commands remind us of the power of the Holy Spirit at work after Pentecost.  My study Bible says that to anoint the sick with oil has not only medicinal value but sacramental value as well.  It notes that as God's healing power is bestowed through creation (Mark 5:27; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 13:21; John 9:6-7; Acts 5:15, 19:11-12), so oil is a vehicle of God's mercy and healing in the Church (James 5:14). 

In our recent readings, we have repeatedly been given opportunities to contrast fear with faith.  This was so for the apostles crossing the Sea of Galilee through a terrific storm when they were frightened for their lives.  Jesus said to them, "Why are you so fearful?  How is it that you have no faith?"  Surely the sight of the Gadarene demoniac in the reading that followed was fearful to all, but Christ cast out the demons and returned the man to health.  In yesterday's reading and commentary, we discussed extensively the fear that must have been present for the woman who approached Jesus in secret, and also the fear of Jairus, whom Jesus told, "Do not be afraid; only believe."  In today's reading, we're given other reasons for people to fear.  Jesus is rejected in His home town of Nazareth.  The statement by Jesus, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house," is found in various forms in all four Gospels, so crucial it is to the gospel message. (See also Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24, John 4:44.)   As my study Bible notes, this rejection is also a prefiguration of rejection by the nation, which will culminate in crucifixion.  But what is really important to note is that in Jesus' sharing of His power with the disciples, now sent out as apostles, He is teaching them to rely totally upon God.  He tells them to take nothing for the journey except a staff, they are not to take extra supplies, "no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts -- but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics."   Moreover, Jesus teaches them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place."  So, in other words, they are to stay in the more humble places that will receive them first, and not "trade up" for better lodgings, as protected guests of possibly more important people.  While these men are sent out without appearing to have material power, or even great significance within the society, nonetheless Jesus is teaching them of the power that will be at work in their mission is such that "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!"  Moreover, this power is manifest through healing and the anointing with oil.  But, as is evident in the rejection of Jesus in His hometown, this power remains unknown to those who cannot receive nor perceive it.   Those who do not receive nor hear the apostles are unaware of and completely insensitive to the presence of this power.  Moreover, this power is not on display to "convince" anyone, to threaten anyone, even to save Christ from the Cross.  So it is in the context of all of these factors in which we understand that the disciples are being prepared for their missions both through the frightening challenges that take them more deeply into their faith, and also through Christ's instructions which render them more dependent upon God at the same time.  This tension between fear and faith is one that grows throughout the Gospels, and perhaps we are meant to accept and understand this more deeply in our own lives as we also meet the challenges to grow in our faith.  We might find it hard to understand that anybody could find fault with Christ, and yet He meets adversity at many turns in His ministry, offending the religious establishment, the people of His hometown, and finding rejection in many places.  Perhaps it's a lesson to us that, as we live in a world of debates, endless online discussion and squabbling, forums for opinion of all sorts, faith must find its way into our own understanding of what is true and real, and what is not.   Rational argument and debate can continue forever, but faith relies on something different and deeper and more subtle.  It also relies upon courage and our capacity for the strength that comes from trust in Christ.