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

 

 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, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." Now He could do not 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 (after leaving 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 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.   My study Bible comments that this double response of being both astonished and offended occurs frequently with those who encounter Christ (see also 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).  Jesus' brothers and sister are either children of Joseph, Christ's earthly guardian, from an earlier marriage, or they are cousins (the term "brother" is still used across the Middle East today to indicate extended family).  In Scripture, Abram called his nephew Lot "brother" (Genesis 14:14); Boaz spoke of his cousin Elimelech as his "brother" (Ruth 4:3); and Joab called his cousin Amasa "brother" (2 Samuel 20:9). 

But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house."  So important is this saying that it appears in all four Gospels.  See also Matthew 13:57; Luke 4:24; John 4:44.

Now He could do not 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.  My study Bible explains that Jesus could do no mighty works there, not because He lacked the power to do so, but because of the unbelief of all but a few in Nazareth.  It notes that 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.  Here the twelve disciples also become apostles.  Disciple means "learner" and apostle means "one sent out" (as on a mission).  Thus these terms are often used interchangeably for these twelve.  Note how He commands them to go out with an attitude of humility, and they are not sent out as by an emperor or general.  They are to take nothing for the journey except a staff to walk with.  No bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts means that they are dependent upon God and upon their welcome wherever they go.  That they wear sandals and only one tunic gives a poor and humble demeanor by their dress.  They are not to "trade up" for better lodgings once they are welcome in a house in the place they preach.  The testimony of shaking off the dust under their feet where they are not welcome will have powerful effects on the day of judgment.  This shows that the word of God, the power of the Holy Spirit, and of Christ is with them and working through them in their mission. 

And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.  Christ shares with the disciples, now become apostles, His power to cast out demons and to heal.  My study Bible comments that to anoint the sick with oil has not only medicinal value but also sacramental value as well.  As God's healing power is bestowed through creation, my study Bible says (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 (see James 5:14).

We note above the very careful instructions given by Christ for the practice of humility in teaching the disciples how they are to engage in their first apostolic mission.  Before He sends them out, He gives even specifics of what they are to wear, what to take and not to take with them, and how they are to conduct themselves as they go preaching from place to place.  All of these instructions point to humility as the way in which they are to practice their preaching, casting out of demons, and healing  on this first mission.  This aspect or attitude of humility is key to an understanding of how God's kingdom works in this world.  For Christ repeatedly emphasizes that the power that works in Him and through God's kingdom is not like worldly power.  It is not ostentatious and it is not manipulative.  Faith, as we observe in every reading, is not something that God compels in us by force, but wants from us voluntarily.  Repeatedly Jesus will explain to the disciples how they are to conduct themselves as future leaders in His Church.  They are to be servants, and not "lord it over" others as they see the Gentiles do (Mark 10:42-45).  He direly warns them of the consequences of committing any offense against the "little ones" in His Church, especially anything that would drive them away from Him (Mark 9:42).  When James and John Zebedee ask if He wanted them to call down fire upon a village of Samaritans who refuse to receive Him, Jesus tells them, "You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them" (see Luke 9:51-56).  Even when Christ sends out the Seventy on their own apostolic mission, He gives similar instructions to the ones we read in today's reading, but Luke's reporting includes Christ's admonition to "greet no one along the road," meaning not to give nor receive ostentatious greetings as those who represent a kingdom or ruler or person of importance would do (see Luke 10:1-12).  This attitude of humility, which so permeates our Scriptures and the specific teachings of Christ, reminds us Whose Kingdom we are of.  That is, it is emblematic of the God who is loving and merciful, who invites and calls but does not compel.  It is our Lord who heals and who forgives and asks only repentance so that we might realize that forgiveness.  Most of all, it teaches us in so many ways about the love of God for us, which is infinite, for God is love, as the Scriptures teach (1 John 4:8).  Moreover, in the long tradition of monastic life, and the practice of the cultivation of virtue in Christian teaching, we know that humility is the key to all the other virtues, and so is also in that sense, a hallmark of our faith.  First and foremost, that attitude of humility is before God, who then teaches us in turn how to be loving in community with others.  Let us meditate on this, and how the humble attitude which Christ teaches these first apostles significantly "announces" their approach, and who they are, and Whom they represent.  Moreover it teaches to others of the One whose power is shared with them to cast out demons and to heal.  That is, the One who says, "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls" (Matthew 11:29).  Let us learn from Him, and from them.  For humility will also serve us well in so many aspects of life, if we but know what that truly is and what and whom it is for.  Without it, their testimony would not have the power Christ claims and shares with them.