Beloved church of Jesus Christ!
Jesus has just finished preaching and declaring his authority over creation by stilling the waves, demons by casting them out, and death by raising the daughter of Jarius.
His authority and power are absolute. He is the king of kings and Lord of Lords. And as king of kings and Lord of Lords he sends his messengers out in his power and authority to preach the good news of the kingdom. And when he gives a task, he also gives the power to do it. He never ever has asked anyone anything that he has not also given them the power to do.
The problem is that so often we do it on our own. We look at what he commands, we become overwhelmed, for the task is just too great. And it would be far easier to simply sit at home in comfort and come to church. But church he has called you and I, in fact he does it every week with the preaching.
So as the songs goes,
Hear the call of the Kingdom to reach out to the lost,
With the Father’s compassion in the wonder of the cross,
Bringing peace and forgiveness, and a hope yet to come;
Let the nations put their trust in Him.
Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim the kingdom of God.
1. Jesus power and authority to send.
2. The provision and response of sending
3. The threat to this world's kingdom.
Jesus authority to send
And he called the twelve together. Before you can be sent you need to be called. No one can be sent without being called.
And what are you called to? It's not to a message, or religion, or a way of life. No, the question is not what you are called to but who. We are called to a person. To Jesus. And although these disciples were called for a particular reason, God calls you to himself in Christ every week again. And he does so also for a purpose. He calls us to Jesus so that we might go out from this place in his power and as citizens of his kingdom to be part of his kingdom building work in this world.
He calls us, and what happens when they come to him? It says he gave them power and authority, Jesus does not ask us to do something, and then leaves us to do it on our own. No he and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases,
Power is the ability to do something, and authority is the right to do something. Some may have the power to do something, but not the authority. Some may have authority but not power. But when Jesus gives power and authority there is no shortage. His disciples need nothing else. They have what they need because Jesus gives it. The king of kings sends them – and they lack nothing.
You cannot give what you have not first received. If they had gone out without his power and authority, they would have been crushed under the weight of the task. If we try to do mission on our own without the backing of Jesus, we will fail. And fail miserably.
A church that tries to go out on its own strength will fail, and flounder along. A church that tries to depend on their own strategies and traditions, and power will fail. The world does not need more gimmicks, and emotional manipulation, and click bait – the world needs the power of God to change them. A church equipped by the power of God – will be carried on eagles wings. As Augustine the 4th century church father said, “"Give what you command, and command what you will"..
And because Jesus invests them with his power and authority it means that when seeing and hearing those that Jesus send the people were seeing and hearing Jesus himself.
The kingdom of God has come in Christ, and victory over demons (the spiritual) and diseases (the physical world) is being declared. Things are being set right. The power of the serpent is being broken. Jesus is sending out his ambassadors to declare not just to the Jews but to the Spiritual forces of darkness that their days are numbered. His kingdom arrived on the scene. And they are to declare his power, and victory. Death is dead, and demons shudder as we have seen in the last chapter.
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Jesus has just proclaimed the kingdom and healed in the last chapter and now he sends his disciples out. And notice what comes first… the proclamation of the kingdom. What is that? It is the gospel as verse 6 makes clear.
Here is number one for the disciples, and it is still so today. Before there is the healing, the deliverance from demons, there is the proclamation of the Word of God.
This is amazing - God’s highest priority for the church is to honor and glorify Him by proclaiming the truth of the Gospel. That’s the church’s priority. When the church forsakes the proclamation of the Gospel and the kingdom of God, we are neglecting the priority that God has given to us as the church. So the apostles were sent out to preach.
The word “preach” in verse 2 is the word “kerusso.” It is significant because it means “to herald, to proclaim, to announce.” It means to do it with clarity, with authority and with power. In the ancient world, they couldn’t text or email, they had no social media, they had no phones. And they really didn’t have the printed page. So a king would have a herald. He would go out onto the town square, people would gather, he would unroll the scroll and say, “Hear ye! Hear ye! Thus says the king!” Then he would read every word on the king’s announcement.
What if the herald said, “I don’t like the king’s message. Let’s get rid of it”? It would be certain death. He was not to add to or subtract from or to substitute or change the king’s message. He was just to herald the message.
This is a description of a minister, preacher, or pastor
The message of Jesus in Luke 4:18-19 becomes the message of his disciples.
“to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”
Isn't this awesome?! This is what it means that Gods kingdom is coming. Who would not want this? God is putting an end to Satan’s rule. Gods’ judgement is coming, now is the time to repent and believe. They were sent to call a lost Israel out of exile to true rest. This was the ultimate exodus, exiting the power and kingdom of Satan, and being called into the kingdom of God, through the gospel of Jesus. And this exodus would happen the same way the first exodus happened, with God providing everything.
The provision and response.
And they are to go in full dependance on his provision. “And he said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.”
In other words, trust Gods provision. Like God sustained the 12 tribes in the wilderness, he would now provide for the 12 disciples.
His command contrasted sharply missionaries at that time, who traveled with a wallet for personal savings, a staff for protection, and a bag for carrying goods. Jesus says travel light. Your main task is not to manage possession but to preach. Not to accrue wealth but to depend on God.
The big message is God will provide, for the work that God commands. They were to live on the generosity of those who would receive the gospel. The message of the gospel, eithers opens hearts and homes, or shut them. Jesus sends his disciples out, knowing that his kingdom word will so transform the people that are hearing it, and believing it, they will do all they can to support it. That the gospel would not only open hearts, but also open homes, and lives. And where it doesn’t a curse would lie.
for those who rejected the word, Jesus has a strong warning, “And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” This is something done by Jews when they left pagan territory to shake the uncleanness off their feet. They are declaring that even though these people maybe Jewish, they are not the people of God – not true children of Abraham.
Not all Isreal is Israel. To reject the message of the disciples is to reject Jesus. That is true then and now. To reject the word of God is to reject Jesus. There is no neutrality. Even the dust of those cities that rejected the Lord was an abomination and would not be allowed to cling to the feet of God’s messengers. And it is a sign that the rejection of the message simply means that the feet of those who preach the good news goes elsewhere.
And so they went, and did exactly what Jesus told them to do. And they did it thoroughly. We read, 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.” The word used for village is a small town, and it says they did it everywhere. There is a thoroughness that the church wants to accomplish in preaching the gospel. It does not matter how big the city or how small the town we want to reach all places. This is the reason we would like to knock on every door in Fisantekraal. So that we might reach those whom God has called, while at the same time leaving others without excuse. Everywhere is where they went. The mission of God is not for just the city or country. Its for everyone everywhere.
And still today Jesus himself sends out his servants. In the form for the pastor and elders. It is their work to spread the message of the kingdom among you in your homes. In this town, in Belville, Kuilsrivier, Durbanville, Robertson. And when they do that the authority and power of Jesus unsettles people – and rulers as people are changed.
Jesus threatens the worlds king by sending
Now Herod the tetrarch is wondering about all that is happening, You can see him wondering there in his palace, as the kingdom of God is proclaimed in the roman empire. Something was going on… what it was he did not know.
and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the prophets of old had risen.” The word on the street was that one of the greatest prophets of the OT was walking around the streets Israel. This was not small news.
Elijah was one of the most respected prophets for the Jewish people. A miracle worker, one in whom the Spirit of God clearly dwelled. The people are so so close, but so far off at the same time. It is like so many today. That say Jesus is one of the central figures of world history. They call his teaching the foundation of western civilization. One of the greatest religious leaders that ever was. And yes he is those things, but to stop there would be to miss who Jesus is completely.
When it says that Herod was “perplexed” it means that he was at a loss. He was confronted with the unexplainable. The worlds authority and power simply do not know what to do with this message of the kingdom of God. And they come up with all kinds of conspiracy theories. Maybe John had been raised, maybe it was the Elijah that was to come or one of the prophets. Instead of listening to who Jesus says he is, they want to tell Jesus who he is supposed to be.
Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things.”
Two things. First this is a confession of failure on herods part. John he beheaded, but the message keeps coming back. Its the perennial problem the rulers of this age have. They snuff out the servants of God, but the kingdom of God keeps on coming. It keeps on being preached. The harder they try to stamp it out the more it comes back.
Second notice again he question: Who is this? That is the question that the disciples asked at the beginning in 8:25, that is the question that the world is asking now. Do you know who this is as his message reaches your ears?
His followers fear him, the kings of the earth are wondering about him, the crowds are all talking about it. This is the central, most important question in world history, the most important question that you can ever ask yourself, and the answer will condemn you or save you. Will change you or harden you.
Who is this? One of the greatest OT heroes? These are not insults. But they don’t go nearly far enough. Who is this? This is Jesus the Messiah, who has come to save his people from the their sins. Free them from exile, lead them to the promised land. Who feeds the hungry, heals the sick, calms storms, raises the dead. This is a prophet, but more then a prophet, this is the very son of God. God in the flesh – who reigns from heaven, and dwells among us by his spirit. As Hebrews warns us. See to it that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if the people did not escape when they refused Him who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject Him who warns us from heaven?
You cannot come on your own terms. You come on his terms or not at all. The disciples and Herod who both ask this question, but they end up on opposite sides. When Herod finally does meet him, he is sorely disappointed. He wanted Jesus only for the miracles, not for salvation.
We read “He wanted to see him.” It looks like he got his chance at the end of the Luke to meet this Galilean. We read in Luke 23 that Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, because Pilate is too much of a coward to speak the truth and let Jesus Go free, and too afraid to condemn an innocent man. And we read, “When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and was hoping to see some sign done by him.”
He wanted the signs and wonders, without the message of the kingdom.. We want Jesus benefits without Jesus. We want all that he offers, without him.
O that you would hear this message today and embrace him. Follow him. And may he then also empower and strengthen each one as he send you back into the world. And share this message in a world desperate for hope. People are still talking. Who is this? A prophet, a guru, a spiritual leader. He is the risen king who alone gives life.
Amen