Why are you sucking air? Why are you still here on this planet? Is life simply a daily routine of sucking air, eating, sleeping, and doing it all over again? What are we doing here? If there is a greater purpose than sucking, is it worth pursuing?
Okay, read on…
One day Jesus called together his twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. Then he sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. “Take nothing for your journey,” he instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes. Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town. And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.” – Luke 9:1-5 (NLT)
What Jesus gave that day wasn’t just for those disciples. It was for all disciples. We have been given the same power and authority for the very same purpose as those original disciples: to be agents of spiritual, emotional, and physical healing.
So, life is not just for sucking.
Question: Do you feel like you have been given power and authority to carry out the same purpose as the disciples? Why or why not?
The advice Jesus gave to the disciples that day was not just for them, but for us as well. He knew that we have a tendency to over pack, over think, overeat, over spend, etc. He was sending his team on a day trip, not a long-term multinational campaign.
Jesus advised his disciples to not take a walking stick. Back then, walking sticks were more than just for walking. They were also tools of protection. People who saw you knew you had boundaries. Not many folks who don’t need aid use walking sticks today, but many make it known that they have boundaries. Sometimes, it’s our language. Christians can be especially guilty of using “churchy church” language with other Christians, and sometimes with those who are not. How we speak sometimes makes us as unapproachable as if we wielded a ninja-swinging walking stick.
Question: Are you aware of anything you do that makes you unapproachable to others? What are you protecting? Who are you keeping at arm’s length when you do? What’s it do to them? You?
Jesus also advised against taking a traveler’s bag. I guess folks back in his day liked to pack stuff along for the journey, too. The probably threw their cell phone in there, their iPod, maybe a deck of cards. Since it was a ministry trip, maybe they tossed in a Bible, maybe some spiritual tracts. So, what’s the big deal?
Sometimes our stuff gets in the way. Stuff can distract us from fully experiencing the moment we’re in. Stuff can restrict us from engaging the people we’re around. Stuff sometimes limits our ability to be in relationship with the very people we’re there to love. So, lose the stuff. Travel light. Pay attention.
Question: Are you aware of anything you do (or have) that restricts your capacity to relate to those around you?
Then Jesus told them not to pack food or cash. That’s because all the disciples carried a debit gift card from Jesus. Actually, Jesus instructed this because it forced them to be in relationship with others – to ask for help. And when people helped, a relationship was born, and so was an investment. It is a good thing to ask for help now and then. And it’s a wonderful thing to be asked to help. Jesus was being strategic on multiple levels with this instruction.
Question: What happens to you when you ask for help? How does it feel when you are asked to help? Why do we sometimes not ask for help if it’s good for everyone involved?
And then Jesus told them not to pack any clothes. Hopefully, they knew enough to wear clothes on their journey. This was a short term deal – don’t quit your day job!
In addition, Jesus told them to stick with one host in the place they found themselves instead of moving around. He knew that if an offer to stay in nicer accommodations came along, they might be tempted to take the bait. But doing so would likely hurt the feelings of the original host. Since relationships are everything, giving in to nicer digs carries a higher price than it appears.
We in the US often get lured into the Bigger Better Deal (BBD) syndrome, where we abandon what we have for something we think is bigger and better. We tell ourselves the grass is greener, but then discover the grass is really full of weeds, or synthetic. In our pursuit of the BBD, we sometimes hurt core relationships we are called to minister within.
Question: Have you ever “improved” your life at the expense of someone else? Have you ever discovered weeds or synthetic grass too late?
Finally, Jesus told them to shake the dust off their sandals if the blessings they came to give were flatly rejected. Jesus is saying here, “Give it your best shot. Be me as best you can. If people throw it back in your face, let it go. Their decision is not about you. Let it go and move on.”
Question: When have you had a hard time letting go when you’ve tried hard to be an agent of grace? What kept you holding on? Why is it hard sometimes to let go? What value is there in shaking dust off your sandals?
Question: What keeps you from embracing the power and authority entrusted to you?
So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick.
When the apostles returned, they told Jesus everything they had done. Then he slipped quietly away with them toward the town of Bethsaida. But the crowds found out where he was going, and they followed him. He welcomed them and taught them about the Kingdom of God, and he healed those who were sick.
Late in the afternoon the twelve disciples came to him and said, “Send the crowds away to the nearby villages and farms, so they can find food and lodging for the night. There is nothing to eat here in this remote place.” Luke 9:6, 10-12 NLT
The disciples evidence their very human qualities here. Even though they just came back from an incredible experience of God’s might, they suddenly don’t think in terms of faith, but shrink away from it. They shift from power to cower. They immediately began to focus on what they didn’t have and what they couldn’t do rather than on what may be possible and who was with them.
Our tendency is to focus on our limitations more than our potential. We can’t afford it. We don’t have enough. There’s nothing we can do about it. But this is not how Jesus focused his attention. He embodied the Way of God wherever he went. In God, there is always enough, there is always joy, there is always hope. When we live outside the Way of God, we tend to become whiners and complainers.
Question: Can you think of such a contrast in your life, where in one moment you were full of faith, and in the next you cowered? Why?
But Jesus said, “You feed them.”
“But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered. “Or are you expecting us to go and buy enough food for this whole crowd?” For there were about 5,000 men there.
Jesus replied, “Tell them to sit down in groups of about fifty each.” So the people all sat down. Jesus took the five loaves and two fish, looked up toward heaven, and blessed them. Then, breaking the loaves into pieces, he kept giving the bread and fish to the disciples so they could distribute it to the people. They all ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers! Luke 9:13-17 NLT
Which would be the greater miracle:
a) Jesus miraculously multiplying food for many?
b) A crowd sharing their food with strangers?
If we lived in a third world environment, we would be wondering when our next meal might come, if at all. We would be looking at wealthy nations where the majority of its people are overweight, and wonder why such an inequity exists. We might even harbor anger toward such countries, mixed with jealousy and envy. We would think, “If only they would share…”
Maybe both miracles can happen today. Maybe in praying, the Spirit of God can produce far more than we ever imagined. And maybe through praying and modeling, we can inspire others with our example to be generous in a world in need. Maybe in modeling good stewardship, others might follow, and healing on many levels would commence.
Could it be that you have great impact potential?
Could it be that your lifestyle inspires?
Could it be that your prayers move mountains?
Could it be that God can use you for great good?
Could it be that being used by God deliver life’s best?
Could it be that God has really empowered you
To be agents of
spiritual, emotional, and physical healing?
It’s time to wake up…
Question: What question has struck you most in this blog, and in the list above?
Question: What are you going to do now?
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