Nothing for the Journey

Luke 9:1-17

When Jesus sends out the twelves apostles and gives them authority to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal, he he gives them very specific instructions on what provisions they are allowed to take for their journey. Basically, Jesus sends them out and tells them they are not allowed to take anything: no bag, no food, no clothes, no money. "Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there." (Luke 9:3-4) Why would Jesus do this? Why would he not want to make sure they had all the supplies they needed for their journey? The answer to this question I believe is fundamental to the nature of faith and evangelism.

What Jesus understood, and the disciples needed to learn, was that the journey of faith is deeply relational. We learn about God from others; we learn to love as God loves from others. Central to the nature of relationships is dependence and trust. If the disciples go around preaching the good news and healing people and provide for their own needs (food, clothes, shelter) then they are really proclaiming the good news AT people. But, if they share the good news and heal and rely upon the hospitality and care of others it forms a relationship that is mutual, a ministry WITH others. We are designed by God to be in relationship with one another, not to be independent. Further, the church cannot do "evangelism" by simply showing up and telling people the truth. It must be a truth that is discovered in relationships of love and mutual respect.

Upon returning from their initial good news journey, the disciples return to Jesus excited about all they had done. After withdrawing for a time, a crowd found them and Jesus proclaimed the the Kingdom of God and provided healing. Afterward, the disciples tell Jesus to send the people away so they can go get food for themselves, but Jesus tells them to provide food for them: "you give them something to eat." (Luke 9:13) The people had taken nothing with them for the journey and had become hungry. The disciples instincts to send them away so they could provide for themselves was directly opposite of Jesus' instructions to them when they went on their journey. Apparently the lesson on relationships from their journey had not quite taken hold. The disciples missed the connection between sharing the word of God and developing loving relationships with people. It is not enough to share the truth about God with others, we care called to enter into the lives of others and seek to meet each others needs in mutual ways.