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133. Jesus Sends Out the Twelve


Matthew 10:5-16, Mark 6:7-13, Luke 9:1-6,
Key Verse:  So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.
Luke 9:6

Why didn’t Jesus just fix everything?  If He had, what would there be for us to do?  How could we share in His compassion, in His suffering?  Following Jesus is to take part in His plan of action, beginning with His closest followers, the disciples.

Jesus sends them out, two by two, back through those same villages, to care for the people for whom He had compassion.  He sent them out two by two so that they would not be alone.  They could encourage each other if the call became difficult.

He sent them out with a job to do.  Preach the gospel and heal the sick!  He equipped them for the task set before them. 

He sent them out with little materially, so that they would learn dependence upon God.  They would learn to ask.  They would learn not to be self-sufficient.  They would learn the faithfulness of God to meet their needs when they obeyed His call on their lives.  They would come to know humility and dependence upon God.

Notice, Jesus did not send them out to train them for war, though He knew that they were suffering under Roman oppression.  Jesus did not send them out to teach how to start a business, though He knew that many of them were poor.  He did not send the disciples out to feed the poor or teach them how to eat right or stay healthy, though He knew that many of them were sick and hungry.  They were to heal the sick, yes, but that was not their main purpose.

Jesus sent them out to bring hope for their souls.  “The kingdom of God is near!  It won’t be long now.”  “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.”  (Proverbs 13:12) By sending out the disciples, the good news could be spread more quickly. Soon their longing would be fulfilled.  Messiah is near.  Have hope, you have not been abandoned.

Hymn:  “Rescue the Perishing”

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