Discipleship Lessons from the Sending of the Twelve

“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.’” (Mark 6:7-11)

When Jesus sent out the twelve apostles for the first time, he gave them instructions that may make us raise our eyebrows. He told them to “take nothing for their journey except a staff.” Imagine going on a trip but leaving your wallet at home! Jesus went so far as to prevent them from even bringing a change of clothes: “to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.” How odd! This was a multi-day mission trip, but the disciples would not even have a fresh outfit to change into after sweaty, dirty travel along the dusty paths of Canaan.

They are also told that, after entering a house, they must “stay there until you depart from there.” This is spoken in the context of ancient hospitality, not just a dinner invitation. If they are invited into a house as guests to temporarily reside with that family, they can’t just up and move to another house. As long as they are in that town, they need to stay with the first family whose hospitality they accept. Why such strange instructions?

Thinking about this passage, I’ve come to a few ideas as to why Jesus said this. Jesus was masterfully teaching the twelve about following God and how to do missions well. There are a few lessons that he wanted them to learn as they followed his instructions.

Lesson One: Depend on God

When he sent them without supplies, he intended for them to be dependent on God. It’s easy to talk about our dependence on God and it’s easy to talk about God being a Father who provides for our needs. But do we actually believe it? These disciples had no backups, no reserves. If God didn’t come through for them, they were toast. Imagine how this would change their prayer lives! And, as God provides for them, imagine how this would bolster their faith!

Lesson Two: Engage with Others

Whatever personal tendencies the apostles had, Jesus’ instruction keeps them from being introverted and secluded. Just imagine if you were being sent by Jesus on a similar mission, and you boarded a bus or plane for the first part of your trip. Many of us would like to find an empty row, put some music in our earbuds, and pull out the Bible or a good book to enjoy the journey. We want to be left alone. But if you have no money, no food, not even a change of clothing when you arrive at your destination, suddenly you are motivated to talk to every stranger that you can. You want to share the gospel with them, of course, but (just maybe) you are hoping that through your conversations, God will work in their hearts to offer you a place to stay and a meal to eat. Suddenly you are the most outgoing person on that bus or plane! Similarly, by forcing the disciples to rely on others, Jesus removes from them the tendency to isolation. He makes them want to get into conversations with others that will result in spreading the Gospel.

Lesson Three: Reject Pride

Then, as the disciples learn to be dependent on God, they must give up their selfish pride that prevents them from accepting help. Isn’t this a common human tendency? No one wants to be reliant on another person. We want to be self-sufficient. But in Jesus’ paradigm, disciples recognize their own inabilities and needs. As these apostles are forced to rely on the people around them for everything (even the most basic and embarrassing necessities of life), they quickly lose their sense of pride. Jesus wants them to humbly accept grace from others as they go around spreading a message of grace for insufficient sinners.

Lesson Four: Be Known by Others

By staying in the same house, and receiving hospitality from the same family, the apostles will demonstrate their faith for the people that they are living with. It’s easy to hide your true self from others with a fake shell for a while, but no one can keep up that show forever. The reality of genuineness of the apostles’ faith will provide a strong apologetic for their message, as they demonstrate it to the family that they reside with.

But just as significantly, the apostles’ flaws and weaknesses will also be on display. That’s all right. They are not perfect people, and Jesus isn’t afraid of his disciples being ‘found out’ for their imperfections. These same imperfections which will be on display to their host families will provide the apostles with opportunities for humility and repentance, demonstrating even further the genuineness of their faith.

Lesson Five: Don’t Run!

This command to stay in the same house will also keep the disciples from using and abusing other people. It’s easy enough to abuse the hospitality of a host, and then quickly move on to another place, running from problems and leaving a trail of broken relationships. Such a tactic is entirely rejected by Jesus. His disciples will have to stay in the same families, demonstrating faithfulness, and showing that they are unlike false teachers and quacks who simply want to get what they can and move on.

Lesson Six: Connect Genuinely With Others

Finally, by remaining in the same households, the apostles have a unique opportunity to deepen relationships. They are able to form a genuine social network focused on the house that they reside in. As they see the same people day after day, are introduced to their friends, connect with their acquaintances, and become a known fixture in that neighborhood, they are cultivating the social connections through which the gospel will be likely to spread.

While these commands seem strange at first,, we see again that Jesus is the master discipler. His commission of the disciples was designed not only to spread his message effectively, but also to develop them into the men who would go on to ‘turn the world upside down’ (Acts 17:6).

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