Jesus sends the apostles on a mission

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls the Twelve to him and sends them out on a mission. Until now, they had primarily been disciples – people who followed Jesus, listened to him, witnessed his miracles, and learned from him. But now something changes. Jesus says to them, ‘Go!’

This is a crucial moment. A disciple of Jesus cannot remain merely a recipient forever. In time, the disciple must become an apostle – someone who is sent out.

And that applies to us too.

1. Jesus gives them strength – but it is his strength.

The Gospel begins with the words: ‘He called the Twelve to him and gave them power and authority over all demons and the power to heal diseases.’

Note that the apostles do not act beyond their own abilities. They derive their authority from Jesus.

Peter was not sent because he was perfect. The other apostles were not sent because they had understood everything. From the Gospels, we know how often they misunderstood Jesus, quarrelled amongst themselves and showed their weaknesses. Yet Jesus entrusted his mission to them.

God often deals with us in the same way. We might think, ‘I’m not good enough.’ ‘ I don’t know enough. I’m too weak. Others could do it better.

But God does not necessarily call the most gifted. He bestows grace upon those He calls.

So our weakness need not prevent God from using us. What matters is whether we allow Him to work through us.

2. “Don’t take anything with you on the journey.”

Jesus then gives the Apostles a strange instruction:

“Take nothing with you on your journey – neither a walking stick nor a rucksack, nor provisions, nor money.”

Why does Jesus call for such radical simplicity?

Because He wants to teach them to trust Him.

The apostles must learn that the success of their mission does not depend primarily on what they possess. Their security must lie in God.

We live in a world that conveys the opposite message to us. We want to be prepared for everything. We want financial security, plans, guarantees and savings. Of course, sensible planning is a good thing. But there is a spiritual danger: we might gradually start to place more trust in what we own than in God.

Jesus reminds us: you can possess many things and still be spiritually poor. And you can possess very little and still be immeasurably rich, because God is with you.

The apostles carried very little in their hands, for they were meant to carry something far greater in their hearts: faith in God.

3. What should they actually be preaching?

Jesus “sent them out to proclaim the Kingdom of God.”

That was the essence of her mission.

They were not sent out to preach themselves. They were not to impress people with their intelligence or build up a reputation for themselves. They were to proclaim to the people that God is near.

That remains the Church’s mission.

Christianity is not primarily about proclaiming, ‘Just look how good we are.’

It is the proclamation: ‘See how good God is.’

For the sinner, there is forgiveness. For the discouraged, there is hope. For those who have failed, there is mercy. For those who have wasted years of their lives, there is a fresh start. For those who place their trust in Christ, there is eternal life.

This is the Kingdom that the Apostles proclaimed.

4. They preached and healed.

Luke tells us something marvellous: the apostles went from village to village, ‘proclaiming the good news everywhere and healing the sick’.

Words and deeds went hand in hand.

They spoke of God’s love but also brought healing to those who were suffering.

This is an important lesson for every Christian. People should not just hear about God’s love from our lips; they should experience something of God’s love through our lives.

When we forgive someone, the Kingdom of God becomes visible.

When we visit someone who is lonely, the Kingdom of God becomes visible.

When we listen patiently to someone who is suffering, the Kingdom of God becomes visible.

When we help others without expecting anything in return, the Kingdom of God becomes visible.

When we turn away from hatred and choose reconciliation, the Kingdom of God becomes visible.

Sometimes the most powerful sermon we deliver is not preached from the pulpit. It is preached through the way we treat another person.

5. Not everyone will accept this message

Jesus also prepares his disciples for the possibility of being rejected:

“Wherever you are not welcomed … shake the dust from your feet.”

Jesus does not promise them universal success.

Some people will listen. Others won’t.

This is important because we often measure everything by visible results. If people accept us, we believe we’ve succeeded. If they reject us, we believe we have failed.

Jesus, however, teaches something different: Our task is to be faithful; the outcome is in God’s hands.

Parents sometimes learn this the hard way. They have tried to pass on their faith to their children, but later on the children have stopped practising it. A priest may preach the Gospel for years and wonder whether anyone is actually listening to him at all. A Christian may try to help another person, only for that person to repeatedly turn down their help.

Jesus says, ‘Do what you can.’ Speak the truth in love. Set a positive example. Pray. But remember that you cannot force another person’s heart to open up.

Even God respects human freedom.

6. We, too, have been sent

At the end of every Holy Mass, we hear the words of sending: Go!

This is not just a polite way of saying that the service is over. The Eucharist sends us back out into the world.

We enter the church as disciples. We leave it as apostles.

Where are we being sent?

Perhaps just a few metres away – from our family.

Perhaps to our workplace.

Perhaps an elderly neighbour.

Perhaps for someone who has lost hope.

Perhaps towards someone with whom it is difficult to reconcile.

We don’t necessarily have to give long sermons. Sometimes, a single sentence spoken in faith is enough to change a life. Sometimes, a gesture of kindness can open a heart. Sometimes, the quiet and sincere way we live out our faith can lead another person to ask themselves: Where does this person get this hope from?

And then a door might open for God.

Fazit

Dear brothers and sisters,

Jesus once sent the Twelve out from village to village. Today, he sends us out.

Perhaps we don’t feel ready yet. The apostles felt the same way.

Perhaps we don’t feel strong. Neither did they.

Yet they possessed the most important thing: they had been called and sent by Christ.

So let us ask ourselves today:

Lord, where are you sending me? Who needs to experience your goodness through me? Who needs encouragement, forgiveness, hope, or simply my presence?

And when Jesus shows us the answer, we should not say, ‘Lord, send someone else.’

Let’s suppose:

“Lord, if you send me, I will go.
If you grant me your grace, I will put my trust in you.
And wherever I go, help me to bring you with me, not myself.”