The story of the disciples being sent out two by two, without taking anything with them, is Good News! The Good News is that we don’t have to go on this journey of life alone. God provides friends who are sent out alongside us on our missions in life. Just as the disciples are sent out two by two, we have people around us who can be companions, cheerleaders, supporters, and advisors. We have our family, friends, and neighbors to keep us company on the way of discipleship. Thankfully, we don’t have to fly solo, and Jesus knows that teamwork makes the dreamwork!
Sometimes, we encounter people who do not want to hear what we have to say. When Jesus is preparing the disciples for their work, Jesus reminds them that not everyone will receive their message warmly. In fact, the disciples will not be welcomed everywhere they go. This is a good warning for us too. We will not find an open, welcoming environment everywhere we go. Sometimes, sharing Jesus’s message of liberating love and healing is not warmly received. That is okay. The Good News is that we don’t have to stay where we are not welcomed!
Jesus instructs his disciples to shake the dust off of their sandals, and keep moving. This act of shaking the dust off would have been very disrespectful to their hosts. Let’s remember, the disciples traveled on foot, in sandals, in the desert, and no one had running water. So, their feet would have been dusty and the dirtiest part of their bodies. Jesus gives the disciples permission to leave a place where they are not wanted.
THIS IS GOOD NEWS! We too can leave if we are not welcomed. Have you ever been to a place that did not feel right and you decided to leave? Not everywhere we go will have a giant All Are Welcome sign, and eagerly open the doors for us when we arrive. Not everywhere we go will want to hear the message of Jesus’s love and healing.
I wonder how I would react if strangers who were obviously on the road for many days, traveling without luggage, arrived on my doorstep? How would I react if they were eager to tell me about their messiah and offer me healing and anointing? I would like to say that I would jump for joy, open my door wide, offer them a cold drink (and hopefully a shower), and pull up some chairs to hear what they have to say. Would I do that? Or would I refuse to answer the door? Would I claim that I am too busy, too tired, too hungry, too skeptical, or too afraid to welcome these wandering humans into my home and hear what they have to say. How would you react?
I pray we all have good companions for our journey, and good places to gather together. I pray that if you don’t have good companions and/or sacred spaces, that you have the courage to walk away from what does not serve you, and find a better fit. God desires all of us to flourish and thrive! I pray that if a disciple wanders into our lives, that our hearts are open enough to welcome them in and hear what they have to say. I pray we are humble enough to know the parts of ourselves that need to be healed, and brave enough to be healed.
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