Do not carry a traveler’s bag, or an extra shirt, or sandals, or walking-stick: workers deserve their living.
When you come to a town or a village, look for a worthy person and stay there until you leave.
As you enter the house, wish it peace. If the people in the house deserve it, your peace will be on them;
if they do not deserve it, your blessing will come back to you. And if you are not welcomed and your
words are not listened to, leave that house or that town and shake the dust off your feet. I assure you,
it will go easier for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than it will for the people
of that town.
Reflection:
The mission that Jesus commands His disciples to do has structure
and process. That is why it is easy to follow. Although how it is done may be the
hard part. But the mission is clear and easy to understand. The first part
is the content of the Good News and what they must do to reinforce it. The good
news is that the kingdom of heaven is near. The manifestation is healing
and restoration to good health, liberation from the bondage of evil and the
return to life. The second is how the missionary has to prepare. Bring only the
barest minimum, avoid leaping from one house to the next and conserve one’s
energy by not spending a long time to convince those who would not believe.
Because of its clarity, the first mission endeavor of the group is a resounding
success.
© Copyright Bible Diary 2021