1,1997
a
The Message -- for Catholics of Southwestern Indiana
11
'mentary --
Lring in Jesus' mission: Missionary instructions
Commentary for July
Sunday: Ordi-
Cycle B: Mark 6:7-13
Last Sunday's gospel ended with
from his hometown,
There he was treated with
found little response to
'. The result, Jesus contin-
of preaching the reign
in other villages.
schedule of Jesus' ministry,
time privately teach-
He had chosen for
Work 12 from among his disci-
work was "to be with him
be sent out to preach and have authority to
Mark 3:14. With their initial train-
Jesus sends them out to extend
word "apostle" means "one who
Mark Will not call them "apostles"
return from this mission.
now adds his version of Jesus' missionary
Such instructions are found also in
and Luke but with some differences. It is
!Possible that all the Christian Churches had
set of missionary instructions derived
but adapted to differing circumstances.
of missionary instructions is found in a
century document called "The Didache,"
Teaching of the Twelve Apostles." Mark
Jesus sent the disciples in pairs. This
been a custom adopted from Jesus' first
John the Baptist. We are told,
that John the Baptist sent a pair of
to obtain information from Jesus. The
continued this practice, as we see in
8Acts of Apostles, e.g. Peter and John, Barn-
Saul, Paul and Silas.
also recalls that Jesus had given them
By FATHER
DON DILGER
COLUMNIST
power over unclean spirits. Their
power seems to have been limited,
since Mark depicts the apostles
attempting to cast out demons but
without success in 9:18. The father
of a sick child has to turn to Jesus
for a successful exorcism. The dis-
ciples later ask Jesus why they had
no power over this particular
demon. Jesus answers, "This kind
can be driven out only by prayer."
Exorcisms were quite common
before, during, and after Jesus'
time. There were even exorcism
contests between disciples of Jesus
and other Jewish exorcists, see
Luke 9:49-50 and Acts 19:13-19. Demon possession
was a common diagnosis for about any illness. Thus
Matthew and Luke add to Mark's version that
Jesus gave them power to cure all diseases.
Jesus' instructions in detail: the disciples were
to take nothing for their journey except a staff in
Mark. Luke and Matthew allow no staff. They were
to take no bread, no bag, no money in their belts. A
bag could contain a lot of money, a belt only a little,
but they were to work without any financial securi-
ty. Mark's version allows them to wear sandals but
Matthew's Jesus forbids them. All three versions
forbid the missionaries to take along two "tunics."
The Greek word used for "tunic" means the inner
garment worn closest to the skin. When they enter
a house, in that house they are to stay for the dura-
tion of their preaching in a particular town. The
object of this regulation seems to have been to pre-
vent sod?al climbing, staying at one home until a
better one is found. Matthew's version permits mis-
sionaries to scout around for someone "who is wor-
thy," then to stay with that person. We learn from
The Didache mentioned above that traveling mis-
sionaries could be a problem for the early Church.
This document gives specific directions for deter-
mining true missionaries from moochers. For exam-
ple, "Let him not stay more than one day, or if need
be, a second as well, but if he stays three days, he is
a false prophet." If he asks for money when he
leaves, he is false prophet. If he does not do what he
teaches, he is false prophet, etc.
Finally, Mark's Jesus tells the disciples, "If any
place will not receive you and they refuse to hear
you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on
your feet for a witness against them." This action
may have been intended as a curse. As such we do
not like to attribute these words to Jesus but to
later practice. Paul however used such a custom
according to Acts 13:51 and 18:6, but Paul was not
above cursing his enemies, see Galatians 5:12 and I
Corinthians 16:22, even though he preached
against doing this, Romans 12:14. Perhaps the
gospels intend such a reaction as thought-provoking
for those against whom it is done and not'intended
to call down upon them some violent reprisal.
Such were the first century instructions for
Christian missionaries. Obviously the details may not
all apply t 9 our time. The limitations they placed on
the missionaries were intended not only to show com-
plete confidence in God, but also to allow those who
benefit from the gospel to share in the work of pro-
claiming the gospel. As Paul wrote in I Corinthians 9:
11, "If we have sown spiritual good among you, is it
too much if we reap your material benefits?" The mis-
sionary instructions demonstrate how seriously early
Christianity went about spreading the message from
and about Jesus. It was a serious obligation. Paul
wrote: "Woe to me, ifI do not preach the gospel!" But
isn't this the obligation of every Christian? The gospel
asks each of us to respond in our own way and
according to our circumstances to the instructions of
Jesus, to bring healing and knowledge to the world.
Readings: Amos 7:12.15; Ephesians 1:3-14.
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eyer,
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Dinners
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SundaX, July 20
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