Coffee With God

Reflection: Luke 9: 1-6

We read from chapter 9 of the Gospel of Luke today with Jesus sending his chosen Twelve on their mission. A pile of wood does not create a fire if there are no flames. In the same way, no matter how many Christians gather together, there is no church if there is no mission. Jesus gathered the twelve disciples around him not for protection, nor for pleasant company. Following Jesus is with the purpose of the mission to the world. Jesus entrusted the twelve with tasks that were beyond their skills. An employer hires an employee for the skills he has. The employer gives him tasks that are within his ability to fulfill. But that wasn’t the case with Jesus. But, fortunately, Jesus was employing these Twelve for work that was well beyond their existing skills, work they were not capable of doing. Imagine, if the salvation of the world depended on the ability or the talents of us, Christians, or the other Christians we have known, then pity the state of this world! But Christian mission is not about our hard work, our learning, our talents, our programs. Rather, it is about the power of God at work, and Jesus promised his disciples that power. The Twelve were tasked with a four-fold mission: To Drive out demons – and set people free spiritually; to Cure diseases – and set people free physically; to Proclaim the kingdom of God – beyond the boundaries of a place, a territory, or an organization and to Heal the sick. Entrusting the disciples with this task also meant they were to go and find people in need, to visit people in their towns, heal the sick, preach the kingdom, and be his apostle to them. The power was given to them, not to sit down on the nearest rock and invite anyone who wanted to hear what they had to say to come and sit at their feet. This is the message that we must carry home today. The Mission entrusted to us today is to go out – do not stay put – but to go out in search of people who are in need of physical and spiritual healing, freedom from the bondage of sinful habits, behaviors, and attitudes. Waiting for people to find their way to us is not a model Jesus either practiced or taught. How far will we be able to carry out this task, because Jesus also commands: “Take nothing for the journey.” Wrong question to ask! He wants us to trust in his providence. The one who entrusted us with the mission also has given us the power to do the task. Do not doubt his powers!