Imago Gospels - 29 - Road
Its not entirely clear in this section of Mark how long it has been since Jesus called the disciples to follow (in the narrative its only been a few chapters, but in real-time, its not clear)…and so what better time that now to send them out two-by-two not armed with a manual or a how-to, but just the sandals on their feet, a staff in their hands, and one tunic each. Nothing else - no extra food, no extra clothing, no money to pay for a place to stay. Just go and do what Jesus had been doing. Um…sure Jesus…no problem…Um…
I imagine the road might have looked something like this - dirty and dusty and the destination not quite clear. Yet, there it was. And they went and the amazing thing? They did it. They went. They did what Jesus had been doing. I wonder what the reaction was like as they came back and reported to Jesus.
I know that I like to know the plan. I like to have a clear picture of what I am to do and how to do it. I don’t like getting thrown into something where things aren’t entirely clear. As a pastor, I have heard this many times over as well - that its hard to lead a Bible study, its hard to talk about our faith, its hard to live a public faith if we aren’t trained and fully ready to go. While that is all good - training, preparation, planning, etc - I’m not sure that’s how Jesus modeled this for us in Mark 6. If we go in the power of the Spirit, is that all we truly need?