Monday 10 June 2024
Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. (vs 1-2)
Background
Jesus was always destined to bring God to people who did not know him. As a baby being presented in the Temple, he is called “a light for revelation to the Gentiles” (Luke 2:32). At the moment of his death (23:45), the Temple veil which separated God from the people was dramatically torn in two, revealing God to the whole world. Jesus’s mission from birth to death appears to be to reveal a God who was previously restricted to God’s chosen people – the Jews – to every person on earth.
Jesus did preach the good news for everybody, and he wanted those outside his own religious tradition to come to know God. Yet we must remember that this did not mean Jesus rejected the Jews, or Judaism. Most of Jesus’ ministry took place on Jewish land, where he healed, fed and loved Jews. He chose them to be his disciples, and he left the fate of his Church in their hands when he ascended into heaven.
In today’s reading, the 12 disciples are sent out into Jewish areas to perform miracles and preach about the kingdom of God. Twelve is a recurring number in the Bible, always associated with the Jews. There are 12 tribes of Israel and 12 baskets of leftovers at the 'feeding of the 5000', where Jesus performs a miracle for a Jewish crowd.
The 12 are being specifically sent out to Jesus’ own people.
Later, in Luke 10:1-24, Jesus sends out 70 (or 72: ancient manuscripts vary in the number they give) people to preach in Gentile (non-Jewish) areas.
Both seven and 70 were numbers associated with Gentiles, for example there are seven baskets of leftovers when Jesus feeds the 4000 on Gentile soil (Mark 8:1-10), and there are seven non-Jewish deacons in Acts 6:1-4. It was generally believed that the world contained 70 nations (see Genesis 10), so Jesus sending out 70 messengers is significant: he wants the whole world to know his message.
Luke's Gospel does not only contain accounts of Jesus extending knowledge of God to those who do not know him. He includes Jews and non-Jews alike, preaching to a world where all people have access to God’s love.
To Ponder:
- How do you think the disciples felt when they were asked to preach to strangers in new areas?
- Why do you think Jesus instructed his followers to take nothing for the journey?
- Every person is loved by God. How does this inform your interactions with other people?
Prayer
God of all people, we pray for the wisdom and courage to promote unity, not uniformity, in our world. Help us to recognise the similarities that bind us together, and to celebrate what makes us different. We pray that we may respect and love people of all faiths, cultures and traditions, and to see you in every person we encounter. Amen.
Bible notes author: Natasha Pritchard
Natasha is the Area Support Chaplain, MHA.