Luke 9:1-6 - SENDING THE TWELVE
Sending the Twelve
Introduction
In this passage Jesus commissions the twelve. To properly understand and apply this passage we must keep in mind that the 12 have a special place in God’s purposes for the church, but they do not have exclusive claim to the means, mission, and message of Jesus. Their special place indicates that there will be discontinuity between them and us. The fact that they do not have exclusive claim to the means, mission, and message of Jesus indicates there will be continuity between them and us. Rightly understanding and applying this passage requires that we must compare and contrast the send of the 12 with our sending noting both the similarities and differences.
Luke 9:1-6 ESV
1 And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Main Idea: Jesus sends his disciples on mission with the means [his authority and power], the manifestation [healings and exorcisms], the message [the gospel of the kingdom], and the methods [specific instructions] to accomplish his purposes on the earth. Therefore, if we are his disciples we need to adopt the mission, avail ourselves of his means, appear as the manifestation, announce his message, and adapt the methods.
Mission
“… and he sent them out …”
All disciples are sent. There has never been a disciple of Jesus who wasn’t sent.All disciples have been commissioned for a mission by their Saviour.
This is an instance of a specific mission for the 12; I believe it is descriptive and not prescriptive.
We see here the beginning of active ministry by the 12 disciples on behalf of Jesus. But it is only the beginning. The sending of disciples into active ministry would expand to eventually include all disciples of Jesus for all time. We find the ultimate sending of disciples in Matthew 28.
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
The church has always understood this post-atonement, post-resurrection commission to be directed to all believers for all time. Paul reinforces this in 2 Corinthians 5.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21 ESV 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
For clarification in regards to being sent:
• All disciples are sent. Some disciples are doubly sent. All disciples are sent by Jesus. Some disciples are also sent by the church for a specific task.
• When we talk about missions—and there has been an increase in that sort of talk lately—we talk about senders and goers. And that is a biblical way to consider are responsibility as a church to fulfill the great commission.
The 12 were sent. The 72 were sent (Luke 10:1). All disciples are sent.
Do you understand that if you are a disciple you are sent to accomplish God’s purposes? Do you believe that is true about you? What are you doing in response to your being sent?
Do you see the glory of a God who sends his people to proclaim the salvation of other people?
Means
“And he called the twelve together and gave them power and authority”
Power = the ability to do something
Authority = the right to do something
Jesus bestows his own power and authority on the 12 to preachproclaim and healdeliver.
Continuity
We to have been endowed with the authority and power of Jesus
Matthew 28:18-20 ESV 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Acts 1:8 ESV 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
All of Jesus’ disciples are sent and in sending them, every last one of them, Jesus both authorizes and empowers their work.
Discontinuity
Our authority and power is based upon Matthew 28:18/Acts 1:8.
Authority and power of Jesus are ours as we teach and witness of him and his work of salvation on his behalf. It is a derived authority that emphasizes the message.
It seems anecdotally that where this is happening to a greater degree, the manifestation of Jesus’ authority and power in healings and deliverances are seen to a greater degree.
It does not seem that we have been given the power and authority in the same way as the apostles.
Even the apostles experience an ebb and flow of the manifestation of this power.
It seems as if they did not fail on this mission; though they do fail later (Matthew 17:14-21—the disciples fail to cast out a demon due to lack of faith).
Do you realize that you have been enabled and empowered by the Holy Spirit? Do you realize the Spirit is your divine authorization? 2 Corinthians 1:21-22 ESV 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, 22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. ESVSB: To establish is to confirm and make sure. To be anointed is to be set apart and gifted by God for his calling. A seal is mark of ownership, often used by ancient kings to signify ownership
Manifestation [an action that clearly shows or embodies something]
“… over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to … heal … And they departed and went through the villages … healing everywhere.”
Their mission was to manifest or demonstrate the coming of the kingdom of God and the resulting salvation of Jesus through the manifestation of healing and deliverance.
They were sent to declare and demonstrate that Jesus was the long-awaited Saviour:
• The first reference to Jesus as salvation is from Zechariah who declared, “And you, child [John the Baptist], will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins,” (Luke 1:76-77 ESV)
• The next use of “salvation” in the book of Luke is when Simeon, a righteous and devout man waiting for the Messiah, held Jesus and said, ““Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.”” (Luke 2:29-32 ESV).
Was healing/deliverance a manifestation of salvation?
• Demons – Luke 8:36 made well = saved
o Luke 8:36 ESV And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed [saved].
• Healing – Luke 6:9 to heal is to save
o Luke 6:9 ESV And Jesus said to them, “I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?”
Continuity
We too have a mission to demonstrate and declare the coming of the kingdom of God in salvation through Jesus Christ
We will discuss our declaration in the next point, but how are we to demonstrate the coming of the kingdom through the Saviour Jesus Christ
Our good works adorn the gospel – Matthew 5:16 ESV In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Discontinuity
At the time of Jesus, it seems that the demonstration of salvation through Jesus prepared the people for the message of Jesus.
Now, the message of Jesus prepares us to demonstrate the salvation of Jesus.
We do not seem to walk in the demonstration of the power and authority of Jesus through healings and exorcisms the way the Jesus and the disciples did though I do not believe this means they have disappeared from the life of the church.
Do you manifest the kingdom of God?
Not manifesting the kingdom of God = 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
Manifesting the kingdom of God = Romans 14:17-18 ESV 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men.
Especially = 2 Thessalonians 1:3-5 ESV 3 We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers, as is right, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. 4 Therefore we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions that you are enduring. 5 This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—
You manifest the kingdom of God by your faithfulness and godliness, especially in the midst of suffering!
Message
“… he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God … And they departed and went through the villages, preaching the gospel …”
Two aspects: the kingdom of Godthe gospel and proclaimingpreaching
Kingdom of God
Definition
• God’s royal reign over creation and his redemptive reign through Jesus. God’s sovereign rule over creation and his saving rule through Jesus. The kingdom of God is all about Jesus.
• The kingdom of God is eternal, disputed, at the very center of Christ’s purpose, at the very center of the disciples purpose, requires revelation to see and understand and accept, and for those who see it and understand it and accept it there is a great cost and there is an infinitely greater reward.
• To understand and accept the kingdom means to understand and accept Christ by faith and repentance. Those who accept Christ through faith and repentance are transferred from domain of darkness to the kingdom of Christ.
Acts 28:30-31 ESV He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him, proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance.
GOSPEL
Proclaim and preach
Continuity
• The message is the same. Mark 1:14-15 ESV 14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”
• Jesus brings the salvation of God. Repent and believe. We are still required to share it.
Are we proclaiming and preaching?
Methods
3 And he said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics. 4 And whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart. 5 And wherever they do not receive you, when you leave that town shake off the dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
This mission only; not prescriptive. Jesus tweaks it in Luke 22.
We should adapt the practices into appropriate principles.
1. God will provide – “Take nothing with you.”
2. Relationships are crucial – “Enter a house” and Mark 6:7 (2x2)
3. Rejection is part of the deal
a. Ryle: “All ministers of the Gospel would do well to read carefully this portion of our Lord's instructions. All missionaries, and district visitors, and Sunday-school teachers — would do well to lay it to heart. Let them not be cast down — if their work seems in vain, and their labor without profit. Let them remember that the very first preachers and teachers whom Jesus employed, were sent forth with a distinct warning that not all would believe. Let them work on patiently, and sow the good seed without fainting.