Leave the Bag

The Holy Gospel According to St. Mark, the 6th Chapter

Jesus left that place and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. On the sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astounded. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What is this wisdom that has been given to him? What deeds of power are being done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon, and are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Then Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor, except in their hometown, and among their own kin, and in their own house.” And he could do no deed of power there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and cured them. And he was amazed at their unbelief.

Then he went about among the villages teaching. He called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He ordered them to take nothing for their journey except a staff; no bread, no bag, no money in their belts; but to wear sandals and not to put on two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the place. If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that all should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.

Years ago, Kelly’s mom, got very sick.  They sent her to the University hospital in Birmingham.  We flew in and when we got there we found out she was dying.  I had been a pastor for about five years by this time, so I knew a few things about hospitals, cancer, death, dying and funerals.  The new thing I learned is that in the crisis, as the spouse of the baby sister, the other siblings couldn’t hear anything I had to say.  

In difficult times, families revert to the old ways.  The old way was ignoring the baby sister… and with her, her husband too it seems!  Kelly just rolled her eyes.  She’d literally grown up with it!  But as the oldest sibling in my family it was a challenging revelation to discover that, as the Gospel says it, “I could do no deed of power there!”  I could have been genuinely helpful.  But they just couldn’t receive it.  I did have some very relevant experience.  They just couldn’t hear it. 

I think the first part of this Gospel story is in here to let all of us know that even JESUS himself had days just like that!  Even Jesus encountered situations and people who, at that moment, just weren’t in a place to receive what he had to give, regardless of how much they needed it and regardless of how wonderful the gift might be.  So if that happened to Jesus himself, when it happens to us, it should help us to remember, it’s not personal.  Jesus models how to handle those days and those folks.  While the people took offense at Jesus, seeing him acting above his pay-grade… Jesus didn’t take it personally.  He noticed it for sure…  how could he not!  He was “amazed” at their unbelief, for sure, and with that little jab about the prophets not being welcomed in their homes, it looks like he was a bit frustrated too!  But he didn’t lash out, bad mouth them or make personal attacks.  He also didn’t keep pounding his head against that brick wall.  He did what little good he could do there and then hit the road.  

In the second part of this lesson, Jesus sends out the disciples, teaching them to work that same way.  He told them “If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust.”  Let it go.  I think if Jesus had lived in the age of social media, he would have said, “If any thread will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, shake off the dust on your mouse and click away!”  

There’s another piece to this lesson that I think is just as important but a lot harder to see.  When Jesus sends out the disciples, he sends them out with “no bread, no bag, and no money in their belts.  Sandals only and no coat.”  This certainly helps the disciples see that it’s not just them or what they bring with them that does the work.  God’s working too!  And THAT’S Good News!  It’s not all on us!  But there’s something deeper going on here as well.  Jesus set the disciples up to be interdependent with the communities they would visit.  As places welcomed them, put them up for the night, fed and cared for them… those were the places where amazing things happened!  Jesus was teaching them through their experiences on the road, that amazing things happen in interdependent, welcoming, hospitable communities of people!  In communities that put up walls and insist that everyone make it on their own, healing and wholeness often just keep walking down the road and into the sunset. 

The piece about not taking a “bag” with them turns out to be something the people of Jesus’ day would have clued into right away, but it’s something that isn’t as obvious to us today.  In those days, there were a group of philosophers known as the Cynics.  They believed in living an austere life, but also living a completely self-reliant life.  Disciples of that school of thought wandered around carrying “a bag” so they wouldn’t have to rely on anyone as they preached a message of living in the middle of everyone, but not depending on anyone.  

When Jesus sent out his disciples without a bag, Jesus was preaching without words that the TRUTH is, God created human beings to support and care for one another… that together, in community, amazing and powerful things happen.  By welcoming the stranger… by living a life of hospitality… by caring for people along the Way… you end up becoming a community of healing and wholeness.  He was showing them that the solution for the demons of the world is for us to come together, feed, shelter, and welcome one another.  The cynical solution was that we should all make our own way… follow nature’s example of the survival of the fittest, but Jesus was proclaiming that’s not how God made humans!  Humans were made to walk and live an interdependent existence with one another… THAT is the path that leads to healing, wholeness, light and life.  

Jesus shows the disciples what the dust is that needs to be shaken off humanity’s feet.  We need to shake off the dust of unwelcoming communities, entrenched, tribal and fear-filled lives.  We need to shake off the dust of the cynical idea of survival of the fittest and everyone for themselves.  But Jesus ALSO shows us what we need to move TOWARD in our lives as well… we need to always work to become more and more, communities of welcome and hospitality.  Move toward embracing the gifts of those who are new to town.  Move toward a knowledge that God is working… doing deeds of power through us and through our neighbors and remember always that God is working even while we sleep.  May we at Christ Trinity continue to model an interdependent community of welcome and hospitality.  May we not get stuck covered with dust, pounding our head against walls that are not yet ready to hear and may we keep watch for God’s deeds of power which, even in these very difficult times, are still happening all around us and even now, changing the world!  Amen.