Groundwork for the revolution

This week's verses are Matthew 10:7-10:

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts, no bag for the journey, or an extra tunic, or sandals or staff, for the worker deserves his provisions.

Imagine you worked for the intelligence agency of a major superpower, and that superpower was planning to invade a much less developed country. What might that superpower do ahead of time, in order to win people to its side before the invasion? Would it give out gifts? Sabotage infrastructure? Build some relationships with receptive parties in preparation for the big invasion? Maybe perform some displays of power and advanced technology? If you were sent into that developing country, what might that superpower have you secretly doing on their behalf?

In these verses, Jesus is sending out the twelve apostles to go spread the good news of what is about to happen. "The kingdom of heaven is near!" These are his most trusted companions and they have very specific instructions. They've been sent out into the world to bless the people they encounter, upset the balance of spiritual power, and demonstrate how things go when God's will is fully done.

The apostles are healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the (seemingly impossible to clean) lepers, and casting out demons. They are reversing the enemy's victories, doing the impossible with miraculous power that was vested in them, and casting out the demonic agents of evil from the people they were terrorizing. It is unprecedented.

It's a raw demonstration of power. The conflict between good and evil is no contest. God wins. And the people can't help but be impressed. Imagine a group of mysterious people rolled into your neighborhood, rebuilt the broken down infrastructure, provided medical services you couldn't otherwise afford, chased the local gang out of town with some pretty heavy weaponry, and whispered to anyone who would hear "the revolution is coming." Wouldn't you naturally welcome their friendship?

Compare that to how the world's revolutions look. Buildings are on fire, infrastructure destroyed, people are hurt and injured, billions of dollars are wasted, and instead of good news of reconciliation every voice is inciting people to more hatred, more destruction, and more ignorant, unforgiving revenge. The devil came to steal, kill, and destroy, right? What do people find appealing in that?

Jesus says "freely you received, freely give." None of that "for an easy one time donation of $39.95" stuff we've gotten too used to. He knew people would be tempted to try to profit from what he was doing. If the government is dropping pallets of $100 bills, they're not going to miss a few bundles stuffed in your pocket, right? Surely nobody is going to miss thirty pieces of silver...

But Jesus goes a step further and tells them not to even bring money! They're not going to waste time haggling with innkeepers, spacing out the length of their trip based on how many clean clothes they packed, how much money they brought, and so on. Such will God's blessing be through them that people will welcome them at every step. What superpower on earth can make a claim like that?

These verses are an interesting look at how the kingdom of God spreads into the world. Not with street theater performances and songs, not with paper tracts being handed out, not with philosophical debates with clever verbal swashbuckling. Just the power of God blessing people who up to that point had never heard how great He is. The price is paid not in donations but in blood.

Ask yourself whose kingdom is advancing through your words and actions. Are you sharing what was freely given to you, paid for by Jesus' blood on the cross? Or are you spreading the world's deadly kingdom instead, demanding a pound of flesh from others and leaving things worse than you found them?

Only one revolution will succeed. Which kingdom do you want you and yours to spend eternity in?