Packing list: one tunic

 This week's verses are Mark 6:7-13:

Jesus called the twelve and began to send them out two by two. He gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— and to put on sandals but not to wear two tunics. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave the area. If a place will not welcome you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and preached that all should repent. They cast out many demons and anointed many sick people with olive oil and healed them.

 These verses come after Jesus had preached in his hometown to a faithless crowd. And now he sends his disciples out for an unscheduled (for them) evangelism outreach. It's the first time anyone has done something like that, and he doesn't make it easy for them with his instructions not to prepare for the journey.

Of all the timing to ask them to share their faith, you'd think they'd put the story after some miracles and signs and wonders, so their faith would be at a high point, but no. Or you'd think Jesus would have at least manipulated them like we do now, with some inspirational music, repeatedly asking them if they're excited about the kingdom of God, and shaming them if they don't yell "yes!" loud enough. But no, he just pairs them up, deputizes them, and sends them into battle.

Being sent off with little or no preparation, is a bit like modern Christianity. Most of us don't have any recent experiences with miracles, but we're sent out into the world to preach a God we barely know with authority we're not sure we even have. To imagine being in their place we only have to look at our own faith walk. No idea where we're going, surrounded by people who disagree, sometimes violently, but walking in obedience.

And remember, this is before the days of telephones and ATM machines. They didn't even have travelers checks. If you were going to go out for a journey, you were stuck with whatever you carried with you. And here Jesus is telling them, don't put aside extra, don't carry a spare anything, not even a jacket for if it gets cold. It is the exact opposite of how I pack!

But that is also a bit like how we are called to live. We're not asked to put away large sums of money just in case, and to stack contingencies on contingencies. We do it because we think we're on our own, and that's what solo travelers do, but Jesus' point to us is that we're not alone, even if it seems like it. Are we living a one-tunic lifestyle, or are we carrying backpacks clipped to backpacks, with a refrigerator-sized rolly-bag dragging along behind us, just in case?

And he tells them to be loyal even to their own disadvantage. If they manage to find someone mediocre to stay with and then his neighbor with a pool and air conditioning offers them an upgrade, they're supposed to say "no," and not shop around. If you've ever found yourself in way-less-than-five-star accommodations and no way to change for something better, you know what a sacrifice that is.

But what if that was life advice? What if after you worked your two years, and you didn't get a raise, you weren't allowed to shop around like career tinder and swipe right on a better paying gig? What if you had to be content with your circumstances, and loyal? It's a very different way of looking at life than our current me-culture endorses.

That's not to say that we need to endure abuse or continue in circumstances that are preventing us from doing God's work. Jesus tells the disciples to shake the dust off their feet and leave. Shaking dust off of your feet acknowledges that a place is dirty. Acknowledge the hostility and move on. Don't burn yourself out trying to fix what doesn't want to be fixed.

The result is miraculous. With no preparation, no reserves, no politicking, and no taking needless abuse, they're still able to do everything they were sent to do. They preached the difficult (but good) news, cast out demons, and healed the sick. With all of our luxury and self-directed life paths, have we done anything as impressive as that?

If Jesus sent you out with no warning, would you go? Would he tell you you're overpacked? If you were in spartan accommodations, would you accept them and honor the one who provided them? Are you wasting your time on someone or something that isn't compatible with God's message through you? And do you realize you have authority to lead people to change, to deliver them from demons, and to heal the sick?

Meditate on these verses and imagine yourself in the disciples' shoes. Because maybe we are.