Mark 6:7-13  Click here for Bible Verses

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Mark 6:7-13.  Let’s go!

Mark 6:7 (NIV)
7  Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.

On verse 7:  Jesus was not just about serving crowds.  Even more, Jesus was about making disciples and sending them into the world to do what he did.  And this is what he does here.  He’s calling the Twelve to Himself and then sending them out with authority.

Mark 6:8-9 (NIV)
8  These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff–no bread, no bag, no money in your belts.
9  Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.

On verses 8-9:  Jesus didn’t just send his disciples out with authority.  He sent them out with instructions.  That’s smart leadership: giving authority and accountability.   Jesus’ first instruction here is about two things: live simply and stay hungry.  Jesus wanted his disciples to live in a way where their hope and dependency were in God, not in food (“no bread”), material possessions (“no bag”) or money.  They would simply be depending on God to provide for their basic needs as they served Him.

Mark 6:10 (NIV)
10  Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.

On verse 10:  Jesus’ next instruction is about being stable and consistent.  He tells his disciples not to keep moving from place to place, house to house.  For each time you needlessly uproot yourself from one place and park yourself in another place (church hoppers take heed) you’re needing to re-orient yourself again, all the while wasting your and other people’s time, resources and energy. When you’re so focused on moving from house to house, if you’re not careful, you could start acting more like a spiritual shopper than a disciple sent on a mission.  Instead, stay in one house, be stable, consistent, and build a reputation for being trustworthy and content.   God blesses that kind of disciple.

Mark 6:11 (NIV)
11  And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.”

On verse 11:  Jesus’ final instruction to his disciples before sending them out: shake off the dust.  In other words, when you’re on God’s mission, you will face rejection, setbacks and disappointments.  Don’t let them get you down.  Shake off the dust and move on.  There are so many other people you can reach, so don’t be caught up in the rejection of a few.

Mark 6:12-13 (NIV)
12  They went out and preached that people should repent.
13  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.

On verses 12-13:  The authority Jesus gives is real and so is the power that comes with that authority.  It wasn’t that the disciples were powerful in and of themselves, but it was the authority that Jesus gave them that was powerful.  Similarly, as a disciple of Jesus Christ, you have been given authority to represent Him in this world, to advance the kingdom of God against the kingdom of darkness.  Believe you have that authority when you serve Him, and great things will happen.

Jesus, I pray that I would live simply, stay hungry, and shake off the dust.  For Your glory, may I live in and live out the authority You have given to me as Your child.  In Jesus’ name, AMEN!