Luke 9
“Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money – not even an extra tunic.” This is what Jesus instructed to his apostles when he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. Matthew’s and Mark’s gospels also have very similar instructions of Jesus at sending out the apostles. In St Matthew’s, Jesus tells his apostles, “Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick.” Again, in St Mark’s, Jesus instructs “them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick – no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.”
The details are a bit different from one another, but, the spirit of the instructions is clear: Depend only on the power of the Lord. Also, we feel certain urgency in the words of Jesus – the Good News must be proclaimed now than later.
Now, when I examine myself, I find myself heavily depend on those things Jesus forbade. And I am also waiting for a certain optimal environment and atmosphere for evangelization. But Jesus reminds me that he sent out his apostles when there was no existing network of Christians. The apostles didn’t have access to any social privilege that could facilitate their activities. Neither could they offer services and charities out of their resources. As for the proclamation of the Gospel, most of the apostles were not trained for rhetoric or speech. They were not equipped to convert people by knowledge and eloquence. The apostles had to depend on the power of the Lord. And they also relied on the support of the people they encounter on their missionary journeys.
Let alone the priests of the Church, average Christians living in this age enjoy a better position to proclaim the Good News. We just don’t proclaim the Gospel. Let us pray that our Lord may pour into us the zeal to bring the Gospel to ourselves and others. And let us remind ourselves today is the day to proclaim the Good News, not tomorrow.
