Luke 9:1-9
“and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” (Luke 9:2)

In this morning’s passage, Jesus begins a new phase in his disciple ministry. Up to now, Jesus’ disciples had mostly stood on the sidelines, watching Jesus in awe. In the last few passages, they saw Jesus calm a storm, cast out a legion of demons, heal a woman of a chronic illness and raise a girl from the dead. Wow! But they were mostly sight-seers, watching Jesus as he did amazing things. Sometimes they assisted him, by baptizing people or going to get food. But they had rarely been on their own, or required to show initiative or leadership. In those few cases where they were on their own, there performance was usually not impressive. For instance in the last chapter, we found the disciples in a boat with Jesus. A sudden storm came upon them, but Jesus was sleeping. How did the disciples react without Jesus? They panicked and were sure they would drown. Jesus rebuked them, “Where is your faith?

When we think of the disciples, it may seem like they are not ready to be left alone. But Jesus saw them differently. He sent them out on a very tough mission. These ordinary, unschooled men had a powerful short-term mission trip – not because of their abilities, but because Jesus gave them power. From this passage, let’s learn how we, too, can look beyond our own weaknesses – and those of our Bible students – to see what God may do through us by his power. Let us learn the heart of Jesus to reach everyone with the gospel by training new workers for the harvest field.

Part 1. He Sent Them Out to Preach
Let’s read verse 1-2 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.”

Sometimes Jesus worked with large crowds of people but he increasingly focused his attention on a few select people -- his twelve disciples. It is natural for us to think that working with large crowds is more impressive than working with a few people. But actually, the best way to reach the most people is to focus our energies on just a few. Jesus was raising coworkers. Mk 3:14-15 that “He appointed twelve—designating them apostles—that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach and to have authority to drive out demons.” The word disciple means “student,” but the word apostle means “one who is sent out.” Through twelve ordinary people, no more qualified than us, Jesus planned to reach the entire world with the gospel.

Of course, when the disciples went out two by two, they could preach in six places at once and cover more ground. But there was another reason why Jesus sent out his disciples. It was also for their own growth. They needed to learn to depend on God. They needed to learn faith and courage. They needed to learn Jesus’ heart for the world. They needed to become like Jesus. As Jesus was sent into the world, he now sent them. Jesus would not be with them much longer and they needed to learn how to follow his example.

When Jesus sent them out, he did not let them take many things. But he did give them the one thing that they needed. Let’s look at verse 1a again. “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority...”

What did it mean that he gave them power and authority? Men have little power. The disciples also were weak and prone to failure. But when Jesus gave them power, they became powerful. They became fully equipped to do God’s work. Similarly, Jesus gave them authority. The religious leaders often questioned Jesus’ authority, because he had not gone to a seminary. But the common people recognized that Jesus spoke with authority (Lk 4:32,36, 7:8).

It is important to know if we also have this power and authority when we go out to preach. When we go out to witness, sometimes we may feel powerless, if we are continually rejected. And we may question our authority. One student asked me who had told me to go out and talk to people about the Bible. He said this to accuse me. People in our society seem to want to be left alone. If you talk to people, some will think, “Who do you think you are, to go around and tell other people what they should believe?” So, when we go out, it is important to know whether we have Jesus’ power and authority.

From Jesus own words, we can have confidence that we do have power and authority to preach, although in a different way than in the current passage. Theologians point out that, in Luke chapter 9, Jesus gave his disciples direct power and authority, because the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. Today, through the Holy Spirit we to have power and authority. Jesus tells us in Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And in Mt 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” We must know that, when we do the work of God, we have authority and power, not because of ourselves, but because of the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

Look again at verses 1-2 “When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.” In these verses, we can find three purposes that Jesus had in sending out the twelve. They are: 1) to drive out all demons, 2) to cure diseases and heal the sick, and 3) to preach the Kingdom of God. Let’s look at each of these purposes.

First, he sent them to drive out all demons. These days, people discount demons and even doubt the existence of Satan. But the Bible calls Satan the prince of this world, and reveals that the fallen world is under Satanic control. Jesus was sending his disciples like sheep among wolves, into strongholds of Satanic influence. But he gave them authority and power over all demonic forces. Eph 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” This point is elaborated further in Luke chapter 10, when Jesus sends out the 72.
Second, he sent them to cure diseases and to heal the sick. One reason for this was obviously to validate their message. When people saw their miraculous work, they might listen to what they said. But another reason was Jesus’ genuine concern for the suffering of men. Jesus was filled with compassion for the sick, and he wanted his disciples to also learn how to love those in need. He did not send his disciples to simply preach, but also to care for people and heal them.

Third, and fundamentally, Jesus sent his disciples to preach the Kingdom of God. Jesus continually taught about the Kingdom of God. It was his first message: “The time has come. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15) He continually taught about the Kingdom of God. (Lk 4:43, 6:20, 8:1). Even after his resurrection, we read that “He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.” (Ac 1:3b) He even taught parables to describe the Kingdom of God. And yet, to many of us, the Kingdom of God probably still seems like a vague concept. What really is the Kingdom of God?

Ever since Adam and Eve sinned, men have lived in a cursed world. Men longed for reconciliation with God. The Jewish people were waiting eagerly for the Kingdom of God. (Lk 19:11,23:51). To them it meant the coming of the Messiah to reign on David’s throne. When we think of the Kingdom of God, we are likely to imagine a picture of heaven or of the Judgment Day. When we think this way, the Kingdom of God seems abstract and far off. But Jesus proclaimed, “The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within you.” (Lk 17:21)

Put simply, the Kingdom of God is where God is King. In particular, it is Jesus, the Son of God, is described as our King, the King of Kings. When Jesus came to earth, he brought the Kingdom of God (Dan 2:34-35, 44-45, Lk 16:16). The Kingdom of God is not far off, but near us (Mk 1:15), and can be within us, if we will accept Jesus as our King. It is not a vague concept, but a graspable reality. Because it is near to us, we may lay hold of it. Luke 16:16 declares, “The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing his way into it.”

When I go to campus, I see people who look very far from the Kingdom of God. Some have ear rings and nose rings and lip rings and eyebrow rings, dark makeup, and dark clothes. When I think of the people of this generation, I find myself wondering: what is the best message to give them? What is the word of God that they will see as relevant to them? Is their some postmodern way of packaging the gospel so that they will understand it? But really, the people of today are not so different from other generations; we should preach as Jesus did, about the Kingdom of God.

Why are people filled with anger and despair? It is because they have no hope of God’s Kingdom. Jesus proclaimed that his kingdom is not of this world (Jn 18:36), and that no one can see the Kingdom of God unless they are born again. (Jn 3:3). That is why people need to be told about Jesus, their King. When people cannot see the Kingdom of God, they only see the kingdoms of men. Many young people today do not like the President, and protest the war. Isn’t this because their hearts long, without knowing it, for the perfect King, the Prince of Peace? Isn’t the despair of our society due to a lack of hope, because people see things in the world going from bad to worse? Isn’t the good news of God’s sovereignty over even the chaos of the world the message people need to hear?

When people realize that the Kingdom of God is near to them, something happens. Hope stirs in their hearts. They dare to reach out and grab it. As a young Christian, it gave me encouragement that Jesus called on us to force our way into the Kingdom of God (Lk 16:16), without taking no for an answer.

Part 2 Principles of Gospel Work

When Jesus sent out the twelve, he gave them specific instructions, that reveal principles of gospel work. The first principle is to depend on God; it is found in verse 3. “He told them: ‘Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.’” They were to take nothing but the clothes on their back. We can imagine how difficult it is to go into a strange town, not knowing anyone, not knowing where you will eat or sleep, and having no money in your pocket. For instance, one time I was in line at McDonalds, I had a dollar and wanted to order something of the 99 cent menu. But, because of tax, the cheeseburger cost $1.04. Since I did not have the four cents, I could not buy the sandwich. If you do not have any money, you cannot eat.

Considering that the disciples are young, and that they have never gone out before, we might have expected that Jesus would start them off with an easy assignment. I remember the first time that I went witnessing, just the idea of walking up to people seemed more challenging than I could handle. But, surprisingly, Jesus sent them out on a very difficult mission. They could not take anything with them at all. Jesus gave this instruction because he wanted them to learn to depend on God.

Luke 22:35-36a, tells us how the disciples faired: “When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" "Nothing," they answered. He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag;…” This quotation also shows that Jesus did not intend for his disciples to never take anything with them when they traveled. We should not think of Luke 9:3 as a model to always follow, but instead as a training exercise. For instance, when our journey team went to the world mission report a few weeks ago, it would have been irresponsible if they had not packed any luggage; they would have been a burden.

But if Lk 9:3 was a training exercise, then we should ask what Jesus wanted the disciples and us to learn through this training. They were to learn God’s provision. To know that God is the provider of our needs is a basic teaching of the Bible. A test of whether people have faith is whether they trust him to provide what they need. Jesus assures us, “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” When the disciples trusted God, they lacked nothing. Jesus had wisdom to help the disciples to overcome their dependence on themselves by having them take nothing for their journey, so that they would be forced to depend on God.
Some young people are being called by God to go out. We may think that we are not ready, because we are immature. Or we may think that we need to make more preparations. But Jesus trained his young disciples to go, just as they were and to trust God to provide. A few years ago, we had a biographical presentation on the life of Gladys Ailward. She was called to go to China, but there looked to be no way for her to go. But she found a way, and went with nothing. After many difficulties she established a beautiful orphanage ministry that brought compassion and the message of Jesus to many thousands of Chinese people.

Verse 4 shows the principles on staying in one place and focusing on a core group of people: “Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.” They were not to move from house to house as they liked, but they must stay at the place where God had provided and be thankful. Moreover, Mt 10:11 shows that they were instructed not to go to the first house they found, but that they were to “search for some worthy person there and stay at his house…” This means that even though they would only be in each town for a few days, they were to spend extra time with one worthy household. This is a general pattern of gospel work: just as Jesus preached to large crowds but focused on a few disciples, so they would preach to whole towns but focus on one family. Since they would only be there a few days, it was necessary to help one family to grow and carry on the work after they left. Paul followed the same model on his mission journeys; in Philippi, he met a woman named Lydia, and her house soon became a house church. Early church history is dominated by house churches. We also follow this model when we go witnessing on campus. We talk to many people, but we are searching for a few worthy people who can commit to Bible study and follow Jesus.

Verse 5 shows a third principle, which can be called being absolute or not compromising. “If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” When a town rejected the disciples, they could perhaps, take it personally and get angry. Or they could compromise and try to smooth over the differences. But Jesus instructed them to be clear about the seriousness of the rejection – without getting angry.

An example of an angry response is seen later in Luke chapter 9. In verses 51-56, a Samaritan town rejected Jesus, so James and John asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” But Jesus rebuked them.

Shaking the dust off of your feet was a custom that Jews would have understood, and taken offense at. It was what they would do if they had to pass through a gentile town. The idea was that, since gentiles were unclean, the very dust of their town that stuck to their shoes was unclean. Shaking the dust off of their feet should the disdain of the Jews for gentiles. When they saw the disciples doing the same thing, it would be offensive – but it would also be clear, and might, perhaps, make them rethink their actions.

We live in a relativistic society that does not like absolutes and a politically correct society that does not want to tell anyone that they are wrong. But the gospel is absolute. Mark 16:16 says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, whoever does not believe will be condemned.” This verse is very clear. When someone rejects you, they are not rejecting you but the gospel. We do not have to take it personally, but neither ought we to compromise.

As a ministry, we do not go from town to town, but rather from student to student. And we find many who do not welcome us. I find that my human nature does not want to offend anyone, so, when I am rejected, I want to say, “OK” and move on to the next person. But we should be careful to present the gospel correctly, and not tell someone that they are OK if they are not. Instead, with love and respect, we should share the seriousness of their decision. There is nothing more that we can do but simply shake the dust off our feet and move on. Those who reject the gospel message are responsible for their own souls.

The result of the disciples mission trip was powerful. Verse 6 says, “So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.” Verse 7-9 show that even Herod the tetrarch (a sort of king) heard about all that was going on. Their ministry reminded people of John the Baptist’s fiery preaching that caused people to repent, and of Elijah’s powerful miracles. When the disciples went out, however, the attention did not focus on them, but on Jesus. So that even Herod want to see Jesus, albeit for the wrong reasons.

This week, summer classes begin on campus. Summer ministry is hot and dry. Students are very busy, because the classes are condensed into 6 weeks. And there are fewer students, and some are only here for the summer. Moreover, we might feel like we want to take a vacation. But Jesus’ heart to reach all people with the gospel is constant. Some of the villages the disciples visited were quite small. Some did not want to hear the message. But Jesus sent his disciples out to preach the Kingdom of God, and he continues to send people all over the world. Some of our young members were even sent to China. Let’s know our identity and authority as people sent by Jesus to proclaim the gospel to the lost, and be obedient to Jesus’ world mission command. In verse 10, the disciples returned and reported to Jesus what they had done. Let’s go out this week, and return this Friday to give a report about what happened.