18-       “Two by Two”

15^th Sunday in O.T. (B); July 15, 2018

ay in O.T. (B); July 15, 2018

Am 7:12-15   Ps 85   Eph 1:3-15   Mk 6:71-3

Deacon Jim McFadden; St. John the Baptist C.C.

 

In Mark’s gospel, we read that Jesus sent out the Twelve “two by two,” which is relevant to us because   we are all in some way successors to the Apostles as we proclaim in the creed that we believe in “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.” Here Jesus is giving them and us our “marching orders. He’s going to explain what he wants his disciples to do; so, we should listen attentively.

Listen to what he says: “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two…” (Mk 6:7a). First of all, the beautiful symbol of the Twelve hearkens back to the Twelve Tribes of Israel, which is meant to be a light to the world.   What’s the Church?—the New Israel. What was Israel’s purpose?—it was by its own unity, praise, and love to become a magnet to the world. Israel was meant to be the gathering place for the whole world to encounter the one true God. That’s the essential marching order given to the Church to this day. That’s the significance of Bernini’s columns emanating from St. Peter’s Basilica: the Church opens its arms to the world so that people may come into the presence of Christ Jesus. The Church is the new Twelve, the New Israel, which has the same purpose: by the very compelling power of our love and praise, people will be drawn to the true God. So, that’s our identity.

He sent them out “two by two.” Christianity is inescapably a communitarian religion. We’re implicated in each other in a communio, in a connection. Why? God himself is a communion of three Persons and we are made in the image of that communitarian-God. The Church is not a collectivity of individuals; it’s a mystical Body; it’s an organism. Therefore, its so important that the members go out “two by two” and not as individuals. Ours is not a private, individualized religion; it’s not a private, interior spirituality. It’s always about communion because God is communio. And, the purpose of the Church is to draw the whole world into this divine family. That’s why it’s so important that they and we go out “two by two.”

            Next, it says that “he gave them authority over unclean spirits

(v. 7b). Christianity is a fighting religion; we are involved in spiritual combat with the forces of darkness and evil.

Look at the gospels and what you see is a struggle, a fight. Jesus is a warrior. Is he battling personal sin? Yes! Is he fighting institutional sin? Yes! Is he up against collective dysfunction? Yes! He knows all about these.

But, ultimately he is doing battle, as Paul says, with powers and principalities. Are their dark spiritual powers that stand behind the dysfunction of the world personally and collectively? Yes!—that’s the answer the Bible gives up and down the centuries. The Church is a fighting church because whenever we see cruelty, injustice, and corruption, we fight it using the weapons of Gospel values. We sense behind those dysfunctions is a spiritual disorder and we are sent out to battle those dark forces.   And, in the name of Jesus, the Church breaks the power of these evil spirits because “He gave them authority over unclean spirits.”

Then he instructed them to take nothing for the journey—no food, no sack, no money in their belts” (v. 8). Now, I submit to you, brothers and sisters, that 2000 years later this is still breathtaking stuff. Can you imagine going out on any journey, say, on a vacation, without food, a wallet with credit cards, or a suitcase?   I can’t imagine going to Sacramento International Airport with nothing but my boarding pass! To do that, you’d have to be in a radical stance of God’s providence. See, I think Jesus is bringing his disciples into a kind of initiation ritual: tough, hard—yes, that the whole point to get them off their hyper-reliance upon themselves and get into a reliance upon God’s providence.

But, Jesus does tell them to bring a walking stick and sandals, which are used for movement. Buddhism has been called the “sitting religion” because Siddhartha sat beneath the bodhi tree and came to enlightenment. Christianity, in contrast, is a religion on the move because it’s a religion of mission. Nobody is ever given an experience of God without at the same time being sent. Israel collectively has a mission; individual Israelites addressed by God have a mission, whether that be Abraham, Moses, David, or Isaiah. And, so all of us today are, what Pope Francis calls missionary disciples. We’ve got a mission; we’ve been sent and its time to move!

Now, listen when Jesus says, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave from there” (v. 10). While that sounds commonplace enough, think about it for a moment. What Jesus may be saying is that don’t fuss about finding a better place to stay. Don’t worry if the place you’re staying is not up to your standards or that there is a better place around the corner.   Who cares? Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave.   Be open to whatever life brings you and learn from it.

Then we hear “whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave then and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them” (v. 11). When you come to a place, some will listen but others don’t; maybe they’ll be hostile to you and they won’t listen to the Word. Don’t get upset; your ministry is not about you. Don’t be aggressive or seek psychological retribution. Don’t get involved with an argument—just move on. Don’t cling to your ministerial failures, which can lead to self-loathing, self-doubt, depression, and burn-out. You’ve got to move on; you can’t be carrying around rejection around with you because, if you do, you won’t be able to effectively proclaim the Good News. Instead, you’ll end up communicating hour own hurts, fears, and disappointments. You’ll end up communicating the Bad News instead of the Good News.

Then it says that Jesus went off and preached repentance, metanoia: go beyond the mind you have; change your consciousness and attitude. That was Jesus’ original preaching. That’s still the task of the Church is to reiterate that great inaugural speech of Jesus. Change your old way of thinking. Your life is not about you with your projects, agendas, and plans, but its about God’s purposes. It’s about doing God’s will. 2000 years later, our job is still to preach “repentance.”

Finally, it says triumphantly that the Twelve drove out many demons (v. 13). That’s still our job, brothers and sisters, the descendants of that original band of Twelve who have gone out trusting in God’s providence not relying on our own skills. We go out preaching repentance, preaching Jesus Christ, and we go out still with his authority which is capable of addressing all the darkness around us at all levels. Our job is still to drive out the demons, still to change minds, still to proclaim the Good News.

Amen.