Baby Talk

Our pattern, which seems so much more sensible, is to put people through a training course, and then send them out to be missionaries or ministers. Jesus’ pattern is exactly the reverse: send them out to teach and preach before they know anything so that they can learn to rely upon the power of the kingdom. Then, maybe, they will be ready to come back and learn something.

God loves to use the ignorant because their knowledge can’t get in the way. They can be simple in their trust. Imagine setting off with no provisions at all for their journey, equipped only with trust that God will provide for and protect them even when they are rejected and need to move on (11). The disciples had just seen Jesus rejected at Nazareth, hardly an encouragement for launching out themselves! Regardless, these obedient, faithful followers go, announcing the presence of the kingdom of God (1:15) by the way they look and live, as well as by their words.

How can we learn to trust God like the disciples on that mission when we’re surrounded by material stuff that makes it unnecessary to trust him? Secure with our extra tunics and shoes, we can devote time to making sure that our theology is excellent, our churches fully resourced, our mission programs staffed by the best people, and our schools turning out graduates properly trained for the job! But…that’s not the way of Jesus. He could have put them through a degree course before sending them out, but he didn’t. It’s far more important to learn to trust God in practice than to learn to polish your theology.

Imagine that you are John or Andrew, one of the Twelve, receiving Jesus’ commission in vs. 7-12. How do you feel? How have you learned to trust Jesus recently?