THE MASTER’S MEN
Mark 6:7-13
Someone has said “The most significant contribution we can make in this life is passing our faith on to the next generation.” Unfortunately many Christians see evangelism as a burden. Statistics show that very few professing Christians actually share their faith with others. Many of those who share their faith only do so out of obligation. While it is true that sharing the Gospel is our responsibility as Christ followers, it is also a great privilege.
In Second Corinthians chapter 5, Paul tells us that through Christ, God has reconciled the world to Himself. And He has “committed to us the Word of reconciliation.” We who have received Christ are “Ambassadors of Christ”. An ambassador is a respected individual who acts as a representative of a nation. He is sent to a foreign land to represent the nation and its leader. His message is not his own, he speaks on behalf of the one who sent him. We are God’s Ambassadors in that we have been entrusted with the Gospel and sent out by Him. (1 Thessalonians 2:4 …we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, even so we speak, not as pleasing men, but God who tests our hearts.)
Though we live in this world, we are not of this world. And while we live in this world we are to represent our King and His Kingdom. We have been empowered by the Holy Spirit and commissioned to take the message of our King throughout this world. Remember what Jesus said to His Apostles just before His ascension - Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."
Like those Apostles, we are to go into the world and share the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our selected text tells of the time when Jesus first sent out His Disciples to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. There are many similarities between their mission and the Great Commission that we are to be involved in today. As we consider their story, I would like to preach about “The Master’s Men”.
These men were very special; they had been chosen and called by Jesus for an important task. This passage describes for us the occasion when they were commissioned and empowered to accomplish this task. Let’s begin in verse 7 and examine:
I. THE COMMISSIONING OF CHRIST’S DISCIPLES
The word “Commission” means an instruction, a command or a duty given to a person of a group of people. Later, these men would receive “The Great Commission” (Matthew 28:19). On this occasion, they were commissioned for a short term preaching assignment. I want to consider a few things about this commissioning. Verse 7 shows us that They Were Selected For A Purpose, They Were Sent To Preach and They Were Supplied With Power.
- Notice that:
A. THEY WERE SELECTED FOR A PURPOSE - v7a And He called the twelve to Himself,
There were many faithful followers of Jesus among the multitudes that followed Him. In Luke 10, we are told that Jesus chose 70 of them and sent them out on a similar mission. (Luke 10:1 After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. 2 Then He said to them, "The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 3 Go your way; behold, I send you out as lambs among wolves.)
When Jesus sent out the 70, He gave them the same instructions that He gave the 12 Disciples here in Mark 6. On this occasion, He sent out the men who we also know as the “Apostles”. In the parallel passage found in Matthew 10, we have the names of the 12 men that were chosen and sent out by Jesus. (Matthew 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.)
Throughout their time following Him, Jesus had been preparing these men for this moment. When He first called Peter and Andrew He said to them “"Follow Me, and I will make you become fishers of men." (Mark 1:17) Jesus had been teaching and training His Disciples so that He could entrust them with a great responsibility. Now, He would send them out to “fish for men”. He would use these trained Disciples to reach the people with the message of the Kingdom.
- This leads us to the fact that:
B. THEY WERE SENT TO PREACH - v7b and began to send them out two by two,
Jesus put the Disciples into pairs and began to send them out into Galilee. By traveling in pairs, the Disciples would be able to help one another. We must always remember that in Christian work, we can do more together than we could ever do on our own. There is a great benefit when God’s people work together! (Ecclesiastes 4:9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, For he has no one to help him up.)
By traveling in groups of two, the Disciples would be able to support and to protect one another. I am sure that Jesus had a specific purpose behind each duo that He sent out. They were not put together by coincidence. He knew the strengths and abilities of His men. He also knew of their shortcomings and their weaknesses. It is likely that He put them together in such a way that each man complemented the other.
If you will remember, God put Aaron with Moses so that he could assist Moses with a personal weakness. God intended to use Moses to deliver the Children of Israel from Egyptian bondage. Moses was fearful and began to make excuses to the Lord as to why He should choose someone else for this task. In Exodus 4:10 Moses said to the LORD, "O my Lord, I am not eloquent…..but I am slow of speech and slow of tongue."
Instead of giving Moses a pass and selecting someone else, God paired him up with his brother Aaron so that Aaron could assist him. (Exodus 4:16 So {Aaron} shall be your spokesman to the people. And he himself shall be as a mouth for you…) God sent Moses and Aaron out as a tandem and His will was accomplished. He would do the same with His Disciples and as a result His will was done.
The Lord designed His church in such a way that working together is essential. The Bible tells of the great work that God did with Paul and Barnabas, Paul & Silas, Peter and John as well as others. Even after the Lord’s ascension we continue to see the Disciples ministering together. In Paul’s letters, he regularly mentions his fellow-laborers and fellow-soldiers in the gospel ministry. Men like Titus, Timothy, Epaphroditus, Luke, John Mark and others. Scripture makes it clear that God intends for us to work together for the advancement of the Kingdom. (1 Corinthians 12:12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.)
We all have a place in the body of Christ, and when we work together we can have a positive impact on His Kingdom. Another reason that Jesus sent these men out in pairs was to ensure that their message was confirmed by at least two witnesses. The Law required that there be two or three witnesses as a confirmation of truth. (Deuteronomy 19:15 "One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Paul references this in 2 Corinthians 13:1 …"By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established."
These Disciples were sent throughout Galilee as witnesses of the Messiah. They had seen His mighty works and heard His marvelous words. Now they were to go out and tell others about Jesus. In the past, the crowds spread the news of Jesus’ miracles. Now, the Disciples would go forth and spread His message.
We have the same privilege and responsibility as the Disciples. We are personal witnesses of Jesus and His power. We are to go and share Him with the world around us. We do not know all there is to know about God’s Kingdom. We cannot fully comprehend the majesty of our Savior. But we have been called and commissioned share what we do know!
In a courtroom setting, a witness is called on to tell exactly what he has seen and heard. That is what is required of us, we are to tell others about what we have seen and heard. Everyone who has truly been saved can be a witness of Jesus Christ. We don’t have the ability to explain all the mysteries of the Kingdom, but we can tell others what Jesus has done for us.
Jesus did not send His Disciples out to save people; They did not possess that power. He sent them out to preach the Gospel of the Kingdom. And that is exactly what they did! (v12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.) Those that heard their message and received it, received Jesus. Those that rejected their message rejected Jesus Christ. The same is true for us. We do not possess the ability to save anyone, but Jesus does. And we have the opportunity to point people to Him! Though the Disciples did not have the power to save others, Jesus did give them some supernatural abilities. He equipped them to do certain miracles to assist in their preaching ministry.
- Notice that:
C. THEY WERE SUPPLIED WITH POWER – v7c and gave them power over unclean spirits.
He also empowered His servants with the ability to heal the sick and to cast out demons. They would have many of the same powers that Jesus possessed as He ministered to the multitudes. Jesus gave them these powers as a way to authenticate their ministry. The miracles that they would perform would be evidence that they were empowered by God. Verse 13 shows us that the Disciples did in fact do many marvelous works among the people. (“And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.”) Matthew goes on to tell us that they even had the power to raise the dead. Jesus said to them in Matthew 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
We do not possess the supernatural power to heal sick people or to raise the dead. But we have been promised an empowering of the Holy Spirit to minister for Christ in this world. (Acts 1:8 you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me…) Furthermore, Jesus promised in the Great Commission that He would be with His followers as they go out and make disciples. (Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.) Jesus was with these men back then and He is with us today!
- Not only did Jesus empower His Disciples, He also gave them certain instructions concerning their journey. Let’s take a moment and consider:
II. THE CONDUCT OF CHRIST’S DISCIPLES
These men were being sent out as ambassadors of Christ. And there was a certain way that they were to conduct themselves as they ministered for Him. In verse 8-9 Jesus spoke about:
A. THEIR PROVISIONS
v8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts- 9 but to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
Here Jesus tells the Disciples what to take and what not to take on their journey. They were told not to pack a bag, no change of clothes, no money, not even a sandwich for the road. They were to go with only the clothes on their back, the sandals on their feet and the staff in their hand. A staff had a twofold purpose, it was used as a walking stick for rough terrain, and it was used as a means of defense against enemies or wild animals. By following Jesus’ instructions, the Disciples would be forced to depend to the Lord to provide for them along the way.
Even though He was sending them out, Jesus was still training His Disciples. They were about to put into practice what He taught about in the Sermon on The Mount. ('What shall we wear?' 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.)
God would use certain people that these men encountered on their journey to assist them, but ultimately, God would provide them with everything they needed. There is a great lesson for us to learn in this passage. And that is that God will supply all of our needs as we minister for Him.
- Not only did Jesus speak about the provision of the Disciples, He also told them about:
B. THEIR ACCOMMODATIONS
v10 Also He said to them, "In whatever place you enter a house, stay there till you depart from that place.
The Lord’s Disciples would not be staying in the local inns. As they traveled they would encounter hospitable people who would invite them to stay in their homes. There would be occasions where they were tempted with the opportunity to upgrade their accommodations. These men would be working great miracles among the people. Some may have come along and offered them the opportunity to leave where they were staying and come home with them. By doing so they would have access to larger homes and better amenities. Jesus warns them not to seek out or accept better accommodations. They were to take what they were given and they were to be happy with it.
The lesson for us is to be content with what you have as you minister for the Lord. We should be like Paul who said …I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: 12 I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Philippians 4:11-12) We can trust in God to supply all of our needs as we serve Him.
- As Jesus instructed His Disciples concerning their conduct, He spoke to them about Their Provisions, Their Accommodations and verse 11 shows us that He spoke about:
C. THEIR REACTIONS
Throughout their journeys, the Disciples would encounter many different kinds of people. There would be different responses to their ministry. In verse 11 Jesus told them how they should react:
1. CONCERNING THOSE WHO RECEIVE THEIR MESSAGE
v11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you,
While Jesus focuses on those who will not receive the message of the Disciples, there were some who did accept their testimony concerning Him. Those who heard the Disciples message of repentance and responded accordingly would have the opportunity to be saved.
This is an opportunity that is still available today! We do not know who will accept the Gospel and who will reject it, therefore we should share it will everyone we can and leave the results up to God.
- Verse 11 records how the Disciples were to react:
2. CONCERNING THOSE WHO REJECT THEIR MESSAGE
v11 And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them. Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!"
Jesus knew that the Disciples would be rejected by many of the people. He had faced much rejection Himself. In fact, He had just been rejected by His neighbors, His friends and even His family in Nazareth. He was preparing the Disciples for the reality that many would not receive their message concerning Him. He tells them exactly how they were to respond to those who would reject their testimony. If any town would not receive the Apostles of listen to their message, they were to leave that area and “shake the dust off of the soles of their feet”. They were to do this “as a testimony against them”. Shaking the dust off of ones feet was a Jewish way of expressing scorn toward the Gentiles. When Jewish travelers would return to Israel from Gentile territory they would shake the dust off of their sandals as a way of symbolizing that they were leaving the uncleanness and contamination of Gentile lands behind them. Jesus uses this as an illustration of judgment against Jews who rejected the Gospel.If the people of Israel rejected the preaching of the Apostles, even after their message was authenticated by the signs and miracles that they performed in their presence, the Disciples were to treat them the same way that they treated the Gentiles.
There is a great danger in rejecting the Gospel message. (1 Corinthians 16:22 If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed.) Those who have been exposed to the Gospel and knowingly reject it will be receive the severest form of eternal punishment. (Hebrews 10:29 Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.)
It is a tragic reality that people willingly reject the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus was rejected personally; His Disciples were rejected, His servants have been rejected throughout church history, and we will be rejected as well. Even though we will be rejected, we have been called to be witnesses of Jesus and we must be faithful to the task at hand.
- The Lord’s Disciples were faithful to their calling. Notice in verses 12-13
III. THE COMPLIANCE OF CHRIST’S DISCIPLES
These men had been called by Jesus and sent out to go and preach. And they were obedient to His calling on their lives. Let’s examine:
A. THE MISSION - v12a So they went out and preached
This was a short term mission. The Disciples were to go out for a period of time and assist Jesus in His preaching ministry and then they would return to Him. Then after Jesus’ ascension they would continue to preach and to establish the Lord’s Church. By sending these men out in pairs, the message of the Kingdom would now have an even greater reach. There were people who needed to hear the Gospel and Jesus was going to send His faithful followers to proclaim that message.
There are still multitudes today that need to hear the Gospel. (John 4:35 Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! ) We have been sent as laborers into the harvest. There is a great mission before us and like the Lord’s Apostles; we must be obedient to our calling.
- Not only do we see The Mission, we also see:
B. THE MESSAGE - v12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
The Disciples went among the people announcing the fact that the Kingdom of God was at hand. They implored their listeners to respond in repentant faith. Their message was the same message that John the Baptist had preached. (Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!") Furthermore, their message was the same message that Jesus preached. (Mark 1:14 Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.")
John the Baptist, the Disciples and Jesus all preached a message with eternal implications. They wanted the people to grasp the importance of comprehending their sinful condition. They also wanted them to respond by crying out to God for forgiveness and by putting their faith in His only begotten Son. That was the message of the Gospel back then, and it is the same today!
- We have seen The Mission and the Message, finally let us consider:
C. THE MANIFESTATION - v13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Remember that we are talking about 12 common men. Several were fishermen, one was a tax collector and another was a Jewish patriot. These were ordinary men with an extraordinary calling. Jesus had given them great power and the works that they did were a visible manifestation of the fact that God was with them. They cast out demons, they healed the sick and they raised the dead.
Don’t lose sight of the fact that it was not the Disciples power that caused these great miracles; it was the power of God. They were not the source of the power; they were merely vessels that contained God’s power. Because they were obedient to Jesus’ calling on their life, they were used to advance the Kingdom of God.
We are just common people, but we serve an all-powerful God. When we become Disciples of Christ, we are sent out to make more Disciples of Christ. We have been chosen, we have been called, we have been commissioned and we must be compliant. I pray that you will be like the men that we have read about in this passage. Each of us should be obedient and faithful to tell others about the saving power of Jesus Christ.
- Like the Apostles:
i. We Have Been Selected For A Purpose
ii. We Have Been Sent To Preach
iii. We Have Been Supplied With Power
May we seize the opportunity that has been presented to us and let us rejoice in the privilege that we have to be His Disciples. Let us go out and share the good news, just like “The Master’s Men”.
