Mark begins a new section of his Gospel. It is about the mission of Jesus beyond Galilee. As he goes from town to town, he sends out the Twelve to surrounding towns. There seems to be two motives. Firstly, Jesus sees the rejection of the people of Nazareth as a sign to move further away, and secondly, he begins to train the Twelve for ministry.
Their mission is temporary. They are not loaded up with clothes for a long journey. They go two by two and are to report back to him. Their mission is the same as the mission of Jesus, to preach repentance, to exorcize and to heal the sick. This is the beginner’s instructions.
NOTE: There are different times in the gospels when Jesus commissions disciples. There are different requirements as regards clothing and equipment. But there is always a commission to preach and deliver and to heal. This is the only place in the Gospels where “oil” is mentioned. This is clearly olive oil. It is the origin of the blessing with oil that is in the Roman ritual to be used by lay people when praying for the sick.
The preaching of the Twelve was to be about repentance. Remember this was the theme of the Baptist and it was continued in Chapter One, Mark goes to pains to show that this ’new’ teaching has authority behind it. It means a change of heart and mind. It is something he didn’t find in Nazareth and he is moving on with his team to bring salvation to the world. If people don’t listen, then move on and go somewhere else.
So begins a new chapter in the mission of Jesus. It is motivated by rejection in Nazareth. Jesus reaches out to other places. It is like the early Christians in persecution who moved out to the ends of the earth. Like them, we are deputed with authority over unclean spirits to preach repentance, to deliver from bondage and to anoint the sick with blessed oil.
Their mission is temporary. They are not loaded up with clothes for a long journey. They go two by two and are to report back to him. Their mission is the same as the mission of Jesus, to preach repentance, to exorcize and to heal the sick. This is the beginner’s instructions.
NOTE: There are different times in the gospels when Jesus commissions disciples. There are different requirements as regards clothing and equipment. But there is always a commission to preach and deliver and to heal. This is the only place in the Gospels where “oil” is mentioned. This is clearly olive oil. It is the origin of the blessing with oil that is in the Roman ritual to be used by lay people when praying for the sick.
The preaching of the Twelve was to be about repentance. Remember this was the theme of the Baptist and it was continued in Chapter One, Mark goes to pains to show that this ’new’ teaching has authority behind it. It means a change of heart and mind. It is something he didn’t find in Nazareth and he is moving on with his team to bring salvation to the world. If people don’t listen, then move on and go somewhere else.
So begins a new chapter in the mission of Jesus. It is motivated by rejection in Nazareth. Jesus reaches out to other places. It is like the early Christians in persecution who moved out to the ends of the earth. Like them, we are deputed with authority over unclean spirits to preach repentance, to deliver from bondage and to anoint the sick with blessed oil.
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