1528AFC071715 – Let It Go!
Read it online here, please.
Mark 6:11 – If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.
E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!) Today’s reference passage comes in the next paragraph after last week’s message about Jesus’ visit to Nazareth. Jesus has gathered the Twelve and is sending them out in pairs. They are to go with no extra provisions – just a walking stick – but no food, no sack, no money in their belts, no second tunic, but it was OK to wear a pair of sandals. They went out and did as he told them. They went to various villages. They stayed with whoever would welcome them. They ate and drank what was offered. Here is a comparison of this event in the three Synoptic Gospels:
| Mark 6:7-13 Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. |
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Luke 9:1-6 – Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. 5 Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. |
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| Matthew 10:1-15 – 10 1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.The Mission of the Twelve 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. |
The disciples were having some utterly amazing experiences – the storm on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus’ calming it; the healing of two demoniacs; the healing resuscitation of a “sleeping” child; the healing of a woman who was sick for twelve years; Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth; and now they are sent out to do what Jesus does – heal the sick and cast out demons. And that’s just for starters! As they traveled with Jesus, they learned from him. They called him Teacher, Rabbi, and in one single instance he was called Rabbouni. They called him Master. They called him Lord, and eventually they all called him Messiah. In the Gospel of John, the author states that Andrew and “another disciple” (probably the Apostle John) have been following John the Baptizer and hear him declare that Jesus is the Lamb of God and testifies “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (See John 1:34)
Andrew and “the other disciple” follow Jesus to try to find out where he lives. Then Andrew finds his brother, Simon (renamed Peter later) and 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). Right from the get-go, Jesus challenges his followers to act on his behalf under his authority and to do the same kinds of things he is doing. Wouldn’t that be something? Think about this: They had not yet seen everything Jesus could do, but believed they could do what he told them because he said so.
And look who went out on the first “mission” for the disciples – everyone including Judas Iscariot. Judas was told do go perform miracles, and he obeyed … initially. I have often wondered with which of the others he travelled. James and John bar Zebedee were brothers. Simon-Peter and Andrew bar Jonah were brothers. Thaddaeus and James bar Alphaeus may have been brothers (though not specifically named brothers in Scripture it seems; some speculate Thaddaeus – who is also called Jude or Judas – might have been James’ son). We have no way of knowing who paired with Judas Iscariot, though. When all twelve went out from Jesus, I’m sure they discussed what he had told them to do. It must have been a little scary at least, don’t you think, to go to strangers (or perhaps worse, to people you know well) and tell them, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. The Messiah sent us to teach and to heal. Who’s going to be first?” Based on the terrific reports they brought back at the end of their mission, they enjoyed good success. They had to let go of their fear and embrace the authority Jesus granted them. But that’s not all they had to let go.
They also had to let go the people who rejected them. This is hard. We know that later on the Apostles – and by inheritance, all of us – are sent out into all the world to spread the Gospel and to save souls. It was a distinct part of their first mission to “leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” They had to let go of the people – and souls – who would not accept Jesus’ gifts of healing, deliverance, and salvation. Jesus himself set the example throughout his ministry. He put the Kingdom out there. He preached the Gospel. He wowed everyone (except the other Nazarenes) with miracles and great wisdom; but he didn’t argue with anyone and say, “Look here, you’re going to miss out if you don’t get with the program.” He let them go. It saddened him to do that, but he was there to do the will of his Father; God’s will includes the Gift of Free Will for us – and it always has. We can choose to let go of God (you know God doesn’t let go of us!). We can choose to just walk away. In that instance we will be a little more like the central character, Queen Elsa, in Disney’s Frozen
It’s time to see what I can do,
To test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free!
Eventually Elsa gets things figured out, but it takes some doing, some suffering, and a lot of self-control which is only available to her through love. There are millions of kids who can tell you that whole story, sing the songs, and even act out the movie. I wish they could do as well with the stories about Jesus. Like Elsa, many of those kids, whether in anger or ignorance, believe there is ” No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free!” It saddens me to know that. It hurts in my heart to realize that. It, too, is a reality that must also be let go. “Many are called. Few are chosen.” (See Matthew 22:1-14) So, then, do we just stop proclaiming the Gospel? Oh, my goodness, no! We always proclaim the Gospel, and (remembering St. Francis’ adage) sometimes – but only when absolutely necessary – we use words. Will everyone be convinced of the Truth of the Gospel? No. Will anyone be saved by hearing the Gospel? No. Hearing is not enough. It must be believed to be effective, for belief leads to repentance, repentance to forgiveness, forgiveness to justification, and justification to salvation. That salvation is imminent as soon as we let go of The World.
Let go of The World and its vanities. Let go of our selfishness. Let go of our fears, our self-doubt, our self-loathing, and our pride. Let it go not because you are freed of all rules, but let it go because you let Love be your only rule. The people who embrace World do not accept that. As much as we love them, as much as we want them to see God, as much as we pray for their conversion, there is a time when we shake off the dust that is on our feet as a testimony against them. Is it your child, or your spouse, or your relative, or your parent, or your friend who will not welcome or listen to the Gospel? Do what the disciples did. Let it go and return to Jesus. It is he who gave you the power to testify. It is they to whom you testify who exercise their wills to ignore that testimony. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that soul.
Jesus sent them two-by-two.
Who will you choose to go with you?
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
1528AFC071715 – Let It Go!
Read it online here, please.
Mark 6:11 – If any place will not welcome you and they refuse to hear you, as you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.
E pili mau na pomaika‘i ia ‘oe a me ke akua ho’omaika’i ‘oe, ʻŌmea! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Beloved!) Today’s reference passage comes in the next paragraph after last week’s message about Jesus’ visit to Nazareth. Jesus has gathered the Twelve and is sending them out in pairs. They are to go with no extra provisions – just a walking stick – but no food, no sack, no money in their belts, no second tunic, but it was OK to wear a pair of sandals. They went out and did as he told them. They went to various villages. They stayed with whoever would welcome them. They ate and drank what was offered. Here is a comparison of this event in the three Synoptic Gospels:
| Mark 6:7-13 Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them. |
|
Luke 9:1-6 – Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. 5 Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 They departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere. |
|
| Matthew 10:1-15 – 10 1 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.The Mission of the Twelve 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. 9 Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. |
The disciples were having some utterly amazing experiences – the storm on the Sea of Galilee and Jesus’ calming it; the healing of two demoniacs; the healing resuscitation of a “sleeping” child; the healing of a woman who was sick for twelve years; Jesus’ rejection in Nazareth; and now they are sent out to do what Jesus does – heal the sick and cast out demons. And that’s just for starters! As they traveled with Jesus, they learned from him. They called him Teacher, Rabbi, and in one single instance he was called Rabbouni. They called him Master. They called him Lord, and eventually they all called him Messiah. In the Gospel of John, the author states that Andrew and “another disciple” (probably the Apostle John) have been following John the Baptizer and hear him declare that Jesus is the Lamb of God and testifies “And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God.” (See John 1:34)
Andrew and “the other disciple” follow Jesus to try to find out where he lives. Then Andrew finds his brother, Simon (renamed Peter later) and 41 He first found his brother Simon and said to him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated Anointed). 42 He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter). Right from the get-go, Jesus challenges his followers to act on his behalf under his authority and to do the same kinds of things he is doing. Wouldn’t that be something? Think about this: They had not yet seen everything Jesus could do, but believed they could do what he told them because he said so.
And look who went out on the first “mission” for the disciples – everyone including Judas Iscariot. Judas was told do go perform miracles, and he obeyed … initially. I have often wondered with which of the others he travelled. James and John bar Zebedee were brothers. Simon-Peter and Andrew bar Jonah were brothers. Thaddaeus and James bar Alphaeus may have been brothers (though not specifically named brothers in Scripture it seems; some speculate Thaddaeus – who is also called Jude or Judas – might have been James’ son). We have no way of knowing who paired with Judas Iscariot, though. When all twelve went out from Jesus, I’m sure they discussed what he had told them to do. It must have been a little scary at least, don’t you think, to go to strangers (or perhaps worse, to people you know well) and tell them, “The Kingdom of God is at hand. The Messiah sent us to teach and to heal. Who’s going to be first?” Based on the terrific reports they brought back at the end of their mission, they enjoyed good success. They had to let go of their fear and embrace the authority Jesus granted them. But that’s not all they had to let go.
They also had to let go the people who rejected them. This is hard. We know that later on the Apostles – and by inheritance, all of us – are sent out into all the world to spread the Gospel and to save souls. It was a distinct part of their first mission to “leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” They had to let go of the people – and souls – who would not accept Jesus’ gifts of healing, deliverance, and salvation. Jesus himself set the example throughout his ministry. He put the Kingdom out there. He preached the Gospel. He wowed everyone (except the other Nazarenes) with miracles and great wisdom; but he didn’t argue with anyone and say, “Look here, you’re going to miss out if you don’t get with the program.” He let them go. It saddened him to do that, but he was there to do the will of his Father; God’s will includes the Gift of Free Will for us – and it always has. We can choose to let go of God (you know God doesn’t let go of us!). We can choose to just walk away. In that instance we will be a little more like the central character, Queen Elsa, in Disney’s Frozen
It’s time to see what I can do,
To test the limits and break through.
No right, no wrong, no rules for me. I’m free!
Eventually Elsa gets things figured out, but it takes some doing, some suffering, and a lot of self-control which is only available to her through love. There are millions of kids who can tell you that whole story, sing the songs, and even act out the movie. I wish they could do as well with the stories about Jesus. Like Elsa, many of those kids, whether in anger or ignorance, believe there is ” No right, no wrong, no rules for me I’m free!” It saddens me to know that. It hurts in my heart to realize that. It, too, is a reality that must also be let go. “Many are called. Few are chosen.” (See Matthew 22:1-14) So, then, do we just stop proclaiming the Gospel? Oh, my goodness, no! We always proclaim the Gospel, and (remembering St. Francis’ adage) sometimes – but only when absolutely necessary – we use words. Will everyone be convinced of the Truth of the Gospel? No. Will anyone be saved by hearing the Gospel? No. Hearing is not enough. It must be believed to be effective, for belief leads to repentance, repentance to forgiveness, forgiveness to justification, and justification to salvation. That salvation is imminent as soon as we let go of The World.
Let go of The World and its vanities. Let go of our selfishness. Let go of our fears, our self-doubt, our self-loathing, and our pride. Let it go not because you are freed of all rules, but let it go because you let Love be your only rule. The people who embrace World do not accept that. As much as we love them, as much as we want them to see God, as much as we pray for their conversion, there is a time when we shake off the dust that is on our feet as a testimony against them. Is it your child, or your spouse, or your relative, or your parent, or your friend who will not welcome or listen to the Gospel? Do what the disciples did. Let it go and return to Jesus. It is he who gave you the power to testify. It is they to whom you testify who exercise their wills to ignore that testimony. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that soul.
Jesus sent them two-by-two.
Who will you choose to go with you?
Whatever, whenever, wherever, whoever, however, if ever, forever — at your service, Beloved!
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
About Chick Todd
American Roman Catholic reared as a "Baptiterian" in Denver Colorado. Now living on Kauaʻi. USAF Vet. Married for over 50 years. Scripture study has been my passion ever since my first "Bible talk" at age 6 in VBS.
