The chosen twelve

​​We come now to the point where Jesus selects 12 men to go out on what appears to me to be a test mission. We have already met 5 of the 12 so we surmise that Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Judas the son of James, Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot joined the group in much he same way as the others. Tradition tells us that 11 of the 12 were martyred as followers of Christ
       That 12 were chosen by Jesus corresponds to the 12 tribes of Israel and represents the fact that there exists a continuity between the Old and New Testaments when it comes to God’s overall plan of salvation. This is strengthened by the fact that the 12 were to go first of all to lost sheep of Israel. They were not to take provisions with them (money, a traveling bag, a spare shirt or extra sandals) because, “The worker deserves his keep” (Matt. 10:10). Housing would be a problem, so Jesus instructs them as follows; “When you come to a town or village, look for someone who is open to the message of the kingdom and stay with them until you leave that town” (v. 11). This seems to us today to be a very reasonable approach, but is out of sync with the more “spiritual approach” that would say, “Just go there and God will take care of everything.” Couple that with the fact that should a town not welcome them, they are to leave and shake the dust of the town off their feet, a way of indicating that the town is now responsible for the gospel not being proclaimed there.
       So often in our day the gospel is proclaimed in a sort of apologetic manner. This is what God did for you on the cross and I trust you won’t be offended by my telling it to you this way. By way of contrast, the early church was on a mission to tell the world the wonderful news of Christ’s redemptive death. So, some answer like, “If you would rather not be bothered right now I can always come back tomorrow or whenever it is most convenient for you” DID NOT HAPPEN that way. Instead, they would hear something like, “Listen, here is some really good news! Christ died for your sins and heaven awaits those of you who accept it by faith. Hallelujah! No, I can’t stay a couple of days because there are a lot of people out there who deserve to hear and I’ve been sent by the Lord Jesus Christ to tell them.”
       “Salvation is a gift and people are fortunate to hear about it. If some didn’t want to hear, I’m sorry, but there are so many who do, and we need to get to them while there is still time.” I’m not suggesting a cold-hearted approach lacking in compassion, but an awareness of God’s gracious offer and the danger of the wrong kind of humility. May the joy of the Lord so penetrate us as couriers of that message that people will be caught up in the enthusiasm of commitment to the Lord of Lords who offers everything, but just doesn’t have all the time in the world for you to linger unnecessarily before responding.”