Shaking the Dust

Jesus said that?

Luke 9:1-17 | Acts 14:24-28

There are a lot of things we could focus on today in either reading. And please do ponder what jumps out to you as you read.

Jesus sending the disciples out is intriguing. It was pretty early in their discipleship. They hadn’t even gone to seminary yet (!), and here Jesus is sending them out like seasoned ministers. (Maybe we should be more hopeful about people.)

And yet, this is also the time when Jesus gave his disciples specific instructions about moving on from a place if there doesn’t seem to be a welcoming. That is something we might sit with a bit. Isn’t Jesus’ love endless?

Then again, how good is our stewardship of time if we’re wasting it on a barren situation when we could be finding fruit elsewhere?

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Luke 9:1-17

Jesus called the Twelve together and he gave them power and authority over all demons and to heal sicknesses. He sent them out to proclaim God’s kingdom and to heal the sick. He told them, “Take nothing for the journey—no walking stick, no bag, no bread, no money, not even an extra shirt. Whatever house you enter, remain there until you leave that place. Wherever they don’t welcome you, as you leave that city, shake the dust off your feet as a witness against them.” They departed and went through the villages proclaiming the good news and healing people everywhere.

Herod the ruler heard about everything that was happening. He was confused because some people were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the ancient prophets had come back to life. Herod said, “I beheaded John, so now who am I hearing about?” Herod wanted to see him.

When the apostles returned, they described for Jesus what they had done. Taking them with him, Jesus withdrew privately to a city called Bethsaida. When the crowds figured it out, they followed him. He welcomed them, spoke to them about God’s kingdom, and healed those who were sick.

When the day was almost over, the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so that they can go to the nearby villages and countryside and find lodging and food, because we are in a deserted place.”

He replied, “You give them something to eat.”

But they said, “We have no more than five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all these people.” (They said this because about five thousand men were present.)

Jesus said to his disciples, “Seat them in groups of about fifty.” They did so, and everyone was seated. He took the five loaves and the two fish, looked up to heaven, blessed them, and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. Everyone ate until they were full, and the disciples filled twelve baskets with the leftovers.

Acts 14:24-28

After Paul and Barnabas traveled through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. They proclaimed the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been entrusted by God’s grace to the work they had now completed. On their arrival, they gathered the church together and reported everything that God had accomplished through their activity, and how God had opened a door of faith for the Gentiles. They stayed with the disciples a long time.

Prayer

God,

I’m pretty curious about this shaking the dust off your feet thing at the moment. Modern Christians love the idea that your love is infinite and persistent and endlessly pursuing humanity. I suppose that can be true at the same time you tell particular individuals to give up on a particular location.

Actually, I’m a bit embarrassed I brought it up now. I shouldn’t assume that I’m your only emissary. Maybe the job just isn’t for me.

So help me, God: help me know when to give something up and when to keep going. That’s my prayer today.

By your spirit & in Christ,
Amen.