By the Way: Finding confidence in ourselves and others
By Rev. Pastor Shane Hein on July 13, 2024.
He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff-no bread, no bag, no money in their belts-Mark 6:8 It is really quite difficult for us to have confidence in very much these days. There are promises made, broken, made again, and broken again. When the lies come thick and fast and are inevitably exposed as lies, we cannot help but feel as if some of our confidence, which used to come so naturally to us, is slowly being chipped away. There is a lack of confidence in the powers that be, in each other, and in ourselves. There is even a disturbing lack of confidence in our Creator. We in the prosperous Western world especially no longer have a clue who God is, what He promises to us, or what our relationship is to Him. It isn’t easy to have confidence in someone we do not even really know. In our text today Jesus is sending his apostles two by two out into the world in order to bring his much-needed word of hope to the people. That is a tall enough task to take on under any circumstances, but Jesus decides to make the task even more difficult by insisting that they take none of the usual provisions with them that they normally would. Even though Middle Eastern culture has a reputation for hospitality, it is still regarded as unwise to travel anywhere without taking along some food, water, perhaps a change of clothes, and some money. The point of this request, though, is not to test the limits of their durability. Rather, it is an invitation for the apostles to place their confidence in Jesus rather than in themselves. The message that they carry is so valuable, and so desperately needed by the people, that the apostles’ hosts will gladly provide them with whatever they need: water, food, shelter, and even clothing. Though we are not apostles, the message that Jesus brings today is nevertheless the same for us. If we have any hope of restoring human confidence in each other, within ourselves, and in God, we must first reacquaint ourselves with Him, put our trust in Him, and proclaim the Good News of Salvation purchased by the death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, our Lord. Rev. Pastor Shane Hein 8-7
