As Christians, we are all to learn how to lean on Jesus rather than our own strength. Surrender to His complete authority and living according to His will for our lives can be challenging. To succeed in this journey of complete dependence on Him, we must make a conscious effort daily to fully surrender to Him. In I Corinthians 15:31, Paul said, “I die daily.” We are to die to our designs on our life and embrace God’s design. In Luke chapter 9:1-6, Jesus teaches His disciples total dependence on Him as He sends them out to spread the gospel.
In Luke 9:1, Jesus calls the 12 disciples together to give them their marching orders. Jesus had been going about teaching, and they had been following. They were learning who the Messiah was as they experienced His miracles and love for people. They also experience the power He had over demons and Satan as He casts them out of people. You can find two of those accounts in Mark 1:21-28, when a man in the Synagogue was possessed by a demon, and Matthew 8:28-34, where two men who were possessed by many demons came out of the tombs. As Jesus sends them out, He gives them power to cure diseases and cast out demons. He sends them to spread salvation by Jesus alone and to heal in Jesus’ name.
Luke 9:1-2 “Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. And he sent them to preach the kingdom of God, and to heal the sick.”
Jesus issues the commission and then gives the directives for it. In verse 3, they are told to “take nothing for their journey.” For us, this seems like a strange request. We do not go anywhere without ensuring we have enough clothing and provisions for the length of our trip. Yet, Jesus told them to take no money, clothing, food, staves, or scrip. A stave was a large stick or wand used to defend themselves if attacked. A scrip was a leather wallet or pouch to carry money or food. When Jesus said to take nothing, it was literal.
Luke 9:3 “And he said unto them, Take nothing for your journey, neither staves, nor scrip, neither bread, neither money; neither have two coats apiece.”
Once He tells them what they are not to do, He gives instructions on how to take care of themselves. In verses 4 and 5, Jesus tells them to go to a house and stay until their mission is complete. There was no timeline for each residence. They were to go from house to house as if they were idle, looking for better hospitality or as if they had come for a visit. They had a mission, and their time was to be used to preach the gospel, not visiting around the town.
Luke 9:4 “And whatsoever house ye enter into, there abide, and thence depart.”
If they reached a house and were not welcomed they were to leave the city and “shake off the dust” from their feet as a testimony of the rejection of Jesus Christ. After these very strict instructions, they are sent out to preach the gospel of Jesus.
Luke 9:5-6 “And whosoever will not receive you, when ye go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet for a testimony against them. And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing everywhere.”
I see two great lessons in this passage for us. First, we are to totally depend on Jesus for all our needs. If we are surrendered to Him, He will provide what we need. We are not to be so cumbered with the things of this world that it takes all our time, energy, and resources to care for them. All that God has blessed us with is to be used for His glory. If they keep us from witnessing or serving in areas He has deemed for us, then we need to remove them from our lives or reevaluate how we use them. For instance, your job may be your God, but God provides jobs for us to care for ourselves and our families. Working for what we have is a biblical principle in II Thessalonians 3:10 “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” It not only provides for our needs, it opens up opportunities to witness to those who do not know Him. Sometimes, the “thing” we have is good, but how we use it may not be.
Second, Jesus, while on this earth, could only be in one place at a time. Therefore, he equipped His disciples to do His work in His name. This would spread the gospel faster. Now, we have the Holy Spirit inside us to equip us to spread the word. We have the written word to study and hide in our hearts. These are truths to use when we do not have a Bible in hand. In Psalms 119:11, we are taught, “Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee.” His word will give us ammunition against temptations to sin. It gives the Holy Spirit something to work with. This truth is taught in John 14:26, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” However, if you do not hide His word in your heart, there is nothing to bring up when needed. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we become an ambassador for Him. We are to be going out and telling others about salvation through Him.
We must understand that we must lean on Jesus to accomplish anything of eternal value. The disciples learned this quickly as they were sent out with nothing except their knowledge of the Savior and the power He gave them. We need to lean on Him and trust Him to go before us and prepare the hearts of those we come in contact with to hear the gospel. We must be busy about His work, understanding that all we have and all we are should be used for His glory!
