Calling the Twelve and Sending Them Out Two by Two (Mark 6:7-13)

 

Calling the Twelve and Sending Them Out Two by Two (Mark 6:7-13)

No one welcomes sickness or weakness. No one wants to be trapped under the bondage of demons. On the contrary, people want to be healthy, active, and not deceived. This is the image of subduing and ruling over all creation that God intended from the beginning.

In Mark 6:7-13, Jesus sent the disciples on a missionary journey, giving them authority to drive out impure spirits and the power to heal diseases and weaknesses. The disciples preached the gospel of repentance, drove out many demons, and healed the sick.

Calling the Twelve Disciples

7 Calling the Twelve to him, he began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over impure spirits. 8 These were his instructions: “Take nothing for the journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.” (Mark 6:7-9)

In the beginning, God created man as male and female and commanded them to rule over and subdue all creation. God created man in his own image and in his likeness (Genesis 1:26). God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being (Genesis 2:7).

From the start, God clothed man with the authority and power to rule and subdue. Therefore, because man is above all things, it is not only wrong to worship creation as an idol, but it is something God detests. Among these things, money easily becomes a temptation and an idol to people above all else.

Called to Be With Him

The reason Jesus called the disciples was to have them be with him and also to send them out to preach (Mark 3:14). The work of Jesus and the work of the disciples are not separate; they are the same. This is also the work that God does. Jesus was perfectly united as one with God and accomplished the Father’s work from beginning to end (John 5:19).

Just as Jesus became one with God the Father, those who believe in and follow Christ are united as one with the Lord (John 17:21). Just as Jesus Christ, who came as the Son of God, perfectly fulfilled the Father's will, the disciple of Christ fulfills the Lord's will.

Furthermore, just as Jesus is always with God the Father, the disciple of Christ is also always with the Lord (Matthew 28:20). This is because, through the blood of the Lord, they have been set free from sin and evil and have been united as one with the Lord.

Called to Preach

Additionally, Jesus called the disciples to also preach. Preaching is delivering the gospel of salvation to those who do not believe. Those who do not believe face eternal judgment and destruction. This work of salvation is what God has been doing from the beginning. God first sought out Adam, who was hiding from the Lord’s face, and led him to the way of salvation (Genesis 3:9).

Jesus incarnated to fulfill the will of God the Father—namely, to save this world—and offered his body as a sacrificial offering on the cross. Jesus told his disciples to deny themselves daily, take up their cross, and follow him (Mark 8:34). This is the Father's will that the Lord has given to us.

Jesus gave the disciples authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness (Matthew 10:1). The power by which Jesus healed the sick and drove out demons on this earth was manifested by the Heavenly Father through His Son (John 5:19).

The disciples do not possess the authority and power to control demons or heal diseases in themselves. However, Jesus delegated the power and authority of God the Father to them. Since witnessing the gospel is God’s work, it is done not by human experience or education, but only by the power of the Lord.

Witnessing the gospel corrects what is wrong and leads to salvation. What is wrong here is sin. All people have fallen into sin in Adam and are trapped in the bondage of darkness and death. God’s gospel is the power and authority that saves people who are fallen in sin.

Therefore, Jesus commanded the disciples to take nothing with them, to wear only sandals, and not to take an extra tunic. What the disciples needed was to believe in the power Jesus gave them to control demons and heal the sick.

And as they went out to all the towns of Israel to do the work the Lord Jesus performed, they were to give it freely because that power and authority were not theirs (Matthew 10:5, 8). God’s grace of salvation is given without cost to those who believe (Isaiah 55:1).

The Meaning of Driving Out Demons and Healing the Sick

From the beginning, God created man as a being to subdue and rule over the earth and all creation. However, because of sin, man came to be ruled instead. A clear example of this is the constant suffering from anxiety, worry, nervousness, and dissatisfaction. Compare the disciples, who were suffering in agony as if they were drowning, with Jesus, who was sleeping inside the boat while the storm raged violently.

Demons deceive craftily. Sickness and weakness sever daily life. The devil tempted Jesus so that he would not take up the cross. Similarly, Satan incites us so that we cannot love one another, but rather hate and fight. Sickness brings pain and suffering. Thus, it triggers complaints and blaming others. This is the state of being under sin, unable to dominate and rule over all things.

Then, what does it mean to control the devil? We cannot cut out Satan's temptation and seduction by the roots ourselves. This continues until the day God judges the devil with eternal punishment on the Day of the Lord. Jesus was also tempted by the devil, but he drove him away with the Word of God.

Though we may receive trials and temptations, ruling over them means repelling them with God’s Word of truth and driving them away without being deceived by the devil’s crafty lies. It is not falling for the lie that loving your neighbor makes you a loser or brings humiliation; rather, it is repelling that lie and following the way of the cross that the Lord Jesus Christ carried.

38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ 39 But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. 40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. 41 If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. 42 Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." (Matthew 5:38-42)

What Heals Sickness and Weakness?

The fact that the disciples received the power to heal the sick does not mean they would never get sick again. According to the Second Law of Thermodynamics, everyone grows old and becomes frail. No one is free from illness.

Yes, we are weak, we get sick, and eventually, we die. However, God’s holy love is hidden within this process. Through this reality, God reminds us that this visible world is not everything, and our true hope lies in the kingdom of heaven. Christ in you, the hope of glory!

Even while we are in pain and suffering due to illness or weakness, we can avoid falling into the pit of complaints and resentment because of the hope for His kingdom that God has promised us. This is what it looks like to rule and conquer life.

18 Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” 19 Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead. 20 Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, 21 being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 22 This is why “it was credited to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:18-22)

Shake the Dust Off Your Feet as a Testimony

10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town. 11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and preached that people should repent. 13 They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them. (Mark 6:10-13)

Stay in any place where people welcome the disciples and provide food and lodging, but if they neither welcome nor listen, it is entirely their responsibility. That is what shaking the dust off one's feet means.

The disciples were sent out to preach. There is no responsibility on those who deliver the message if the Gospel of God's salvation is rejected and not welcomed. This is because they are rejecting God and His Son, Jesus Christ.

God wants to save those fallen under sin. To fulfill His holy will, He sacrificed Christ Jesus as the Passover Lamb. God loved us so much that He gave up His Son (Romans 5:8). And to anyone who believes, receives, and obeys Jesus Christ, He gives the gift of eternal life (John 3:16).

However, God does not force or coerce faith. Instead, He demonstrated His great love—not even sparing His own Son but giving Him up as a ransom sacrifice—through the cross. This is because God wants those under sin to repent, turn back, and reach salvation.

The disciples were sent out, preached the gospel of repentance, cast out many demons, and healed the sick. They deeply experienced the power of obedience. This is the blessing of conquering and ruling, the reward stored in heaven, and the fruit that God the Father gives to those who believe in Christ Jesus.

Amen!

March 1, 2026

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Scripture quotes are from the NIV.