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A few years ago when I went on an ecumenical mission trip to Uganda, our suitcases were loaded with Bibles, medical supplies, blankets, sheets, towels, children’s clothing, school supplies and even deflated soccer balls plus an air pump. This of course did not include personal clothing, shoes, reading materials, toiletries, etc. and rolls of toilet paper. Of course, most of the contents in our luggage would be left behind as gifts. This is just the opposite of the mission trip that Jesus organized for His disciples.
In today’s gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus sends the Twelve Apostles out on a mission trip with the instructions that they are to take virtually no supplies with them. Instead, Jesus tells them, “9Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, 10no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave.”
Like the Twelve, we did stay in the homes of many wonderful Christians who were more than generous in their hospitality towards us. Any thoughts of losing weight were quickly dispelled as we were well provided for with delicious meals and enjoyed teatime sometimes several times in one day. Even when we left our hosts we were given food to eat on our journey as we traveled throughout central, southern and western parts of the beautiful country of Uganda.
In some villages we were greeted like rock stars as the people lined up along the roads to welcome us to their villages and churches. Unlike the Twelve Apostles we did not have to worry about staying or going anywhere that we were not welcomed and wanted. The people of Uganda were exceptional in their hospitality towards us.
There is a hunger for the Gospel there that I wish people in America had. Here we are satiated with material things; while in other countries where material things are scarce, it is the spiritual things that hold great value. If the Twelve Apostles were sent out today by Jesus in Uganda, I can tell you most assuredly that they would be welcomed and loved. Whereas if Jesus sent the Twelve Apostles out on a mission trip in America like He did in the Gospel of Matthew, then they would probably be arrested for vagrancy. Not only that, many of us would not open our homes out of fear that they were just another cult trying to scam us. For here in America we tend to judge folks more on what they look like on the outside than who they are on the inside.
Yet, this is how Jesus sent out His disciples. They were at the mercy of the people to whom they were sent. If the people rejected them, Jesus told His Twelve to in essence put a curse upon them. This curse would bring judgment on those who refused them shelter and food that would be worse than the punishment of the people who had lived in Sodom and Gomorrah. The scripture reads, “If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the Day of Judgment than for that town.”
When we think of Jesus, we do not like to think of Him as meting out judgment. Yet, the scriptures tell us that it is Jesus Christ who will sit on the Judgment Seat at the end of time on the Day of Judgment. The reason Jesus tells His Twelve to curse those who refuse to show them hospitality is because by rejecting the Twelve, who are following His orders, they are rejecting Christ Himself. Like the clergy of today, the disciples were the anointed ambassadors of Christ. To reject Christ’s messengers is to reject the Lord for the Lord takes the rejection of His servants personally.
Years later when the first churches were being established; St. Paul wrote in his first letter to Timothy these words, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching; for the scripture says, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ and ‘The laborer deserves to be paid.’”
This sounds as though it is in conflict with the mission trip that Jesus organized. What we need to understand is to whom the Twelve were sent. They were first sent to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. As we heard read from the Book of Exodus, the house of Israel had been set aside by the Lord God to be for Him “a priestly kingdom and a holy nation”. Before the gospel could be proclaimed to the Gentiles, the Jews must be given the first opportunity to be released from the bondage of sin.
It is the Jews who were expecting the arrival of the Messiah. Because of this expectation, when they saw the miracles of healing, the dead being raised, and the demons cast out by the Twelve they would either credit God or Satan. Those who gave glory to God would honor the disciples and shower them with more gifts of food, clothing and coins than the disciples would ever even think to ask. However, if the people rejected the miracles as works of Satan, then the disciples would need to leave in a hurry lest they be beaten or worse. The people who blessed the disciples with their generosity would be rewarded by the Lord on the Day of Judgment, while the ones who rejected the disciples would face severe punishment at the end of time.
Jesus’ mission trip was twofold. First, it was a test of the Disciples’ faith in God to provide for them through the generosity of the people of God. Secondly it was a test of the people as to who would accept the gospel and bless the laborers of Christ versus those who would reject the gospel and the laborers of Christ.
When the Twelve were told by Christ to go into the villages with nothing but faith in God, they went. They went because that is what Jesus told them to do. Each one of us is called to share the good news of Christ no matter if we are ordained or not. We are all called to be His witnesses in our lives to those who are lost whether they live in our homes, are at work, or at play. Some may never go on a mission trip, but we are all called to reach all the people we can for Christ. May we be as lights in the darkness for all to believe.
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