[Jesus] instructed [the disciples] to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
Mark 6:8-9
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
Mark 6:8-9
I have always been interested in how Jesus sends out the disciples in this Gospel passage. I put myself in the place of the disciples and am terrified - what do you mean I can't take a suitcase with extra clothes, some extra money, or even a snack?!? We rarely travel without making hotel reservations or ensuring a friend or relative we could stay with will be home. Recently I ran across an article that helped me gain a better understanding of the cultural context of this passage.
In the ancient world, travel was deviant and dangerous. It was deviant because there was little reason to leave one’s ancestral dwelling where one was normally surrounded by extended family network. Everything one needed or desired was here. It was dangerous because robbers waited to ambush travellers, particularly those travelling alone (Luke 10:30). For this reason, Jesus tells his newly authorized faction members to travel in pairs. Very likely these pairs joined larger caravans for greater safety.This information gives me a much better understanding of what it was like. How different our cultures are! This weekend at St Bridget's and St Mary's we have Deacon Dardess who is preaching about Migrant Ministry in our Diocese. Imagine what people, who literally have nothing, must encounter as they leave everything they've known in life to enter into our world. Definite culture clash. We are so quick to judge other cultures we don't understand. Hopefully remembering we are not the only ones in this world will help us to extend hospitality to all we encounter.
The instruction to travel lightly (no bread, no money, etc.) is not unusual. The needs of travellers (lodging and food) were to be provided chiefly through hospitality. Jesus continues his instruction with special attention to hospitality (e.g., “receiving” or “welcoming”).
In the Middle Eastern world, hospitality is a value extended exclusively to strangers. (Relatives and friends are extended steadfast loving kindness.) The process involves three steps: the stranger is taken under the protection of a host for a given time, transformed into a temporary guest, with hopes that the two will part friends (but parting as enemies is also possible).
The host provides lodging, food, and especially a safe haven or protection from the suspicions and possible attacks of villagers. After all, strangers are always suspected of being up to no good and plotting damage to the village.
Failure to extend hospitality in the Middle East is a serious breach of honor. Jesus’ advice to “shake off the dust on your feet as a testimony against those who would not extend hospitality” is a major insult. It effectively writes these people out of the human community. The gesture implied total rejection, hostility, and an unwillingness to be touched by anything the others have touched.
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