“Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal. He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money–not even an extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.”
Luke 9:1-4
In our Wednesday evening Bible Study class, we pondered this passage from Luke’s gospel. We noted that Jesus’ disciples were no longer learners and followers; they were called to be leaders–to go out on their own to teach and heal. We acknowledged that this seems daunting to us, as we understood ourselves in the role of those disciples.
We debated why Jesus told them to take nothing for their journey. We talked about the flexibility and freedom that come from traveling light. We considered that Jesus might have been trying to keep them focused on their mission instead of their things. We had a sense that there was something more going on, though.
Someone pointed to verse 4: “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there.” If the disciples were carrying nothing with them, they were completely dependent on the hospitality of the people they encountered. When they received someone’s hospitality, they honored the gifts that person had to offer. They began to create a relationship of mutuality, which then opened the door for sharing their good news.
Carrying nothing with them meant that the disciples had to give up their need to be in control and self-sufficient. Carrying nothing created space in the disciples’ lives to receive hospitality from others, and that opened the door for relationships, good news, and healing.
What does it mean for us to choose not to “carry with us” our need to be in control or self sufficient? What does it mean for us to make space in our lives to receive other people’s hospitality?
Create in us a space, O God, that we may receive as well as offer hospitality.