“When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick” (Luke 9:1, 2).
The word about Jesus of Nazareth was spreading rapidly, mainly by word of mouth. It is not hard to make an educated guess about what kind of news was being spread around: an effective healer; miracle worker; a great preacher. Some may have thought that Jesus was a man of God of the calibre of those old time prophets sent to deliver Israel.
But that wasn’t the reason why Jesus was travelling from village to village, from town to town and the extent of His mission wasn’t revealed as yet.
Remember, there were times when Jesus required people not to tell anybody the things that happened to them: “Don’t tell anybody…” (Luke 5:14); but also “tell how much God has done for you…” (Luke 8:39).
Probably what grabs our attention is the way the Twelve were sent.
-With authority and power – “to drive out all demons”. Facing the forces of darkness! Exploring dangerous territory. How dangerous? See Acts 19:14.
-With limited resources
The “limited resources part” of their sending helped them to stick with their mission; imagine the Twelve going on in mission with luggage and money. Enjoying the scenery…having a good time…
The limited resources helped them to rely on God…on people’s benevolence. Here is how it works: God opened their hearts, and people in turn opened their doors.
Regarding the limited resources, the disciples and many people of the day would have taken the hint. What hint? The hint of “no staff, no shoes, no money bag.” The idea was that when a man entered the temple, he must make it quite clear that he had left everything which had to do with trade and business and worldly affairs behind.
The Twelve were out there with a mission…and they meant business!