In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve to continue his mission. The Twelve were a select group of disciples. Jesus had previously chosen this group to preach and heal as we hear earlier in Mark’s Gospel:
“Jesus went up the mountain and summoned those whom he wanted and they came to him. He appointed twelve whom he also named apostles that they might be with him, and he might send them forth to preach and to have authority to drive out demons…” (Mark 3:13-15).
As we hear in this passage, before they can go out they must “be with him [Jesus]. Jesus named these Twelve disciples “apostolos” from the Greek word “apostellein” which means to send. In today’s Gospel Jesus now sends them out on mission: “Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send (apostellein) them out two by two…” (Mark 6:7).
The mission of the Twelve apostles was to continue the work of Jesus. After Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection they were given an unlimited mission:
“The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, ‘All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.’” (Matthew 28:17-20).
This universal commission has been entrusted to the church down through the ages. The church, including all of us as baptized disciples cannot evangelize until like the Twelve we have “been with Jesus.”
The Twelve were not the only apostles. St. Paul became known as “The Apostle” in the early church because he was a zealous missionary called by God as he himself attests:
“Paul, a slave of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1)
“Paul, an apostle not from human beings nor through a human being but through Jesus Christ and God the Father…” (Galatians 1:1)
Like the Twelve and like Paul you and I are called today to spend time with Jesus, to sit at his feet and learn from him. Jesus then commissions us to go out and preach and heal by our words but even more by our actions.
Image: “Fra Angelico, frescoes, San Marco” by f_snarfel is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.