Needy Missionaries
Scripture Reflection for the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (July 15, 2012)
Scripture Readings:
Amos 7:12-15
Psalm 85
Ephesians 1:3-14 or 1:3-10
Mark 6:7-13.
"Take nothing for the journey" (Mark 6:8)
It happened one time when I was leading a group on a trip to the Holy Land that I arrived with no luggage. Every other person in the group was happily claiming their bags. I waited anxiously, eagerly expecting to see mine come rolling down the conveyer belt. And then the belt stopped. There were no more bags and I didn't have mine. My heart sank. How would I manage without the changes of clothing, the toiletries, and the books that I had so carefully packed? Three days went by before my suitcase was found and delivered to me. In the meantime others in the group shared with me whatever they had. It was humbling to put on others' clothes and to rely on others' generosity. However, these acts of unselfishness created an instant bond as I was no longer the only one sharing from my "expertise."
In today's gospel, Jesus' disciples are sent out on their first foray in mission. He imparts to them his authority over unclean spirits and sends them out in pairs. Missionary journeying is never solitary; it is necessarily a communal endeavor. He then gives them very specific instructions about what they are to pack - nothing! He does not say to travel lightly. He insists they take absolutely nothing with them, except a walking stick and sandals on their feet, just as the fleeing Israelites did at the Exodus (Exod 12:11), as they are proclaiming liberation. They are not to take any food, no bag, no money, no change of clothing. They are to go completely empty-handed. This is a totally different model of mission than one in which a person sent considers themselves to have a whole cache of "goods" to share with people who have nothing. It's just the reverse! A Christian missionary is to go out needy and vulnerable, so that there can be a mutual exchange of gifts between missionaries and the people to whom they are sent. Missionaries are to put on the clothes of others and eat whatever the local people share, thus becoming one with those with whom they share the good news. Sharing the gospel is always a two-way street. The message preached in such an exchange is that of a crucified and risen Christ, who makes apparent that God's power works through vulnerability and mutuality. These kinds of exchanges are not instant. Jesus instructs his disciples to stay in one home so that the relationships can deepen and grow. It is also a warning not to look around for the best accommodations. A missionary is content to share whatever is offered.
Jesus warns his disciples that not all will accept the gospel message. Wherever there is sustained hostility toward them, they may "shake the dust" from their feet and move on. Christian missionaries are ready to experience tribulation, but they don't go looking for it.
A thread runs through all three readings today: the call to participate in the mission comes from divine initiative. Amos protests that he never belonged to a guild of prophets, nor ever wanted to be a prophet. He was a simple shepherd tending his flocks and his sycamore trees when God called him forth to prophesy. The reading from Ephesians highlights that it is by God's choice that believers, both Jews and Gentiles, belong to God and share the good news. In the gospel, it is Jesus who summons the Twelve, and sends them on mission. Christian missionaries are not self-appointed. The call to mission is part and parcel of every Christian's baptismal call. The Twelve symbolize how the whole renewed people of God participate in the mission, bringing healing and restoration to any who will welcome a needy bearer of the good news.
PRAYING WITH SCRIPTURE
• How does self-sufficiency impede the proclamation of the gospel?
• As you share the gospel with others, what do you let go and what do you receive?
This essay first appeared in Abiding Word. Sunday Reflections for Year B (Liturgical Press, 2011).
© Copyright 2012 Catholic Theological Union. All Rights Reserved.
Image: Christ sending out the seventy disciples two by two, from The Life of Jesus Christ by J.J.Tissot, 1899 by www.BiblePictureGallery.com
Barbara E. Reid, O.P., Ph.D.
Professor of New Testament Studies
Vice President and Academic Dean
M.A., Aquinas College; Ph.D., Catholic University of America
Barbara E. Reid, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan. She holds a Masters from Aquinas College in Religious Studies and a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is the author of Taking Up the Cross: New Testament Interpretations Through Latina and Feminist Eyes (Fortress Press, 2007), The Gospel According to Matthew, New Collegeville Bible Commentary Series (Liturgical Press, 2005), Parables for Preachers (3 volumes; Liturgical Press, 1999, 2000, 2001), Las Parábolas: Predicándolas y Viviéndolas (Liturgical Press, 2008, 2009), Choosing the Better Part? Women in the Gospel of Luke (Liturgical Press, 1996), A Retreat With St. Luke (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2000), and many journal articles. Currently she is writing Sophia’s Table: An Introduction to Feminist Interpretation of the Scriptures (forthcoming from Eerdman’s Press) and is General Editor for a new 60-volume feminist commentary on the Bible (forthcoming from Liturgical Press). She writes the weekly column on “The Word” forAmerica magazine.
Books written by Barbara E. Reid
