Two by Two

And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts—but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics. And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.
Mark 6:7–13
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Two by Two
It is said that there is power in numbers. This seems so true as we read today’s Bible verses. Jesus sends out the disciples in pairs with power and authority to speak the truth to an unbelieving world. In doing so, the disciples multiplied Jesus’ healing and revealing ministry, building on the foundation laid by John the Baptist and anticipating their own ministries, which would bear full fruit after Jesus’ Ascension. Yet, even as Jesus sends the Twelve, He anticipates that not everyone will welcome the Gospel, and unfortunately, this is still true today. Nonetheless, God unfailingly opens hearts and doors to their ministry, and He promises to do the same until the end of time. The message proclaimed by the twelve, which is still being proclaimed today, gives us the courage to share God’s Word with a dying world in these uncertain times. This life-saving Word continues to open hearts to repentance and faith in the Gospel.