“Preach the kingdom of God”

Read Luke 9:1-6

.

In Matthew, the context for this passage is Jesus’s own mission – he went about everywhere “preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease” (Mt.9:35). He responded to the crowds with “compassion, because they were helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Mt.9:36; Ezek.34:5; Zech.10:2). So he urged the disciples to pray for God “to send out workers into his harvest field” (Mt.9:37-38; Jn.4:35).

.

And those who pray for workers are themselves to be workers. The twelve had already been appointed “to be with him... to preach... to drive out demons” (Mk.3:14-15) and Jesus now gave them the authority to go and do that (1). It was an extension of his own work, with the same message of God’s kingdom, accompanied by the sick being healed (2).

.

For such mission trips the disciples “are not to make provision for a long journey for this is a short and urgent task. Preaching the kingdom took priority over fuss about personal well-being” (English). These instructions don’t apply to every situation (Lk.22:35-36) but we too must have compassion for people and a sense of urgency in sharing the good news with them, trusting God to provide all that we need (Mt.6:33).