Luke 9:1-4 - Sent out

9:1,2

So far we have read of Jesus healing people and casting out demons, now we get a very important development. This power and authority is given to the twelve disciples. If we read the gospels we see that Jesus wanted people to have faith, and here we see Him giving power and authority to the twelve. So there are two important points. One is that normal men had the power to heal and cast out demons, and that the power and authority was given by Jesus. So what does this mean for us today? There are some who see this as being only for the New Testament times, and in particular as being  a sign of approval on the apostles. Some would also say that the demons have now all been defeated and casting out of demons is no longer relevant. However, this view seems to me to have no Biblical justification. Later on in Luke the seventy two are sent out and they experience demons obeying them, so the power was not limited to the twelve. In Acts we find that apostles carried on healing and casting out demons,  so we see that demons were still active. And a cursory look at life would seem to imply that demon activity is still ongoing. Moreover, the letters speak of the gift of healing.

Perhaps most importantly, the purpose of the healing and casting out of demons was the proclamation of the kingdom of God. That kingdom still needs to be proclaimed. However, it needs to be said that often we make a complete mess of this aspect of the church’s mission, either turning it into a show, or just having little idea of what we are doing. We need instruction from the Lord on this matter.

9:3,4

The disciples were to travel light. They were to be dependent upon the people they went to preach to. If someone welcomed them, then they were to stay in the house until their mission in that town was complete. Now these instructions are not a blanket command that we should never prepare for anything! Proverbs, Acts and the letters commend preparedness, but there is an attitude we should have. We can become so obsessed with planning that we do nothing, or that we end up no longer relying on the power of God.