You are the equipment!

Luke 9:1-6

1 Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases. 2 He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick. 3 He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. 4 Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns-- get a modest place and be content there until you leave. 5 If you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on." 6 Commissioned, they left. They travelled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went.

Food for thought!

In the gospel according to Matthew (28:18-20), Jesus said to his disciples: "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you, and behold, I am with you all the days."

What Jesus does in the gospel of today is to pass on to the disciples the authority he himself received from the Father. "Jesus now called the Twelve and gave them authority and power." What's the difference between authority and power? What did Jesus give us? What are we called to do? We have to understand these two concepts in order to reply to the questions.

Power is the ability to influence. The people with power over us, influence us. And the people who influence us, have power over us. Authority is different. It comes from Latin word, augere, meaning to augment, increase, to make more. It is the ability to make or be more; surpass, overcome. Jesus has the ability to influence our lives AND has the ability to make us be and do more. This is what Jesus gives us, the ability to influence the world AND the ability to surpass, overcome all evil, all difficulty, thus the authority and power to deal with all the demons and cure diseases.

To accomplish this rather difficult task, Jesus equips us, not with many material things nor with much money, but with the Gospel, the Good news! "He commissioned them to preach the news of God's kingdom and heal the sick." The weapon Jesus gives us to influence others and overcome evil, is the Good news!

We not only HAVE the Good news, we ARE also the Good news! He said, "Don't load yourselves up with equipment. Keep it simple; you are the equipment. And no luxury inns, get a modest place and be content there until you leave. If you're not welcomed, leave town. Don't make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and move on."

So, wherever we are, let's be the cause of goodness. I say WHEREVER because this is what the disciples of old did: "Commissioned, they left. They travelled from town to town telling the latest news of God, the Message, and curing people everywhere they went." A Christian that causes sadness all around him or her is indeed a failed Christian. We are messengers of Good news, not Bad news. We are commissioned to be the Good news that influences (power) for better (authority).