Mark 6:7
Two by two
Jesus calls the twelve and begins to send them out two by two, giving them authority over unclean spirits.
Easy to miss
Jewish law required two witnesses to confirm a testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15).
In one minute: If you only read this much
What happens
Jesus calls the twelve and sends them out in pairs with authority over unclean spirits. They take nothing but a staff. They stay where they are welcomed and leave where they are not. They preach repentance, cast out demons and anoint many sick people with oil.
Why this Sunday
The readings today join faith and action. James says faith without works is dead, and in the Gospel the apostles’ faith takes them out on the road.
Take with you
Jesus sent them in twos. Nobody is meant to do this alone.
Readings for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost: Eight passages across four services
ഈ ഞായറാഴ്ചയുടെ വായനകൾ
Evening prayer സന്ധ്യാപ്രാർത്ഥന1 readings
- GospelസുവിശേഷംMatthew 18:15–35മത്തായി 18:15–35
How to settle a wrong; forgive seventy times seven; the unforgiving servant.
Morning prayer പ്രഭാതപ്രാർത്ഥന1 readings
- GospelസുവിശേഷംMark 9:33–50മർക്കൊസ് 9:33–50
Whoever wants to be first must be servant of all; a child in his arms.
Before Qurbana കുർബാനയ്ക്കു മുമ്പ്3 readings
- Old TestamentപഴയനിയമംLeviticus 19:13–18ലേവ്യപുസ്തകം 19:13–18
Do not hold back wages; love your neighbour as yourself.
- Old TestamentപഴയനിയമംJoshua 23:7–14യോശുവ 23:7–14
Hold fast to the Lord; not one of his good promises has failed.
- Old TestamentപഴയനിയമംMalachi 4:1–6മലാഖി 4:1–6
Elijah will turn the hearts of parents to their children.
Holy Qurbana വിശുദ്ധ കുർബാന3 readings
- General EpistleപൊതുലേഖനംJames 2:14–26യാക്കോബ് 2:14–26
Faith without works is dead.
- Pauline Epistleപൗലോസിന്റെ ലേഖനം1 Corinthians 14:34–391 കൊരിന്ത്യർ 14:34–39
Paul on order in worship: let all things be done decently and in order.
- Gospel of the dayസുവിശേഷംMark 6:7–13മർക്കൊസ് 6:7–13
The twelve go out two by two and anoint the sick with oil. This is the Gospel of the day.
Open in five scenes
The thread through all eight
Leviticus says love your neighbour as yourself, and Joshua urges Israel to hold fast to the Lord. Malachi promises Elijah will turn the hearts of parents to their children. James insists that real faith shows itself in action.
Source
References follow the official lectionary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Your parish may read them in a different order.
Mark 6:7–13 explained: Mark 6:7–13 in five scenes
Pick a scene to see what happens in it and what is easy to miss.
Two by twoMark 6:7A staff and sandalsMark 6:8–9Stay where you are welcomedMark 6:10Shake off the dustMark 6:11Anointed with oilMark 6:12–13
Mark 6:8–9
A staff and sandals
Take nothing for the journey except a staff: no bread, no bag, no money. Wear sandals, but not two tunics.
Easy to miss
Israel ate the Passover with sandals on and staff in hand, ready to leave (Exodus 12:11).
Mark 6:10
Stay where you are welcomed
Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that place.
Easy to miss
Moving to a richer host would insult the first one. Loyalty to those who receive you is part of the mission.
Mark 6:11
Shake off the dust
If any place will not welcome you or listen, shake the dust off your feet as you leave, as a testimony against them.
Easy to miss
The apostles are not told to argue or force anyone. They move on.
Mark 6:12–13
Anointed with oil
They go out and preach that people should repent. They cast out many demons and anoint many sick people with oil and heal them.
Easy to miss
Anointing the sick with oil continues in the Church (James 5:14). The Malankara Church calls it the Kantheela service.
The verse to keep
“അങ്ങനെ അവർ പുറപ്പെട്ടു മാനസാന്തരപ്പെടേണം എന്നു പ്രസംഗിച്ചു; വളരെ ഭൂതങ്ങളെ പുറത്താക്കുകയും അനേകം രോഗികൾക്കു എണ്ണതേച്ചു സൗഖ്യം വരുത്തുകയും ചെയ്തു.”“They went out and preached that people should repent. They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick, and healed them.”
Who is in the story, and what their names mean
The twelveപന്ത്രണ്ടു പേർ
Sent out in pairs for the first time in Mark.
Apostle means “one who is sent”
Three phrases worth knowing
- Unclean spirits
- Mark’s usual name for demons, which harm people and keep them from God.
- Tunic
- The basic garment worn next to the skin. A spare one was a small luxury.
- Anointing with oil
- Olive oil was used as medicine and as a sign of God’s blessing. The Church still prays over the sick with oil.
Reflection: Faith on the road
വഴിയിലെ വിശ്വാസം
James says in today’s epistle that faith without works is dead. In the Gospel we see what he means. The twelve have listened to Jesus for months. Now he sends them out to do what they have seen him do: preach, heal and set people free. Their faith has to walk.
He sends them in pairs, with almost nothing. They will be tired, sometimes rejected, often unsure. But they will not be alone, and they will have to rely on God and on the people who welcome them. They come back having seen God work through them.
Faith that stays in our heads is easy to keep and easy to lose. Faith that goes out to visit the sick, pray with the troubled and help the needy grows stronger. Find a partner, as the apostles did. Doing good with someone else is easier to keep up and more fun.