Week 31 of the Church year
പെന്തിക്കോസ്തിക്കു ശേഷം രണ്ടാം ഞായർ
Jesus sends his twelve apostles out for the first time. He tells them what to say, what not to take, and what to do when a town will not listen.
Jesus sends the twelve to the lost sheep of Israel to proclaim the kingdom and heal. They are to take no money or spare clothes, stay with worthy hosts, and shake off the dust of towns that refuse them. He is sending them like sheep among wolves.
After Pentecost the Church thinks about its mission. The evening Gospel tells how Jesus chose the twelve; today he sends them.
Everything they had to give, they had been given first. Freely you received, freely give.
ഈ ഞായറാഴ്ചയുടെ വായനകൾ
Jesus prays all night, chooses the twelve, and speaks the Beatitudes.
Crowds press in from every region; Jesus appoints the twelve.
Be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.
David is anointed king over all Israel and takes Jerusalem.
King Darius praises Daniel’s God, who rescued him from the lions.
The believers pray for boldness, and the place where they meet is shaken.
Christ is our peace; he has broken down the wall of hostility.
Jesus sends the twelve: freely you have received, freely give. This is the Gospel of the day.
Open in five scenesLeviticus calls Israel to be holy as God is holy, and David is made king over all Israel. Daniel’s God is praised by a foreign king. In Acts the believers pray for boldness, and Ephesians says the wall between peoples has been broken down.
References follow the official lectionary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Your parish may read them in a different order.
Pick a scene to see what happens in it and what is easy to miss.
Jesus sends the twelve out with instructions: do not go to the Gentiles or Samaritans, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
The mission starts close to home. After the resurrection it widens to all nations (Matthew 28:19).
Proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is near. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without charging.
Their message is the same as Jesus’ and John’s: the kingdom is near (Matthew 3:2, 4:17).
Take no gold, silver or copper, no bag, no second tunic, no sandals or staff. The worker deserves his food.
They will depend on the people they serve. Mission begins by receiving hospitality.
In each town find a worthy person and stay there. Greet the house with peace. If you are not welcomed, shake the dust off your feet as you leave.
If the house is not worthy, Jesus says, “let your peace return to you”. Peace offered is never wasted.
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
Jesus does not promise safety. He asks for both cleverness and innocence, which rarely go together.
The verse to keep
“ചെന്നായ്ക്കളുടെ നടുവിൽ ആടിനെപ്പോലെ ഞാൻ നിങ്ങളെ അയക്കുന്നു. ആകയാൽ പാമ്പിനെപ്പോലെ ബുദ്ധിയുള്ളവരും പ്രാവിനെപ്പോലെ കളങ്കമില്ലാത്തവരും ആയിരിപ്പിൻ.”“Behold, I send you out as sheep among wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”
The twelve apostlesപന്ത്രണ്ട് അപ്പൊസ്തലന്മാർ
Chosen from among the disciples and now sent out for the first time.
Apostle means “one who is sent”
ഭാരമില്ലാത്ത യാത്ര
Jesus sends the twelve out with almost nothing. No money, no luggage, not even a spare shirt. They will have to depend on the kindness of the people they visit. It sounds impractical, and it is meant to be. Their message is that God provides, and they are to live as if it is true.
They are also told what to give: healing, peace and the news that God’s kingdom is near. They had received all of it from Jesus without paying anything. Now they hand it on the same way. Freely you received, freely give.
We are not all called to walk from village to village. But everyone in the Church has received something freely: forgiveness, faith, a community, a place at the table. This Gospel asks what we are doing with it. The Church grows when ordinary people give away, without charge, what was given to them.
കുടുംബമായി സംസാരിക്കാം
What has God given you freely that you could give to someone else?
Two minutes after the audio. Everyone gets a turn, and nobody is interrupted.Give something away this week: time, a skill, an item you do not need, with no expectation of return.
Lord Jesus, you sent your apostles out with nothing but your word and your peace. Make us generous with what we have received freely, and wise and gentle among those who do not welcome us. Amen.
The whole year
Every Sunday of the Church year, season by season: readings, the Gospel and a question for the family.
Sunday 3 of 18 in Pentecost