Working with Jesus

 Working with Jesus (Mark 6:6-13)

“Then [the twelve] were on the road. They preached with joyful urgency that life can be radically different; right and left they sent the demons packing; they brought wellness to the sick, anointing their bodies, healing their spirits.” (Mark 6:12-13)

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I’ve been walking with Jesus for a little while now. I, and the twelve people Jesus had specifically called to be part of his following, and others here and there. We’ve watched him, day and night, growing in our awe at his powers, his wisdom, his courage, his compassion. He talks in strange ways, using parables to teach us about the kingdom. Wherever he goes, he shares the message of good news – inviting people to turn from their ways and to experience forgiveness for their sins. We have also watched as the people react to Jesus. Some embrace him with all their being, others look at him with curiosity and wonder, while some push him away and turn away from him. We feel a special privilege to be witness to everything he has been doing and saying. 

After we left his hometown, there we were, walking along to the nearby villages. Suddenly Jesus stopped and looked at the twelve. “You know what?,” he asked them. “I think it’s time you tried your hand at this. You go, all twelve of you, and do what I’ve been doing. Split up, two by two, and go to the villages. I give you permission and authority to do the things I’ve been doing. Take just yourselves, nothing more. Don’t worry about supplies and provisions; rely on the generosity and hospitality of the villagers. If they won’t have you, just turn around and walk away, shaking the dust off of your feet.”

And that’s exactly what the twelve did! They went and proclaimed the same message Jesus had been preaching, inviting people to turn from their sins and be forgiven. And they cast out demons, and healed the sick. They were doing the same things that Jesus had been doing! It was amazing!

As I walk with Jesus, I realize that he invites everyone who chooses to walk with him to be co-workers with him. It’s not as if he really needs us, because I’ve seen that he is perfectly capable of doing everything himself – healing, confronting and casting out evil, teaching about the kingdom. He is more than able to do it himself, and yet he invites us and empowers us to share in the work he is doing in the world. He doesn’t want us simply to be spectators watching and cheering him on; he invites us to be participants in his life-changing work.

Every day in my walk with Jesus, I offer myself into his service. I ask Jesus to show me the ways that I can share in his work. I ask him to guide me and equip me with what I need so that, in the things I say and the things I do, I am somehow bearing witness to Jesus and this amazing kingdom. I know that not everyone wants what Jesus has to offer, and so I try not to get discouraged. But what a privilege it is, to be part of the work that Jesus is doing to usher in his kingdom.

If in some small way in my walk with Jesus I am able to make Jesus known, then I am happy.

Dear Jesus, thank you for the tremendous privilege, not only of walking with you, but also of working with you. I want to be faithful in doing your work. I want the things I say and do to bear true and faithful witness to who you are, so that people can genuinely respond to your grace, love, and to your invitation to right living. Fill me with everything I need, including boldness and confidence, so that at the end of the day I will have done everything you call me to do. Amen.