“And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; And commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats. And he said unto them, In what place soever ye enter into an house, there abide till ye depart from that place. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. And they went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:7-13)

The reference to The Twelve in Mark 6:7 is an allusion to the initial disciples Jesus gathered around Himself to train for the work of the ministry. The names of The Twelve disciples are provided in Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-17; and Acts 1:13.

For three and a half years The Twelve were with Christ, learning the gospel message. During that period of listening and watching the Master, the disciples were sent forth by the Lord, two by two to engage in the work of saving souls from the powers of darkness. Jesus sent the disciples two by two so that spiritually, out of the mouth of two witnesses every word might be established

There was practical wisdom in sending the disciples out two by two, for people need encouragement in the work of the ministry. There may be some Lone Eagles in the churches that are independent and self-sufficient, but most individuals need someone to work with. It is important to have someone to talk to, someone to share the joys and trials of the day, and someone who understands the pressures of the ministry. Matthew Henry notes that “Every common soldier has his comrade; and it is an approved maim, two are better than one” (Eccl. 4:9).

As the disciples went out in pairs, they went out with spiritual power over unclean spirits. Concerning these terrible spirits or demons, the New Testament has little to say as to their ultimate origin, nature, characteristics, or habits. The Bible does speak of unclean spirits as wandering about (Matt. 12:43), until they are cast into the abyss (Luke 8:31). In certain passages unclean spirits are able to speak (Mark 1:24ff) though they are not able to manifest themselves except through the words and actions of those inhabited.

The Bible is always careful to distinguish between unclean spirits and other diseases of the body and mind for demon possession is a unique form of illness. What is interesting perhaps is that the New Testament simply assumes the presence of unclean spirits without offering any magical rituals or incantations of getting rid of them. Unclean spirits or demons were not, and should not be lightly dismissed.

Certainly, Jesus treated those cases of invaded personality, of bondage and depression, of helpless fear as due to a real super-human power to be met and overcome by divine omnipotence. Perhaps the final word on the matter is found in Mark 9:29 And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

Armed with the power of the gospel message to change hearts including those enslaved to unclean spirits, the disciples were to go forth with utter simplicity. They were commanded “that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse: 9 But be shod with sandals; and not put on two coats” (Mark 6:8,9). It will be easier to understand this passage when it is realized that the average Jew of Palestine had five articles of clothing.

There was a tunic (Gk. chiton, or sindon), which was an undergarment. It was a simple long piece of cloth folded over and sewn down one side. It was long enough to reach almost to the feet. Over the tunic was the outer garment (Gk. himation).  This outer garment was used as a cloak by day and as a blanket at night. Commonly, the outer garment was made of two strips of cloth, each seven feet by a little more than two feet sewn together. The seam came down the back but a specially prepared himation might be woven of one piece, as was the robe of Christ. (John 19:23)

There was the girdle. The girdle was worn over the two outer garments so that the skirts of the tunic could be tucked up into it for work or for running. The girdle could also be used as a pocket to carry money.

There was the headdress. This was a piece of cotton or linen about a yard square. It could be made of white, or blue, or black and sometimes of colored silk. The headdress protected the neck, the cheek-bones, and the eyes from the heat and glare of the sun. It was held in place by a piece of wool around the head.

There were the sandals. These were simple flat sole of leather, wood, or matted grass with a strap to hold the sandal on to the feet.

In addition to the five articles of clothing, many Jews would carry a scrip or a small bag which could be used in a variety of ways.

It could be used for traveling. Made of an animal’s skin, the traveling bag would allow food to be carried such as bread, raisins, olives, and cheese.

It could be used to collect money. Often the priests of the pagan temples would accept contributions to be given by the devotees to their gods.

If Jesus was telling the disciples not to take a traveling bag then He meant that His disciples should take no supplies for the road but trust in God for everything. They were to put themselves in a position to trust in God.

If Jesus was telling the disciples not to carry a money bag then He was teaching them to go forth to give and not to take. While the laborer is worthy of his hire, the heart of the Christian must be kept free from covetousness and greed. God’s people are not to be made merchandise of.

Moreover, God alone is to be looked to as the ultimate supplier of the needs of life.  It is not an easy lesson for Christians to learn, but as God sent the ravens to feed Elijah He will do the same for His own today. The Lord will supply every need that His children have. But, as Watchman Nee often taught, “God’s supply arrives just when you have spent your last dollar.”

As the disciples went forth in utter simplicity, with complete trust in the Father to supply all of their needs as they generously gave of their themselves, they went as the heralds of a king. It is the job of a herald to present the message of the King. It is the job of a Christian to speak with the voice of authority. The prophets of old spoke with a “Thus saith the Lord.” The Christian church must find her prophetic voice once more and to say to a new generation, “This is the way of the Lord, let us walk in it.”

The particular message that the Church is to proclaim is that men should repent. The disciples went forth and called upon people to repent. “To repent means to change one’s mind, and then to fit one’s actions to this change.” (Dr. William Barclay) Repentance involves a change of heart and a change of action. Most people find it hard to repent or change once they have committed themselves to a certain course of action. Why? Mainly because of pride and emotional passion.

No one likes to be told that something they are thinking or something they are doing is wrong—even when it is wrong according to the known will of God. It is always an embarrassing thing to realize that we were following an inappropriate moral path. And yet, there is great glory and grace for those who turn back from the broad path of self-destruction to walk once more on the narrow path of righteousness. While it is not easy for anyone to repent, it can be done by the grace of God.

We think of Abram. Living in Ur of the Chaldees, Abram was caught up in the pagan worship of idols until the Lord revealed Himself. In a moment of time Abram changed his mind and his actions to reflect he now believed in the One true and only God of the Universe.

We think of David. As the king of Israel, David could have had anything and everything his heart wanted without engaging in inappropriate behavior. David did not have to covet another man’s wife, but he did and the act of covetousness led to the murder of Uriah the Hittite. For over a year David sat on the throne of Israel with innocent blood on his hands.

Finally, the prophet Nathan came to the king and told him a sad story of a greedy rich man who took the little lamb of his neighbor to feed a guest instead of taking a sheep from his own flock. David immediately saw the injustice of the situation and declared that he, as king, would exact revenge. And then Nathan pointed his long bony finger in the face of the king and said, “Thou art the man!”  Suddenly, the heart of David was broken and he repented of what he had done.

Later, David picked up a pen and wrote,

“Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness:
according unto the multitude
of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity,
and cleanse me from my sin. 

For I acknowledge my transgressions:
and my sin is ever before me.
Against thee, thee only, have I sinned,
and done this evil in thy sight:
that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest,
and be clear when thou judgest.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts:
and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean:
wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.”

~Psalm 51:1-7

In the novel Quo Vadis? Vinicius, the young Roman, has fallen in love with a girl who is a Christian. Because he is not a Christian, she will not allow her heart to love him. He follows her to the secret gathering where Christians meet for worship in the shadows of the night. There he stands, unknown to anyone. And he listens to the service. He hears Peter preach, and, as he listens something happens to him. “He felt that if he wished to follow that teaching, he would have to place on a burning pile all his thoughts, habits and character, and his whole nature up to that moment, burn them into ashes and then fill himself with a life altogether different, and an entirely new soul.”

That is repentance. Repentance is painful, for there is a death involved. But it is also purifying and there is a spiritual resurrection of the soul unto life. “Repentance is no sentimental feeling sorry; repentance is a revolutionary thing—that is why so few repent.” (Dr. William Barclay)

Bishop J. C. Ryle reminds the Church that those who preach repentance to others must know something of the same. “Have we ourselves repented? This, after all, is the question that concerns us most. It is well to know what the apostles taught. It is well to be familiar with the whole system of Christian doctrine. But it is far better to know repentance and to feel it inwardly in our own hearts.

May we never rest till we know and feel that we have repented! There are no impenitent people in the kingdom of heaven. All who enter in there have felt, mourned over, forsaken, and sough pardon for sin. This must be our experience, if we hope to be saved.”

If the gospel of repentance sounds like a harsh message, it is not, for it is based upon the king’s mercy that time is granted for repentance. And there is more mercy for where there is repentance there is also healing of the body. We read that the disciples “went out, and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them” (Mark 6:13).

Since the time of Christ, it has always been the ministry of the Church to bring healing to the diseased, hope to the discouraged, joy to the depressed, and food to the deprived.

The church does have a responsibility to society, and to those in need as they manifest the message of the mercy of the Messiah.

Tragically, not all people want the grace of the king. Though time and opportunity are given to repent, though the messengers are sent and the message is plain, the mercy of the Messiah is rejected. The free offer of a free gospel of grace is rejected with force.

Jesus anticipated that in some places this would happens. The Lord said that those who present the gospel to others will meet opposition. However, Christ wants the church to know something. When there is opposition to the gospel message of repentance based upon the principle of mercy extended, the future will bring a terrible retribution of divine justice in the form of wrath upon those who have hurt the heralds of heaven.  “And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear you, when ye depart thence, shake off the dust under your feet for a testimony against them. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorra in the Day of Judgment, than for that city” (Mark 6:11).

There is a serious side to salvation. Those who value their soul, those who fear God, those who have any hope of heaven must repent of all known sin, Receive the gospel of redeeming grace by calling upon the name of the Lord for salvation, and show respect towards those who proclaim the gospel.

Consider

Most people know what is wrong in their lives and what they should repent of, and they even know why they should change. But lest there be any doubt,

The heart should repent of known sin because inappropriate behavior is an offense to the holiness and righteousness of God (Psa. 51).

The heart should repent of known sin because there is no lasting happiness to be found in willful disobedience.

There is some pleasure in sin, but only for fleeting moments of time. An hour, maybe two, a day, maybe three but soon, very soon the cruelty of sin is revealed. And the soul is made sad.

For those with a conscience, there is shame and guilt; sickness of heart and self-loathing at the weakness of the will which is not able to depart from that which is wrong and to embrace that which is right. Lasting happiness will only be found in a life of virtue and holiness. There is no happiness in hell (Luke 16).

The heart should repent of known sin for the essence of sin is selfishness. When Adam and Eve saw that the fruit was to be desired to make one wise and that it was pleasant, they took.

It did it matter to them if the whole world was plunged into moral darkness and death because of their moment of passion. Such is the nature of sin. It is self-destructive and it is other destructive—but sin does not care.

The heart should repent of known sin because God will not be mocked. The judgment of God will fall time and time again upon those who will not arrest the unbridled passions of the soul. And each swing of the Divine Arm in discipline will be just that much worse.

The heart should repent of known sin because of love for Christ. Those who love Jesus and value His suffering at Calvary must not continue to abuse the grace which the Cross allows to freely flow.

“See, from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and low flow mingled down;
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown.

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

The heart should repent of known sin because there is more to life than a constant focus on self. There is a world to come. There is a God to love, a Christ to serve, souls to save, a gospel to preach, and virtues to keep.

It is not wrong for the soul to pass through fiery trials. Temptation comes to every Christian. Even Christ was tempted in all points like we are.

Many times the saints falter and stumble as the Bible teaches. But by the grace of God Christians will not ultimately lie prostrate in the muck and mire of sin for the Lord has promised to undergird and lift up the fallen.

The Lord lifts us up, higher than we have ever been before by allowing the opportunity to repent, to change, to be different and to seek first the kingdom of heaven.

How Does One Repent?

Gospel repentance begins with a measure of honesty as to what is right and what is wrong. In other words, the presence of God is not ignored, and the conscience is not suppressed.

In his book The Greatest Generation, Tom Brokaw brings out time and again the virtues of men and women who lived out the ethics of commitment, personal honor, faithfulness, endurance, and self-reliance as they faced depression, loneliness, sadness and sorrow.

In order to sin, in war time or in time of peace, all that is good and decent has to be blocked out of the mind and suppressed.

Gospel repentance continues when seven words are offered in prayer to the Father with the realization of sin in the soul:

“God, be merciful to me the sinner.”

Gospel repentance is proven when no provision is made for inappropriate behavior in the future. Jesus told the woman in John 8:11, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.” While there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1), the will of the Lord is still the same, “Go, and sin no more.”

There is a radical dealing with sin in the soul. Jesus said in Matthew 5:30 “And if thy right hand offend thee, cut if off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.” A radical cleavage of sin calls for supernatural strength. The fleshly man is too weak for such spiritual surgery. A skilled physician of the soul is needed.

Apart from repentance, there is no hope of eternal life.

“And they went out and preached that men should repent” (Mark 6:12).

It is the Message and the Mercy of the Messiah that men should repent and find salvation in the Person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ.