At this time of year, many of us are likely to be looking forward to holidays. Some of us leave everything to the last minute, of course, resulting in a frantic dash, trying to remember where everything is: tickets, passports and so on. Whatever one’s view of when and how to prepare for a journey, in today’s world adequate preparation for travel is a necessity rather than an option.
It is surprising therefore, when we read in the Gospels that Jesus not only sent out disciples in a state that we could describe as unprepared, but He expressly forbade them to make adequate preparation. Today Jesus appoints 72 others – not numbered among the 12 – and sends them out in pairs to places that He himself will visit. If they meet with hostility they are to move on, first wiping from their feet the very dust of that town. Shaking the dust from their feet was a sign of rejecting anything unclean before entering God’s land. This journey is not a holiday. Disciples must not delay the start of the journey preparation, and they must not worry about what to take. They are embarking on God’s work as Jesus’ emissaries: God will provide them with everything they need.
Today’s Gospel may seem remote from our world, yet on reflection we may see that despite the peculiarities of Jesus’ instructions, they are timeless. As disciples, we are called to reflect on our own eagerness to proclaim the kingdom of God to those around us. Our hesitations, faults and failings can be barriers to the announcements that the Kingdom of God is at hand. Likewise, we can always find excuses to think we can’t be the bearers of the God News. Yet, our lives, if they are Gospel-based, are automatically proclamations of the kingdom. We don’t need passports, tickets, luggage and currency to be disciples: we do, however can take the Good News of Jesus himself.