The King's Boot Camp Text: Luke 9:1-6
Introduction: The Un-credentialed Ambassadors
The modern world, and sadly much of the modern church, is obsessed with credentials. We want to see the degrees on the wall, the certificates of completion, the letters of recommendation from all the right people. We want our ambassadors to be polished, well-funded, and carrying a detailed five-year plan. We want a ministry that looks good on paper, one that a board of directors would approve. We want to be respectable. But the kingdom of God operates on a completely different economy. It is an economy of delegated authority, not of accumulated résumés. It is an economy of radical dependence, not of strategic reserves.
In our text this morning, Jesus assembles His twelve disciples for what amounts to a boot camp for their future ministry. These are not yet the polished apostles of the Book of Acts. This group is a motley crew of fishermen, a tax man, a zealot, and one who would ultimately betray Him. They are unrefined, prone to misunderstanding, and still jockeying for position. And it is precisely to these men that the King of the universe gives a startling commission. He is not sending them to a seminar on church growth; He is sending them into enemy territory with nothing but His word and His power.
This passage is a frontal assault on our contemporary notions of what it means to serve Christ. We think in terms of resources, safety nets, and institutional backing. Jesus thinks in terms of power, authority, and utter reliance on Him. This is not just a historical account of a short-term missions trip. This is a paradigm for the church's entire mission in the world. This is the pattern for how the kingdom advances. It advances not through the strength of its emissaries, but through the authority of the King who sends them. It advances not with the world's tools of wealth and influence, but in defiance of them. What we are about to see is the raw, unfiltered, and frankly terrifying nature of true Christian ministry.
The Text
And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; nor have two tunics apiece. And whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city. And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” And departing, they were going throughout the villages, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere.
(Luke 9:1-6 LSB)
Delegated Dominion (v. 1-2)
The mission begins with an endowment of divine power.
"And calling the twelve together, He gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick." (Luke 9:1-2)
First, notice the source of this power. Jesus calls them together and He gives them power and authority. This is not something they generated within themselves through spiritual disciplines or positive thinking. It wasn't earned. It was a sheer gift, a delegation. The word for power is dunamis, from which we get dynamite. This is raw, explosive capability. The word for authority is exousia, which means rightful jurisdiction. They were given both the might and the right. This is crucial. Power without authority is tyranny. Authority without power is impotence. Jesus gives them both.
And what is the scope of this authority? It is "over all the demons." Not some of them. All of them. This is a declaration of Christ's total victory. The strong man has been bound, and now His disciples are sent to plunder his house. We must not have a superstitious, medieval view of demons, as though they are God's opposite number, locked in an eternal struggle. The devil is a finite, created, and defeated foe. Jesus does not send His disciples into a fair fight. He sends them out as victors to announce the terms of surrender to an already conquered enemy. The healings are part and parcel of this. Sickness and disease are a consequence of the fall, a manifestation of the curse that Satan delights in. Healing is a sign that the curse is being rolled back, that the kingdom of God is breaking in.
Their task is twofold: proclamation and demonstration. They are to "preach the kingdom of God" and to "heal the sick." The message is the kingdom, the announcement that the rightful King has arrived and is setting up His rule. The healings are the credential, the signpost that points to the truth of the message. The miracles are not the gospel, but they are the dinner bell calling people to come and hear the gospel. The word and the deed go together. To preach a gospel that has no power to change things here and now is to preach a truncated, gnostic gospel. And to perform deeds of power without the proclamation of the kingdom is to be a mere social worker. Jesus yokes them together inextricably.
The Mandate of Dependence (v. 3)
Next, Jesus lays out the terms of their provision, which is to say, their lack of provision.
"And He said to them, 'Take nothing for your journey, neither a staff, nor a bag, nor bread, nor money; nor have two tunics apiece.'" (Luke 9:3 LSB)
This is a command for calculated vulnerability. It is strategic poverty. Every item on this list represents self-sufficiency. A staff for defense and support. A bag for supplies. Bread for immediate hunger. Money for future needs. A second tunic for comfort and a change of clothes. Jesus strips them of every earthly security. Why? He is training them to trust. He is forcing them into a position where their only resource is God's provision through God's people.
This is not a universal command for all missionaries for all time, as we see Jesus give different instructions later (Luke 22:36). But it was a specific command for this specific training mission. The principle, however, is permanent. The work of the kingdom is not funded by the methods of the world. The gospel must not be beholden to big donors or slick marketing campaigns. It advances on the currency of faith. God's work, done in God's way, will never lack God's supply. Jesus is teaching them that the messenger who is dependent on the King will be provided for by the King. He is also teaching them something about the nature of the gospel itself. It is a free gift. The ministers of this free gift must not give the impression that they are hirelings, peddling a product. They must come with open, empty hands, demonstrating that they too are beggars who have found bread.
Receiving and Remaining (v. 4)
Jesus then gives them instructions for how to conduct themselves when they are received.
"And whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that city." (Genesis 9:4 LSB)
This is a command against ministerial restlessness and the pursuit of comfort. When they enter a town and find a household that welcomes them, they are to stay put. They are not to spend their time looking for a better offer, a softer bed, or a better cook. To do so would be to insult their host and to show that their mind was on earthly comforts rather than on the kingdom. The gospel is not a tool for social climbing.
This instruction dignifies the hospitality of the common person. The disciples were to receive what was offered with gratitude and contentment. The home that receives the prophet receives the prophet's reward. By staying in one place, they identify with that family, making that home the base of operations for the gospel in that town. They are to be focused on their mission, not on their accommodations. This is a sharp rebuke to the kind of ministry that is always looking for an upgrade, a bigger platform, a more comfortable green room. The servant is not greater than his master, who had nowhere to lay His head.
Rejection and Testimony (v. 5)
But what if they are not received? Jesus provides a stark and solemn ritual for rejection.
"And as for those who do not receive you, as you go out from that city, shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them." (Luke 9:5 LSB)
This is not a petty act of spite. It is a formal, legal testimony. For a Jew to shake the dust of a Gentile town from his feet was to say that the place was unclean, outside the covenant promises of God. For the disciples to do this to a Jewish town was a shocking and severe indictment. It was to declare that this town, by rejecting the King's messengers, had forfeited its covenant standing. They were declaring the town to be apostate, treating it as though it were pagan territory.
This act serves as a "testimony against them." It is a witness. On the day of judgment, the dust of their own city will testify that the kingdom of God came near to them and they would not have it. This teaches us that there is a finality to rejecting the gospel. God does not plead forever. The offer of grace, when spurned, becomes the basis for judgment. This is not something to be done lightly or in a fit of pique. It is a solemn act of covenantal law, declaring that the consequences of unbelief are now on the heads of those who refuse the message. It underscores the immense authority given to these disciples. To receive them is to receive Christ. To reject them is to reject Christ.
The Mission in Motion (v. 6)
"And departing, they were going throughout the villages, proclaiming the gospel and healing everywhere." (Luke 9:6 LSB)
And so they went. The text says they departed and went "throughout the villages." This was a grassroots movement. It was not a top-down campaign focused on the centers of power in Jerusalem. It was a village-to-village, house-to-house infiltration of the kingdom. They were "proclaiming the gospel," the euangelion, the good news of the King. And they were "healing everywhere."
The obedience is as simple and direct as the command. They did what they were told. And the power was present. The healings were happening "everywhere." This is a picture of the explosive, expansive nature of the kingdom. It cannot be contained. When the word is preached in faith and obedience, the power of God is unleashed. And we should not miss the most startling detail of all. Judas Iscariot was one of these men. Judas was out there, with no money, no bread, and no extra tunic. Judas was casting out demons. Judas was healing the sick. This is a sobering reminder that the power of the office is not the same as the personal holiness of the man. God's word can be powerful even in the mouth of a hypocrite. But it also shows us that one can be a conduit for God's power and still have a heart that is far from Him. The ultimate test is not whether we have cast out demons in His name, but whether He knows us.
Conclusion: Our Unfunded Mandate
This short-term mission trip was a success. The disciples would return amazed at what God had done through them. But the training was for the sake of the long-term war. After Jesus ascended, this boot camp would become their way of life. They were to go into all the world with the same unfunded mandate, the same delegated authority, and the same radical dependence on the King.
And this is our mandate as well. We are the church, sent out into the world. We have been given power and authority through the Holy Spirit. Our task is to proclaim the kingdom and to demonstrate its reality through lives of healing and service. We are called to a radical dependence on God, not trusting in the arm of the flesh, the size of our budgets, or the approval of the world.
We must be willing to be received with joy, and we must be willing to be rejected with scorn. In either case, we are a testimony. We are the aroma of Christ. To those who are being saved, we smell like life. To those who are perishing, we smell like death. Our job is not to be successful in the world's eyes. Our job is to be faithful. To go out, just as they did, into the villages and cities of our day, proclaiming the good news that Jesus is King, and demonstrating the healing power of His reign everywhere.