The Disciples' trial run

Sermon for Pentecost III, 2026, delivered at St. Pal's Episcopal Church, Louisville, KY
Text: Matthew 9:35-10:8

About 20 years ago, I wound up a four year commitment to the Red Cross as a disaster volunteer. I was part of a crew that drove and set up a tricked-out Ford Excursion SUV that could bring the internet to wherever it was, as well as provide radio communications on just about any frequency needed. It was a complicated truck to operate, and my first deployment was with the truck manager, Mike. He knew how to do everything with it, and I learned a lot from him. My next deployment was for a hurricane disaster response in Florida with another crew member, and that was when I really felt unsure of my abilities. But Mike had confidence in me, and we did ok while on the job. I realized that my first deployment with Mike was a trial run, and the second was the real thing. The disciples’ experience of going out for the first time and actually doing what they had seen Jesus do was familiar to me from my experience on the truck, and I had some idea of how they might have felt.

It is important to understand that this was something of a trial run for the disciples because they had not yet been commissioned by Jesus to continue his ministry, or been given the Holy Spirit  to bring the power of God to bear on the world. We just heard that commissioning and conferral of the Holy Spirit in the reading for both Pentecost and Trinity Sundays, so it seems we are going backwards in time and events. It is important to remember that each season of the church year has its own context, and the readings for one season do not always lead to the next. This year we are reading Matthew’s gospel, so we are picking up where we left off in Matthew before Ash Wednesday. But even within Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus sends the disciples out twice. 

There is a detail in this reading that stands out to me, where Jesus specifies that the disciples should only go to Jewish villages and towns and bring the Good News to them. It wouldn’t be until Jesus encounters the Syrophoenician woman, or the Apostle Paul establishes churches in gentile areas that Jesus’ ministry could be for the whole world. So, this is confusing. Why would Jesus not want to heal the whole world? Why not bring the good news to everyone? Here, I have to fall back on my respect for each of the gospels and their story they have to tell about Jesus, and what he said and did. And out of respect for this gospel, I understand that it was written for a Jewish audience, saying that Jesus came for them. In this reading Jesus mentions the Good News that the disciples are to spread, and that raises another question in my mind. What is that good news? At first, we might think that the Good News is what we read in John’s gospel, that Jesus came to save sinners and not condemn the world. But for Matthew, the good news is that the kingdom of heaven is nearby. If we look at Jesus’ sermon on the mount in Matthew chapters 5-7, we understand what the kingdom is and what it means for us. Starting with Beatitudes in chapter 5, we hear Jesus lay out what the kingdom looks like: those excluded are included, personal ethics and godly actions are defined, and personal piety is described. These are the guiding principles for the disciples, ones that they are to show in their thoughts, words, and deeds for the people they will encounter. And they do just that, showing mercy and compassion, not condemnation and scorn.

Notice, though, that there is no mention of salvation from sins anywhere in this scene. We expect a centering on salvation because we read into scripture what we assume it says, rather than read it closely and hear what God really says. It happens when we stand in fear of not truly being saved when salvation has already been won for us on the cross. It happens when we are not listening to God. The instructions Jesus gives are not in the details of what he wants the disciples to do, but in the reason for their interactions and relationships with the people they meet. Curing the sick sounds a lot like practicing medicine without a license. Raising the dead will get you arrested, or worshiped by someone as Jesus returned. Cleansing the lepers and casting out demons sounds like a movie plot. I say this somewhat facetiously because if we try to do these things on our own, we miss the deeper point that we are to continue Jesus’ work in the world, whatever it is and wherever it is needed. If we limit ourselves to just what Jesus said here, we miss the call to help others who don’t fit the criteria laid out in scripture, and his work in the world through us will be incomplete. There is much more to do when the kingdom of heaven is near than what is mentioned in scripture.

To proclaim the Gospel and the Good News is not just telling people that their sins are forgiven, that they are loved, and the kingdom of heaven is near. That does not cure the sick, cleanse the lepers, or cast out demons. Proclaiming the Good News must include Jesus’ work, his healing, his push for justice, and his expectation of holiness and righteousness from the faithful. Jesus’ call to carry on his work is not one dimensional, a one-and-done saving of someone’s soul. It is about caring for that soul well after it has been saved. We don’t ordain, baptize, or confirm members and then say “Have a great life!” We affirm our ongoing support with a loud “We will!” That proclamation is the beginning of a relationship we have with the church, the people in it, and the people in the world. The same is happening with the disciples as they heal: they are building and maintaining relationships, and there are no instructions on how to build them beyond “Love your neighbor as yourself.” That is ultimately what the disciples were sent out to do, to deliver the Good News and perform works of power in the context of relationships so that they make sense. So, after the post-communion prayer, after the blessing, the last hymn, and the dismissal, where will you be sent to? Who will you meet, and what will you do for them? What part of the Good News will you share with them?