On the Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B, the First Reading (Amos 7:12-15) and the Gospel Reading (Mark 6:7-13) are about being sent on God’s mission. In fact, as we are one holy catholic (universal) apostolic Church. It means that we are to be sent out on our apostolic mission (i.e. Matthew 28:19//Mark 16:15; cf. John 20:21; cf. Acts 1:8).
What is the purpose of
being sent on mission?
It is to partake in
Christ’s salvific mission on earth (i.e. John 14:12). And this stems from the mission
work of Jesus, who was sent to the earth, incarnated in the human flesh of
Jesus in Mary’s womb by the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35; John 1:1, 14),
to do the Father’s salvific work (i.e. John 5:19-38).
Ever since the fall of
Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-24), we have been fallen to sin, rebelled against
God. He has sent prophets to turn our ancestors back to Him with warnings
against continuous sinfulness. But they did not listen to them and did not turn
themselves back to God, as they even killed prophets (i.e. 1 Kings 19:10, 14;
Romans 11:3). Then, in the fullness of time, He sent His only Son to save us,
through his teaching, but we killed him, the incarnated Christ, the Son of God
(i.e. Acts 2:22-23; 4:10-11). This is reflected in Jesus’ parable of the wicked
tenant workers (Matthew 21:33-46). But his death was the salvific Paschal
victory, as we have been saved by his blood (i.e. Romans 5:9; Ephesians 1:7).
In the First Reading (Amos 7:12-15), God sent Amos to
Bethel in Israel (Northen Kingdom) to warn about devastating consequence of
their defilement. But Amaziah, the priest of Bethel, told him to go back to
Judah, “Off with you, visionary, flee to
the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again
prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple”(Amos
7:12-13). Basically, Amaziah was telling
Amos that the affairs in Israel are none of his business, therefore, go back to
Judah and mind his own business there.
Bethel is where Jeroboam I built a shrine of golden calves
worship, after breaking away with the ten tribes from the southern two tribes
(i.e. 1 Kings 12:26-33). Now, Jeroboam II rules Israel with this pagan worship.
And Amaziah is the priest of this defiled worship.
To Amos, God first ominously said of Israel for their
sin of golden salves worship:
The
Lord will roar from Zion, and from Jerusalem raise his voice: The Pastures of
the shepherds will languish, and the summit of Carmel wither
(Amos 1:2).
The Lord roars at Israel in the north from Jerusalem
(Amos 1:1) through Amos (Amos 2:6-7:9)!
But, Israel refused to turn to God and reject Amos.
So Amos spoke these words of God to Israel through
Amaziah:
Now hear the word of the Lord: You say:
‘Do not prophesy against Israel, do not preach against the house of Isaac.’ Therefore
thus says the Lord: Your wife shall become a prostitute in the city, and your
sons and daughters shall fall by the sword. Your land shall be parcelled out by
measuring line, and you yourself shall die in an unclean land; and Israel shall
be exiled from its land (Amos 7:16-17).
This foreboding prophetic message against Israel includes
that tragedies would fall on Amaziah’s family: his wife made to be a prostitute
for soldiers, who conquer Israel and his children being killed by them.
Basically, this paints the tragic end of Israel (i.e. 2 Kings 17:5-23).
Unrepentant Israel was destroyed by the Assyrians. But
Judah was spared, though the Babylonians sacked Jerusalem and those who
survived the seize were exiled to Babylon (i.e. 2 Kings 24:1-25:30). God used Persia,
which conquered Babylonia, sending the those who were in exile to Jerusalem to
rebuild Judah (i.e. Ezra 1:1-3:13).
In the Gospel Reading (Mark 6:7-13), Jesus sent his
twelve disciples on mission with his authority over unclean spirits (Mark 6:7).
This took place after he was rejected by people of his hometown, Nazareth, as
Amos was rejected in Bethel by its priest, Amaziah (Mark 6:1-6 - The Gospel Reading
of the Fourteenth Sunday).
Jesus did not send them without the authority.
Otherwise, their mission would not succeed. He sent them on mission with his
authority over unclean spirit and two-by-two, not alone. Everything else depended
on what God would provide. This is why Jesus instructed the disciples to go
with bare minimum necessities, including one pair of sandals and walking stick.
No food. No bag. No money. No second tunic. Each disciple only had Jesus’
authority and a companion to go on mission (Mark 6:7-9). This means that they
had to trust God and His provision along the way. They had to experience how
God would provide through generous people for their sustenance.
Jesus also told the disciples to stay at houses of those are hospitable and listen to them but not to waste time and energy with those who are inhospitable and do not listen (Mark 6:10-11). But as they leave those who did not accept them, Jesus instructed:
Shake the dust off your feet in testimony
against them (Mark 6:11b).
This can be done by simply dusting off feet. But this
can also be done by speaking consequences of their rejection, as Amos did to
Amaziah (Amos 7:16-17).
So the disciples went on preaching repentance, exorcised,
and cured the sick by anointing (Mark 6:12-13). They were able to do all of
these because they had Jesus’ authority over unclean spirits and they could
help each other as they were sent two-by-two. And they had nothing to distract
them from the mission as they went on mission trusting God’s provision,
carrying nothing extra.
Amos was sent by God with His prophetic message to
Israel, upon being called out of his work as a herdsman and caretaker of sycamore
trees (Amos 7:14-15). The disciples were sent by Jesus, who was sent by the
Father, with his authority over unclean spirits, after being called out of
their previous occupations, such as fishermen.
Amos’ mission was to warn defiled Israel for God’s
judgement (Amos 2:2-7:17), hoping to listen to the roaring of the Lion of Judah
(i.e. Amos 1:2; cf. Genesis 49:9; Revelation 5:5). The disciples’ mission was
to let sinners repent, expel evil spirits, and cure the sick, by Jesus’
authority (Mark 6:7-13).
Since Christ was sent, mission is to continue his
salvific work, as demonstrated by the disciples, who were sent by his
authority. As the Second Reading (Ephesians 1:3-14) reminds us, it is to
restore our original holiness and unblemishedness in Christ, as we were created
in God’s Triune image (Genesis 1:26-27), for it is how God predestined us, to
be adopted as His children through Christ. In other words, Christ’s salvific
mission continues on now through us, one holy catholic apostolic Church, so
that each of us may be redeemed to be adopted as God’s child, reconciled with
God, and our original holiness and purity are restored in Christ.
Whatever we do for living, Christ may call us to go on
mission. For some, it can be prophetic work, as Amos and other prophets did.
For others, it can be pastoral work, as the disciples did. But we must leave
what we do now when we are called to be sent on our mission to restore our
original state as being created in God’s image and to be redeemed as God’s
children, overcoming whatever defiles us.
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