5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.”

After naming the twelve, the Lord Jesus sends them on the first of two short-term mission trips. They had now spent some time following Christ, observing and learning from Him; now was their time to attempt ministry for Him. He gives them instructions on where to go, what to say and things to do. This will prepare them for when He will no longer be with them. When that time comes, He will give them a new Resource, the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus would describe as “another helper” (Greek: paraclete), Who will bring them into perfect recall of all that Jesus was teaching them (John 14:16, 26). In the meanwhile, they have the Master training them, to Whom they will return after accomplishing the task.

First, their task was to preach to the Jews. This does not mean that God shows favoritism, but that God’s master plan is still intact as given to Abraham, to first reach the descendents of Abraham (the Jews), and then through them to reach the rest of humanity (the Gentiles).

Second, they were to communicate the same message as Jesus preached, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” God’s plan has always remained unchanged, namely, to bring about His own rule to the earth, to restore what was lost in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve rejected God’s ways. His purpose in creating humans in the first place was to display His majesty and glory to the creation made in His image. He desires a humanity that willingly recognizes Him as the Sovereign Creator, and ourselves as His craftsmanship made for His enjoyment. Our greatest joy is found in serving Him with open hearts and minds. When that happens, the kingdom of heaven is indeed present.

But, we live in a fallen world, initiated when the first of the human race abdicated from his rightful place in God’s order of things. The result is separation both from God and from life as He designed it. Sickness and death have become the bane of life ever since. The twelve were given power to address these human frailties, the same as Jesus had been doing. These actions would be signs validating the arrival of the Kingdom of heaven.

Lord, impress upon me the responsibility to pass on the good news, that the kingdom of heaven is at hand—You are looking for people to turn back to God.