As I looked at the reading for this week, I remembered a story my minister in Scotland told me years ago. It concerned a prostitute who had a terrible drug addiction and her children were being taken into care. She was obviously at a very low ebb and was considering suicide. She was asked if she would ever consider going to church but her reply stung the minister. She said she already felt terrible about herself, why would she go to a place where they would make her feel worse? It is sad that she looked at the church and didn’t see a community of broken people who could identify with her and help her in her struggles, but rather a group of people with whom she had nothing in common and who would only look down on her.
This week we are looking at Jesus sending out the twelve apostles on mission by themselves. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be looking at the specific instructions they are given but this week, we look at the overarching theme behind the mission. Jesus recognises that He’s going to need help to reach as many people as possible and so He identifies twelve of His disciples to send. They are a mixed bunch including fishermen, tax collectors, doubters and political firebrands. But this diversity gives them an advantage in that they will be relevant to a wide range of people because most will be able to see something of themselves in this group. They are also told to do what Jesus has been doing, to love and care for others because Jesus is the expression of God’s love for the world and cannot do anything but help those He sees who are struggling with life.
It’s such an appropriate lesson for the church. The reason for the mission is to embody Jesus to the world, to be moved by the suffering we see and to do something to help those who need it. It’s not to gain rewards, or status, or to get rich, but to simply be the presence of Jesus to those around us and to continue His mission to the world. It is important that the church is comprised of a diverse group of people so that those we are ministering to can relate to us. If we are not relevant to those we reach, how can we effectively communicate the gospel and show God’s love to them? If we try and create churches that are comprised of people who all look and think the same, who hold the same opinions, then how can we reach all people of all nations as we are commanded to do? Those of us who make up the church are not perfect, so why do we insist that we will only minister to those whom we think are?