Daily Devotional • May 24
A Reading from Luke 9:1-17
1 Then Jesus called the twelve together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases, 2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 He said to them, “Take nothing for your journey: no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic. 4 Whatever house you enter, stay there, and leave from there. 5 Wherever they do not welcome you, as you are leaving that town shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them.” 6 So they departed and went through the villages, bringing the good news and curing diseases everywhere.
7 Now Herod the ruler heard about all that had taken place, and he was perplexed because it was said by some that John had been raised from the dead, 8 by some that Elijah had appeared, and by others that one of the ancient prophets had arisen. 9 Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” And he tried to see him.
10 On their return the apostles told Jesus all they had done. Then, taking them along, he slipped quietly into a city called Bethsaida. 11 When the crowds found out about it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God and healed those who needed to be cured.
12 The day was drawing to a close, and the twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away, so that they may go into the surrounding villages and countryside to lodge and get provisions, for we are here in a deserted place.” 13 But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” 14 For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” 15 They did so and had them all sit down. 16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke them and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And all ate and were filled, and what was left over was gathered up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.
Meditation
Today’s Gospel passage comes at a pivotal point in the Gospel of Luke. Christ’s public ministry began with his baptism by John, his temptation in the wilderness, and the calling of his disciples. These events are followed by accounts of Jesus’ healings, exorcisms, and other miracles. The last chapter ends with his unparalleled power even over death when he raised the daughter of Jairus.
Now, Jesus calls his twelve closest followers and gives them power and authority over demons and the ability to heal the sick. In doing this, he begins the seminal work of building the Church. As powerful as he is, Jesus can only be in one place at a time. Now he has increased the ministry staff twelve-fold and shows the disciples that they are no longer spectators but are now being sent out into the world as ministers in their own right.
Stretch out your arms to their fullest extent and imagine that you are infused with the power of Christ that can change the world. Where will you start? To be sure, exorcising demons is an intimidating assignment, and in our own time that work is considered a particular and specialized vocation.
Proclaiming the kingdom, on the other hand, we can all practice in our unique and individual ways. Sharing the good news can be as simple as inviting people to go to Church with you, or to join you in a ministry of serving those in need. The possibilities are diverse and plentiful. Take time today, and ask God to show you the power that your baptism has given you, and the particular way he is sending you to feed a hungry world.
The Very Reverend David duPlantier has served as Dean and Rector of Christ Church Cathedral in New Orleans, LA since 2002. He is founder and chair of the board of the Jericho Road Episcopal Housing initiative: https://jerichohousing.org
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Daily Devotional Cycle of Prayer
Today we pray for:
Grace Episcopal Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin
The Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness – The Scottish Episcopal Church
