Breaking the Word

In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea (and) saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: "A voice of one crying out in the desert, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.'" John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins…

 I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I.I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire… (Mt 3:1-12)

John the Baptist appeared in the desert and he was preaching. Desert was the place of God experience for the Jewish people. It was also the place where the people grew up into a nation of liberated people. It is in the desert their freedom began. (They had the freedom to worship golden calf though they were punished for that; they also had the freedom to grumble against Moses, while in Egypt, as slaves, they never raised their voice openly) So the location itself, where John the Baptist appeared, presents something Godly. The beginning of the kingdom of God is similar to the Exodus of the Old Testament. The journey of the kingdom of God, since it is beginning in the desert, shows that it is the new Exodus. The river Jordan was the entry point for the Old Exodus, so also now, it the entry point for the New Exodus.

The message is a message of hope, of forgiveness, of healing. Similar message was uttered by prophet Isaiah (chapter 40) for the people who were in exile. The God is coming back to take them back home. His coming is to rescue them from slavery, now from the slavery of sin. The God is coming to comfort them. This coming is the coming of the kingdom: God’s kingdom. People should get ready to welcome this arrival of the kingdom. No claim of ancestry (Abraham is our father etc) would help them in this moment. God is the God of creation. He could create man from the stones as he had done in the past: creating man from the dust. God is not just the God of Israel rather he is the God of creation and hence God of all and God for all.

 Jesus went around to all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest." Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. Jesus sent out these twelve after instructing them thus, "Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.' Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. (Mt 9:35-10:1,5-8)

Jesus went around the towns and villages proclaiming the kingdom. He was also curing the disease and illness. He was revealing and making present the kingdom in word and deeds. Why did he go around? Surely he was doing the same in the synagogues. Probably very few people were going to the synagogue or synagogue was open only for a limited time or it had its own timetable. Jesus did not want to be limited by time and space. He wanted the kingdom work to be done always and at anyplace and for everybody. Streets and roads were the only places which had not restriction of any sort. They (roads and streets and open spaces) were open at all times and for everyone.

Jesus did not want to hold on to the authority to himself: the authority to heal and to cast out demons and the authority to proclaim the gospel. Since the ministry was limitless (not limited by space and time and persons) and the demand was great (there were more people needing the assistance) he appointed twelve of his followers to continue or join in with him to do the same mission. Hence he shared his authority with them. The mission was important for him and all the other rules and restrictions were secondary. Probably this is what the mission priority means.