Jesus Sends His Apostles on a Mission (Mk. 3:13-19; 6:7-13; Lk. 6:12-16; 9:1-6)

10 ¹Jesus called his twelve followers together. Jesus gave them power over evil spirits. Jesus gave them power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. ²These are the names of the twelve apostles*: Simon (also called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector;* James, son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot* and Judas Iscariot. Judas is the one that gave Jesus to his enemies. ⁵Jesus gave these twelve apostles* some orders. Then he sent them [to tell people about the kingdom]. Jesus said, "Don't go to the non-Jewish people. And don't go into any town where the Samaritans* live. ⁶But go to the people of Israel (the Jews). They are like sheep that are lost. ⁷When you go, tell them this: 'The kingdom of heaven is coming soon.' ⁸Heal sick people. Give dead people life again. Heal those people that have leprosy.* Force demons* to leave people. I give you these powers freely. So help other people freely. ⁹Don't carry any money with you--gold or silver or copper. ¹⁰Don't carry a bag. Take for your trip only the clothes and shoes you are wearing. Don't take a walking stick. A worker should be given the things he needs. ¹¹"When you enter a city or town, find some worthy person there and stay in his home until you leave. ¹²When you enter that home say, 'Peace be with you.' ¹³If the people in that home welcome you, then they are worthy of your peace. May they have the peace you wished them. But if the people don't welcome you, then they are not worthy of your peace. Take back the peace you wished for them. ¹⁴And if a home or town refuses to welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place. Shake their dust off your feet.* ¹⁵I tell you the truth. On the judgment day it will be worse for that town than for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah.*

apostles The men Jesus chose to be his special helpers. tax collector(s) Jews hired by the Romans to collect taxes. They often cheated, and the other Jews hated them. Zealot The Zealots were a Jewish political group. apostles The men Jesus chose to be his special helpers. Samaritans People from Samaria. They were part Jewish, but the Jews did not accept them as pure Jews. leprosy A very bad skin disease. demon(s) Demons are evil spirits from the devil. Shake their dust off your feet A warning. It would show that they were finished talking to these people. Sodom and Gomorrah Cities that God destroyed to punish the evil people that lived there.