Jesus gathers his faction (the Twelve) and sends them out with authority over unclean spirits. This is an astonishing authorization which moves these Twelve up a notch in their honor status.
Spirits
People in the ancient Mediterranean world not only held a strong belief in the existence of spirits but also ranked them according to power. At the top of the list was “our” God, then “other” gods, sons of god, or archangels. In third place were still less powerful nonhuman persons: angels, spirits, and demons. Humans were in fourth place, and creatures lower than humans in last place.By giving the Twelve power over unclean spirits, Jesus moves them up from level four at least into level three. Greeks called hostile spirits “demons,” while Semites called them “unclean spirits.” When Jesus expels an unclean spirit (Mk 5:2, 8) out of a possessed man in pagan territory, the people of that region call the man a demoniac (Mk 5:15-16).
Healing
Travel and Hospitality
In the ancient world, travel was deviant and dangerous. It was deviant
because there was little reason to leave one’s ancestral
dwelling where one was normally surrounded by extended family network.
Everything one needed or desired was here. It was dangerous because
robbers waited to ambush travellers, particularly those travelling
alone (Lk 10:30). For this reason, Jesus tells his newly authorized faction members
to travel in pairs. Very likely these pairs joined larger caravans for
greater safety.
The instruction to travel lightly (no bread, no money, etc.) is not
unusual. The needs of travellers (lodging and food) were to be
provided chiefly through hospitality. Jesus continues his instruction
with special attention to hospitality (e.g., “receiving”
or “welcoming”).
In the Middle Eastern world, hospitality is a value extended
exclusively to strangers. (Relatives and friends are extended
steadfast loving kindness.) The process involves three steps: the
stranger is taken under the protection of a host for a given time,
transformed into a temporary guest, with hopes that the two will part
friends (but parting as enemies is also possible).
The host provides lodging, food, and especially a safe haven or
protection from the suspicions and possible attacks of villagers.
After all, strangers are always suspected of being up to no good and
plotting damage to the village.
Failure to extend hospitality in the Middle East is a serious breach
of honor. Jesus’ advice to “shake off the dust on your
feet as a testimony against those who would not extend
hospitality” is a major insult. It effectively writes these
people out of the human community. The gesture implied total
rejection, hostility, and an unwillingness to be touched by anything
the others have touched.
These culturally different understandings of spirits, travel, and
hospitality challenge Western believers to gain a well-founded grasp
of Middle Eastern culture. Contemporary books about angels and other
spirits tend to reflect modern Western theological or spiritual
concepts that sometimes have slim foundation in the Middle Eastern
biblical texts. A sound, cross-cultural approach to reading and
understanding the Bible can lay a much stronger foundation for the
commendable exploration of these traditional topics.