Mark 6:7, commentary and pictures

He called the twelve who had lived and traveled with Him, shared His labors and learned from Him, and sent them out as His representatives on a short first mission among their own people to preach and to reap where others had labored. He sent them forth by two and two and gave them power and authority to rebuke and cast out unclean spirits and to heal those afflicted by them. Going out two by two rather than laboring alone is the divine plan, order and arrangement for gospel workers that must be followed. Paired companions encourage, support, counsel and pray with one another and strengthen each other where one is weak, especially in darkness and opposition. Pairing also joins experienced with inexperienced that the younger may be guided and trained, and joins different temperaments and abilities so each supplies the other's lack and reaches those the other could not.

Setting and Commission

He called the twelve as His representatives after they had lived and traveled with Him on foot through Galilee, sharing His toils and hardships, listening to His discourses, and walking and talking with Him in daily instruction and example for the elevation of humanity. They assisted Him with the multitudes by arranging the people, bringing the afflicted to Him, watching for interested hearers, and explaining the Scriptures and teaching what they had learned, thus gaining rich experience every day. Yet they still needed much instruction and an experience in laboring alone, with patience and tenderness, so He sent them out while He was still personally with them to point out their errors and to counsel and correct them. They had been closely linked with Him, learning from Him, sharing His joys and trials, and witnessing His works so that they could teach others faithfully. That preparation qualified them to go out and teach and work as He did, to continue the work after His death, and to lay the foundation of the Christian church.

They were separated to labor in different directions on a short first mission among fellow believers, which prepared them for their later work and helped ensure that believers would have divinely appointed teachers and counselors after His departure. They were given power to work miracles, but not to use it for their own exaltation or advantage. On this mission they preached repentance, cast out devils, and anointed sick people with oil and healed them. They were to take nothing for the journey and to depend on the homes they visited for food and rest, with their welcome helping them judge where to spend time and instruction, using discernment and stewarding strength and resources rather than giving indiscriminately.

The first sending was to reap where they had bestowed no labor by entering into the labors of other men, going into towns and villages to preach the kingdom of God, later followed by the sending of the seventy. This reaping gathers fruit unto eternal life in fields already white to harvest, where sower and reaper rejoice together, a work now laid on church members with the world as their field. In this He was educating workers, sending the Twelve out with a mission and also sending the Seventy ahead of Him through Judea to proclaim God's kingdom. Their work was to spread piety and bring light and truth without restricting concern to neighbors rather than enemies. The sending established the order for their work to follow His instructions and remain faithful to God's word, and the same kind of work was later given to the seventy, who were endowed with supernatural gifts as a sign of their heavenly calling. The works done in His name drew Herod's attention, since He had sent His disciples to perform miracles in His name.

Authority Over Evil Spirits

Mark 6:7 confers on the twelve power and authority to rebuke unclean spirits and to cast them out, with ability also to heal those afflicted by them. Sent out in pairs under that grant of authority over unclean spirits, they cast out evil spirits as they preached through Galilee. On a later occasion that same commissioned authority did not prevail when they attempted to cast out a spirit, and the failure brought them disappointment and public humiliation.

Wisdom of Sending Pairs

Mark 6:7 establishes the divine plan, order and arrangement that gospel workers go out two by two rather than laboring alone, and this paired method must be followed as Christ's own direction for carrying the work into new fields. It provides the model for sending workers together so they can support one another as they work, and ministers and His representatives should follow this example rather than labor alone. This plan was not being carried out as it should be.

Working together lets companions encourage, support and counsel one another, pray together, and strengthen each other where one is weak, and this makes the work of gospel workers today more successful when they serve in pairs. This help is especially needed in places marked by spiritual darkness and opposition and when working in difficult places and facing opposition.

Pairing lets experienced workers help, guide and train inexperienced and younger workers, giving both companions opportunity to talk and study Scripture together and pray for one another, so both younger and older Christians receive blessing.

Pairing joins people with different temperaments, abilities and strengths so each can reach people the other might not, supply the other's deficiencies, and correct and balance weaknesses, while each preserves individual character and individuality and labors according to ability without being molded to the other's plans. Bold, zealous, impetuous Peter balanced by calm, mild, loving John shows how differing strengths complement one another, with one's weaknesses partly covered by the other's virtues and with calm care for others balancing bold action, and with greater courage to strengthen and help one another and defend the truth.

Sharing the work and its burdens prevents one person from carrying the whole burden or being overwhelmed by continuous effort, and working with a companion lets them share the burdens of their work. It protects health by keeping one worker from violating the laws of life and health under a forced burden, provides care with each caring for the other if one becomes ill, contributes different thoughts in teaching, allows preaching to be followed with personal teaching, prayer and patient care for the people, and provides continuity so the interest need not be left alone when urgent matters call one worker away in a crisis.

Partners may separate to reach more places but should meet again, consult about where gifts are most needed, and renew courage for the work. They should share responsibility, consult together, unite in prayer, and work and plan and pray together in harmony and love rather than letting one person carry a series of meetings alone, so a variety of minds and talents benefits the work and the congregation. Partners sent together to open new fields can bring different judgment and clearer insight as they pray, plan, study and counsel together in love and harmony, helping the work succeed rather than fail, and in city work faithful men should be chosen to share responsibilities and labor decidedly together trusting in the Lord.

Pairing requires cooperation rather than standing apart to let one person's ideas, plans, education or character traits control the work, since an individual's education, training or character traits may harm its interests if given controlling power, and workers should not separate themselves to insist on their own methods. Working alone continually leads a man to think his way is above criticism and to want no companion, molds the work entirely by one man's mind, and causes his defects of character to be regarded as virtues by himself and by his hearers, while having another stand right by his side keeps this from happening and lets the work be carried forward efficiently and together.

As they labored for the spiritual uplift of people, their temporal needs were supplied, and those who go out in His name will likewise be provided for. Laborers should cooperate and welcome the help of other workers rather than try to carry a work entirely alone or entirely by themselves, for this is Christ's original plan for gospel workers.

Past Followers of Pattern

The sending two by two is the pattern followed by the Vaudois missionaries, who went out in pairs to preach the gospel and share the Scriptures. In that pairing a young missionary was joined with an older, experienced companion who guided and trained him in the work. They labored together and met together for prayer and counsel. That partnership and fellowship strengthened them in faith for their mission.

When the Lord has a great work to accomplish He sends disciples out in pairs. So it was in the Reformation with Luther and Melancthon joined together. So it was with Calvin and Beza, and with Oecolampadius and Zwingle.

Present Practice of Pairing

When a new field is opened at least two speakers are to labor together and share the responsibilities rather than leaving one to work alone, for this is the Lord's plan for gospel work. Partners bring different judgment and clearer insight as they pray, plan, study and counsel together in love and harmony, and this helps the work succeed rather than fail. No one is permitted to have sole charge of an effort in any place, and workers are to share responsibility, consult together, unite in prayer and work in harmony rather than letting one person carry a series of meetings alone. One who insists he will not labor with another sets an example that is not sanctioned, since workers were sent in pairs to places to be afterward followed, and a variety of minds and talents benefits the work and the congregation.

Scattering forces singly to take in as much territory as possible may look more advantageous, but that way is not best and any other method than going two and two results in loss. Ordinarily a worker should not be sent alone, though limited funds may require one to go alone temporarily to investigate a field, with a companion expected to follow later, as with Starr going alone for a time to investigate the Queensland field with Hickox to follow. Two workers qualified by the Holy Spirit can accomplish an important work in a distant field and in cities and their suburbs. Such workers deny self, take up the cross and follow Jesus as true disciples, have knowledge of the truth, are stable and not as children tossed to and fro, seek no pleasant time, are willing to carry burdens, are baptized with the Holy Spirit, and let their light shine to others in darkness.

For city work companies are to be organized and diligently trained and quickly sent out in pairs from city to city, marking a decided change from past methods of working. Carefully selected workers are to leave ground where the truth is well known to enter untouched and unworked fields and cities that have not yet been worked, and no one is to be authorized to labor alone. Preparation comes by studying with open hearts to receive divine instruction, including John 14 and 15, while looking to Jesus as Author and Finisher of faith. The pairs are to meet together from time to time to relate their experiences, to pray, and to plan how to reach the people quickly and thus redeem the time, taking the light from under a bushel and placing it where it gives light to all.

Paired labor means an increased force of working agencies in every part of the field, with small groups sent as missionaries into city neighborhoods and neglected places close by to warn the many parts of cities left unwarned for a long time. Their warning message tells that God created the world, rested on the seventh day, and blessed and set that day apart as a memorial of creation, and enlightens unwarned multitudes with the message of the third angel. This is done through vigilant personal work to find the lost, joined with simple fervent prayer and reliance on heaven's power, laboring together in harmony with the counsel of experienced leaders. Labor in churches is likewise to be done by workers in pairs who make the work thorough and complete.

Canvassers are to go out in pairs rather than alone, and this includes women as well as men entering the canvassing field. Youth without experience are to be connected with those older in experience who are devoted to God, so the older can teach them in the things of God and show them how best to work, and the youth can learn by experience while working out their own salvation with fear and trembling. Working in pairs they can reach people whom camp meetings do not reach, visit families, build close contact, circulate books containing present truth, and find opportunities to speak about the Saviour. Medical missionaries are to be sent two at a time into ministers' fields of labor. Their example is to help the sick with simple treatments and prayer to open the way for the truth.

Wherever practicable the working rule is pairing, and hundreds of church members who know saving truth, not the ministry alone, are responsible to go in pairs into immediate neighborhoods and surrounding settlements to do house-to-house work. They go carrying books and papers and trusting God, since printed matter cannot take the place of the voice of the living preacher and both are necessary to warn the world.