The Gospel of Mark 6:7-29 - Walking in the Authority of Jesus and the Cost of Apostleship
After His rejection at Nazareth Jesus anoints the Disciples and sends them out. He gives them authority over demons and demonic powers. They must trust God for their provisions, not taking money, food, extra clothing, or provisions. They are only allowed to carry a staff (weapon). If they are rejected on this mission they must shake off the dust from their feet which we will see had significant meaning in their culture. And so the Apostles did go out, calling everyone to repent. The people responded with faith and many were healed and demons were cast out. Lastly we see the memory of the death of John the Baptist.
Discussion:
Two by two
“And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits.”
Mark 6:7 (ESV)
Jesus sent out the Apostles in six groups of two, presumably for safety in numbers but also to possibly serve as valid witnesses. Remember that testimony was determined by two or more (France 2002, 247–248).
There is possibly more here though. There could also be a comparison to the twelve spies sent out by Moses when they spied out the Promised Land. Numbers 13:23 seems to imply that the spies were sent out in groups of twos, and here we see Jesus sending out twelve in groups of two. Moses did this right before they were to take the promised land by conquest. It seems that this then is a symbolic act to show that Jesus is coming to “take the land”, that is, the spiritual land of the Kingdom. However, unlike the spies who were discouraged, the Disciples came back encouraged, reporting how the enemy was subject to them!
Authority over unclean spirits
Jesus, preparing to send them out, does not end them out being ill equipped, instead, He provides them with authority over and above the unclean spirits. This was not a normal thing. Rabbis, Priests, Pharisees, and Sadducees did not have authority over unclean spirits. No man did. Only God has this power, and the Jews knew that! So for this to say that Jesus had authority over them is a very strong claim of His divinity. Not only does He have this authority, He is able to give it to others at His will. To my knowledge, there is no other transfer of power like this in the Old Testament, this is unique. In this we see a type of legal authority, and a transfer of some of the authority of Jesus to the disciples (lane 1974, 206-207). They had the legal authority, the authority of their King Jesus, to cast the demons out as trespassers in His territory, the souls of men! Yet this authority did not come with special gifts of physical provisions, indeed, they were restricted on what they were allowed to take with them on this journey.
No bread, bag or money, wear sandals and one tunic
“He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.”
Mark 6:8–9 (ESV)
In the ancient world, and during the time of Jesus, you were what you wore. What I mean by that is that what you did for a living, what you represented was depicted by your clothing. For instance, a prostitute would dress one way, whereas Roman women wore the stola, and Roman men wore the toga (Wikipedia, “Toga.”). During the time of Jesus, Greek Cynic Philosophers wondered around spreading their philosophy and they dressed in a specific way. They carried a walking stick, a bag for their previsions, and wore two cloaks, called a “tribon” (Marcus 2008, 383-384). Jesus instructions to the disciples were a contrast to the Cynics. In other words, don’t dress as the Cynics do, because that’s not who you are. People shouldn’t confuse the Disciples with worldly traveling philosophers. The Disciples were told to wear one “chiton”, a type of undergarment. Two of them might be worn if you were going on a journey (Marcus 2008, 383-384). The disciples would also not taking a bag to carry provisions, and would not even bring food. This conveyed trust in God to provide as well as a desire to travel short distances (only one chiton and no food) and then to stay with a family as they were ministering.
The staff was carried for self-defense, against both wild animals and robbers. This is an important point, for by arming them with a staff, the disciples were being allowed to protect themselves. Jesus was not a pacifist (see also Luke 22:36). Thus, the disciples would look very similar to Essenes as they traveled, since they only carried a walking staff for a weapon (Marcus 2008, 383). However, as Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge point out, that doesn’t mean that the disciples were Essenes (Collins and Attridge 2007, 299).
“These analogies between Mark and Josephus’s description of the Essenes do not support the conclusion that the historical Jesus or his followers were connected to the Essenes but only suggest that they had certain similar values.”
Often I see people try to link Jesus and the early Christians to one group or another, the Essenes, the Pharisees, etc. However, we must understand that Jesus didn’t come to expand on human philosophies, He didn’t come to grow a movement, He came to establish His kingdom, to spread His Gospel, to share His word. In this story we can see a little more, because all of this has been hinting at another connection, that of the Second Exodus!
The Second Exodus
Anyone who studies the Torah and reads these passages will hear a resounding echo from the Torah. The Disciples were told not to take bread, the Exodus has God providing bread from heaven, the Disciples were told to take no provision bag or money, the Israelites while in the wilderness didn’t lack for provision. The Disciples were told to wear their sandals, the Israelites started their journey at Passover ready to travel. The Disciples were told not to bring an extra tunic, and the Israelites sandals and tunics didn’t go bad during their 40 years in the wilderness (Marcus 2008, 388-390)! As Joel Marcus explains, God would provide for them in this second and greatest exodus (Marcus 2008, 390).
“Mark probably wishes to imply that the disciples’ missionary journey will be a participation in the new exodus inaugurated by Jesus (see the COMMENT on 1:1–3). The Twelve will not need to take along with them the usual travel kit, because they will be entering into this divine act of eschatological liberation, and the God of the exodus and of Jesus Christ will sustain them along the way.”
The Gospel is a message of freedom and liberation. Whereas at the first Exodus the Israelites were set free from physical slavery, the work of Jesus at the second exodus was to set humanity free from slavery to sin. Whereas the first exodus started with a lamb being sacrificed at Passover, the second exodus has the Lamb of God sacrificed around Passover. There are many more comparisons that can be made, and the point of this is not to find every comparison, but to show that Jesus work was indeed a second exodus, where we went from slavery to freedom. Yet this journey would not be met without resistance. The Disciples were instructed what to do if they found rejection.
Shake off the dust
“And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them.”
Mark 6:10-13 (ESV)
If the Disciples were met with rejection of their words and also complete lack of hospitality, they were to shake off the dust from their feet. What is shocking about this statement is that the Jews, after traveling among the gentiles outside of Israel, would shake off the dust from their feet when returning to Israel (Edwards 2002, 181). The statement of Jesus then is saying that if a Jewish town rejects the Disciples (which we see no evidence of in these accounts), they will be treated as if they were gentiles at the final judgement!
There is another implication here though. Jews did not shake off the dust from their feet when they were in Israel. Here, the Disciples are going through the land of Israel. So what does this mean? I see in it a transition from the physical land to the Kingdom of Heaven. Remember that the second exodus did not have a massive return to the land of Israel, however, it did have a return to the Kingdom of Heaven. Heaven then, would be seen, not as a new Israel, but as that which is greater than Israel.
And so the Disciples went out and they found great success, healing and casting out demons!
Healing and casting out demons
Robert H. Stein points out that the Disciples success in casting out demons and healing stands in contrast to Jesus’ rejection at His hometown, Nazareth. This juxtaposition sharpens our perspective of the rejection of Jesus by His own people (Stein 2008, 295). Strangers readily accepted Jesus’s Disciples, those who were not as “great as their master”, yet Jesus Himself was rejected by His very own people. After this great moment of triumph we come back to a memory of great sorrow.
The death of John the Baptist
“King Herod heard of it, for Jesus’ name had become known. Some said, “John the Baptist has been raised from the dead. That is why these miraculous powers are at work in him.” But others said, “He is Elijah.” And others said, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” But when Herod heard of it, he said, “John, whom I beheaded, has been raised.” For it was Herod who had sent and seized John and bound him in prison for the sake of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, because he had married her. For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” And Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death. But she could not, for Herod feared John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. When he heard him, he was greatly perplexed, and yet he heard him gladly. But an opportunity came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his nobles and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee. For when Herodias’s daughter came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his guests. And the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you wish, and I will give it to you.” And he vowed to her, “Whatever you ask me, I will give you, up to half of my kingdom.” And she went out and said to her mother, “For what should I ask?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” And she came in immediately with haste to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” And the king was exceedingly sorry, but because of his oaths and his guests he did not want to break his word to her. And immediately the king sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison and brought his head on a platter and gave it to the girl, and the girl gave it to her mother. When his disciples heard of it, they came and took his body and laid it in a tomb.”
Mark 6:14-29 (ESV)
We have seen in different Building Blocks, as well as some blog posts, that the Gospel writers often compare Jesus to Moses, David, Elijah, and others. However, the story of John the Baptist makes one thing clear, Jesus was NOT Elijah come again (Collins and Attridge 2007, 304)! As William L. Lane explains Jesus was not John the Baptist risen again as was supposed (Lane 1974, 213). John the Baptist fulfilled that role, and Jesus came after that, because John was the forerunner of Jesus the Messiah.
A question that comes to mind, is Mark connecting Jesus to the death of John to provide a hint of His coming death? Is this foreshadowing?
Summary
This opens with Jesus anointing the Disciples and giving them authority over demonic powers. They are told to take no provisions, but instead to rely on the hospitality of others. If they are rejected, they were commanded to shake off the dust from their feet, a symbolic act that showed a coming judgement. The Apostles went out and called for the people to repent. They ministered and cast out many demons and healed the sick. Lastly the story ends with the memory of the death of John the Baptist and how King Herod thought Jesus was John. It makes it clear that Jesus was not John, but that John was the forerunner of Jesus.
Life Application
Imagine being told to go on a mission trip with no provisions at all, no extra clothes, no money, no food! What would we do? I would be terrified. Yet this was the situation that Jesus put the Disciples into when they were anointed as Apostles. So many want to be an Apostle, but they never stop to consider the cost. They gave up everything. They were sent out as poor people required to live off of the hospitality of others.
We are not comparable to the Apostles, and perhaps our calling doesn’t involve these specific sacrifices. Yet the calling of God is not without cost. David said that he would not give to God that which costs him nothing. This is the same approach we should take to our calling. We must give our all to God and live every day for Him.
Questions to Consider
When we go to serve the Lord, do we trust Him to provide for us and our family?
Are we willing to stand up for the truth even if it costs us everything?
Connections
Matthew 10:1-15, 14:1-12
Luke 9:1-9
Outline
Jesus sent out the disciples and appointed them as Apostles, giving them authority over unclean spirits.
They are told not to take anything for their journey; no bread, no bag, no money, no extra tunic.
They are told to shake off the dust from their feet if they are rejected.
The Apostles call for repentance and heal many and cast out demons.
King Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist.
The account of John the Baptist’s death at the hands of Herod.
References-
R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2002), 247–248.
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 206–207.
“Toga,” Wikipedia, last modified December 12, 2025, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toga.
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 383–384.
Ibid.
Ibid, 383.
Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 299.
Joel Marcus, Mark 1–8: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, vol. 27, Anchor Yale Bible (New Haven; London: Yale University Press, 2008), 388–390.
Ibid, 390.
“If the disciples are rebuffed they are instructed to “ ‘shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them.’ ” This is a searing indictment since Jews traveling outside Palestine were required to shake themselves free of dust when returning home lest they pollute the holy land.10 This commandment is tantamount to declaring a Jewish village heathen.”
James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2002), 181.
Robert H. Stein, Mark, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008), 295.
Adela Yarbro Collins and Harold W. Attridge, Mark: A Commentary on the Gospel of Mark, Hermeneia—a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2007), 304.
William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1974), 213.
