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The STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABEŞ-BOLYAI issue article summary
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Abstract: Vocation and Mission in the Synoptic Gospels.
Jesus’ calling and sending was chronologically followed by the vocation
and elect ion of the disciples. The call and elect ion happened in accordance
with Jesus’ and the Father’s sovereign own will. The story of the disciples’
vocation shows several resemblances with the call stories of the Old Testament
prophets, especially with the call of Elisha by Elijah.
The Twelve abandoned their occupations, homes, relatives, in one word
everything immediately after the calling. Above all these they had to give
up their own lives, to share the master’s dest iny. The writers of the synoptic
gospels recorded with no exception the list of names of the apostles. The
number of the disciples is symbolic because Jesus laid claim upon all the
twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus through his disciples gathered God’s old-new
people for salvation. Their selection was done out of a larger circle of disciples.
Some of Jesus’ expectations were not compulsory for all of them. For
example not everyone had to follow him leaving all behind, because some
women were his disciples by serving from their fortunes. Others did not
leave their parents and relatives behind, but they st ill became disciples staying
in their places. Geographically the twelve disciples came from Galilee.
Jesus called his disciples so they could be with him. They were together with
Jesus and they were prepared by him, for he wanted them to preach, to heal,
to drive out unclean spirits and to raise the dead. The mission – meaning
serving and teaching, first of all – often went together with suffering, but
that was just another opportunity for test imony to them.
The mission succeeds st raight from the fact of calling, which happened
with a view to mission. The Father had sent the Son, and Jesus has sent
the disciples to preach about God’s kingdom, conversion and belief in the
Gospel. For this assignment he gives the disciples the same authority and power he got from the Father for preaching and healing. Jesus sends out the
disciples two by two as “yoke-companions”.
After the spiritual authorization and the two by two sending out, we learn
about the fact that in the totally defenseless situation, the disciples went out
on their ways without the most necessary journey-equipment. The synoptic
gospels with small differences, but without exception, note what Jesus did
not allow the disciples to take with them too much in order to fulfi ll their
mission. In these enumerations we can fi nd the prohibition of bread, bags,
money, two robes, sandals and st icks. After the first mission, which meant
only inner mission, a new situation appeared, in which Jesus instructed his
disciples to acquire some necessaries. Besides the invest ment with authority
and power, the disciples were given by Jesus a promise as well, regarding the
signs of their faith and their mast er’s continuous presence. The promise of
Mk 16,17–18 speaks about five signs, which are to follow the believers’ faith:
they will drive out demons, they will speak in tongues, if they pick up snakes
or drink any poison, they will not be harmed, and they will heal sick people
by laying their hands over them.
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