When I was a kid, my dad would make packing lists for my brother and me. While my parents bustled around the house making sure we had everything we needed for the trip, my brother and I knew it was our responsibility to pack our clothes and anything else we wanted to bring with us. I can still picture the lists my dad would give us, written in all capital letters in his slanted, left-handed, mathematical handwriting. He’d write the items we needed along with the number we would need. If we’d be gone three days, he would encourage us to bring four pairs of socks and underwear, just in case something happened and we needed extras. 

When my kids were old enough to start packing their own things, I did the same thing for them. I’d think about how many days we’d be gone, and I would encourage my kids to bring extras of the things they might need. Maybe you do this when you are packing for trips too. I learned from my dad (who had been a scout) the importance of being prepared. You don’t want to get caught without what you need, especially if all it took to cover your bases was just a little forethought and pre-planning.

Here, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus prepares to send his twelve disciples out into the world to carry on his work of healing and teaching about the kingdom of God. He gives them “power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases.” Luke up to this point has used the words “power and authority” to describe Jesus’s ministry. Cuban-American theologian and Methodist elder, Justo González writes, “Jesus has been proclaiming the kingdom of God and casting out demons both because he has the power and authority to do so, and as a sign of that power and authority.” But here, in Luke 9, Jesus passes this power and authority to his twelve disciples. He sends them out, and they become his apostles–the sent ones, not just his disciples–the learning ones. 

But, power can come with consequences. Justo González continues: “…this presents a problem. It has been correctly said that power has the ability to corrupt those who wield it, and that absolute power corrupts absolutely. Having received ‘power and authority’ like those of Jesus, the Twelve will be tempted–as later disciples will also be tempted–to use that power and authority in ways that are not consonant with the teachings and ministry of Jesus.” And so, Jesus sends them out with strict boundaries to keep this power and authority in check. Jesus gives these instructions in verse 3: “‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, nor bag, nor bread, nor money—not even an extra tunic.” Take nothing with you. 

Every time I read this passage and I put myself in the shoes of the disciples, I feel anxious. Imagine being sent on a journey, not knowing if you would have a place to stay and having no idea where your next meal would come from. But this is exactly how the disciples were sent out, and it was exactly how Jesus lived his earthly ministry. Justo González says that Jesus instructs them to bring nothing with them so that they would “lay their security on none other than their Lord…” and because “they are not to exploit the power and authority that have been given to them…The problem is not with the bread or with money in themselves, but rather in trusting on one’s provision rather than on the support and guidance of the Lord.”

The disciples were sent out with power and authority from God, but without those extra sources of security that would make them feel self-sufficient. They were also instructed only to stay with people who received them well. If they were rejected, they were to shake even the dust of the town off of their feet as they left. 

As we explore this passage and what it means for us on this third Sunday of Lent, I want us to focus on two parts of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples: the instruction to bring nothing, and the instruction to shake the dust off their feet.

First, Jesus tells his disciples to bring nothing with them except the clothes on their backs. If they brought nothing, they would have to rely on God and the hospitality of others every single day. The authors of our Lenten study book Meeting Jesus on the Road write, “[Jesus’s] instruction is reminiscent of the Israelites in the desert who were instructed to trust that manna would appear each morning and quail in the evening. But instead of manna, what these disciples are called to rely on is hospitality, hospitality from the very people they are going to serve…And with this reliance comes the opportunity for connection and relationship, none of which would have been possible had the disciples brought their baggage with them as they went about their way.”

Every single day we are called to trust in God. But, surrounded by our stuff and our own abilities, it is easy to forget that. Quite often, it’s only when something happens that leaves us vulnerable that we remember how much we rely on God every day. When I was in middle school, my pastor led a group of us on a backpacking trip. We had to carry whatever we planned to use for the week on our backs. We hiked several miles to our first camping spot, and as we were setting up our campsite, one of the other middle schoolers pulled a curling iron out of her backpack. My dad looked at her and asked, “Where are you planning on plugging that in?” A horrified look washed over her face as she realized her curling iron (and who knows what other items in her pack) was useless out there in the great outdoors.

As we go through our lives, it’s tempting to try to plan for every circumstance. We might want to micromanage our lives so that we are always as prepared as possible. But, the reality is, we can’t plan for every situation. Things happen that take us by surprise. Or, we plan, and it turns out our plans were terribly misguided–like that curling iron in the wilderness. As we journey with Jesus, we are called to pack lightly, and to release our expectations and our plans. God knows what we need.

Jesus instructed his disciples to pack nothing and to shake the dust off their feet when they are not welcomed. As the disciples traveled, they would find people who welcomed them and their message, and they would be rejected by people who did not receive them. Jesus told them that they were to shake the dust of the town from their feet as they left any town that did not welcome them. On the one hand, this act of shaking off the dust was a way to say, “I tried, and now I’m done.” But, the more I’ve reflected on this action, the more I’ve come to see it as another way of the disciples not bringing anything with them.

So often, as we go through life, we carry with us our grudges, our bad experiences, and our regrets. We go through our days with a chip on our shoulders. Jesus tells his disciples not to bring those things with them. Not only are we to pack lightly, so that we are reminded daily of our need to rely on God and each other, we are to shake off the experiences that might make it harder for us to walk with faithfulness in the future. 

What would it look like for us to “pack lightly” in this world? I don’t think it means we should never plan ahead or be prepared. But, what might it look like for us to rely on God in the way we live our lives? How might we interact differently with our neighbors, or co-workers, or friends? Might we be more willing to ask for help, and to offer help to others who need it? 

As we continue this lenten journey, may we be people who travel lightly–releasing our plans and expectations so that we might be open to the surprises of God. May we be people who embrace the hospitality of others, and people who freely give as we are able. And may we be people who forgive and release ourselves from the less-than-perfect moments in our past, so that we might be free to live as God calls us to live in the days to come. Amen.