Bible Text: Mark 6:6b-13 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
In late 1940, almost a year after the debut comic, DC comics was concerned about Batman’s sales. The creators, Bob Kane, Bill Finger, and Jerry Robinson realized that the average age of comic book readers found Batman to be a bit too dark and difficult to understand. They realized that if the series was going to continue it needed something to attract younger readers. As they brainstormed ideas they began to discuss what had been their favourite boyhood stories and Jerry Robinson noted that his favourites were The Adventures of Robin Hood as illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. Robinson then began to sketch a character based on Robin Hood’s outfit with the signature green and yellow. This is how Batman’s faithful sidekick was born. Adding Robin was such a success that sales doubled and Robin made regular appearances in the comic from 1940 to the early 1980s. As a side note I was fascinated to find out that Robin’s original identity was named Dick Grayson and his back story included being the youngest in a family of acrobats known as the “Flying Graysons”. I was never much of a comic book reader but I have vivid memories of rushing home after school to watch the Adam West and Burt Ward version of Batman and Robin on TV. Of course, it was in syndicate by the time I was watching it. I remember that Robin always had a clever little tag line like, “Holy Titanic Batman! We’re going down for the last time!”
Bill Finger said of Robin that, ” Batman was a combination of Douglas Fairbanks and Sherlock Holmes. Holmes had his Watson. The thing that bothered me was that Batman didn’t have anyone to talk to, and it got a little tiresome always having him thinking. I found that as I went along Batman needed a Watson to talk to. That’s how Robin came to be. Bob called me over and said he was going to put a boy in the strip to identify with Batman. I thought it was a great idea.” Even with his utility belt, kung fu training, and quick mind ,Batman needed a Robin to talk to, support him, save the comic book series and complete his dynamic duo. Don’t we all need a Robin sometimes.
Just before our Gospel story Jesus encounters rejection from the people who are apparently closest to him. Jesus comes to his hometown with his disciples and despite speaking with authority about God in the Synagogue the people are astounded and begin to say, “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? He can’t possibly know what his talking about after all, what does a simple carpenter know about God!? Just who does he think he is?!” Those hearing Jesus speak dismiss the possibility that God might be supplying Jesus with wisdom and power.
While the previous verses are filled with despair and failure our reading contrasts this experience with hope and mission. The two passages work together on some level because it demonstrates the stark difference between the outsiders of the previous episode and the insiders Jesus has chosen to participate in ministry. That’s the first amazing part of this story of partnership- Jesus chooses his partners. Jesus chooses us to be his disciples. Jesus calls followers to himself for a purpose and in giving them this purpose he also gives them authority. We begin as Jesus’ partner and then once equipped with the confidence, authority, and gifts required we are sent out into the world as a community- as partners in Christ’s name. In our passage Jesus sends the disciples out, two by two, to partake in his ministry in the world. Their ministry begins to explicitly mirror that of Jesus’ ministry. They perform with the same divine authority, the healing and revealing ministry that Jesus shared.
But before that can happen Jesus gives them strict orders and these orders reveal more about ministry then we might originally think. First, by sending them out in twosomes, it reflects a witness in membership in a wider community and confirms the reliability of the message. It is likely this passage that has given some of our fringe religious brothers and sisters the inspiration to go door to door in twos. It’s safe, supportive, and means no one is left alone. While we may not travel together in pairs, door to door, it is still a model for ministry. In all we do for the body of Christ in the world we should not feel that we are doing it alone. In all we experience in our faith the church should be there to act as a partner in that journey. Now while the church is the body of Christ it is also made up of humans who struggle to say the right words when we are in pain, humans who have their own worries and concerns that distract, and can be tired or weary in our work, so sometimes instead of feeling like we are safe and supported we feel rejected and ignored. It is important that if and likely when that happens that we speak up because more often then not it is not intentional. As I often have said in pre-marital counselling, communication is key. Holy hard work Batman!
The Second revelation about ministry is that the instructions Jesus gives limits what these pairs may bring on the journey. I don’t know if I could do it! When I pack for a trip I want to be prepared for any occasion or any circumstance and as a result I always pack far too much. Later on in the chapter the disciples are perplexed by the magnitude of human need compared to their paltry resources. But here is the catch- with Jesus’ blessing, it is amazing how much can be accomplished and overcome with so little. It does not take a big church to have a big impact in the community. It also says a lot about trust, trust in God. In giving up most things except for the barest of necessities these disciples are demonstrating to others that they are fully dependant upon God in their work. In that regard God is their partner. Holy amazing grace Batman!
This passage paints a picture of a ministry that is entirely derived from Christ and totally reliant upon him for its success. While we do not meet Jesus face to face in the literal sense, we are a post-pentecostal church, we believe that we are equipped with that authority and those gifts through the Holy Spirit. And while we are a church that does not encounter exorcisms or miraculous healings of Biblical proportions. This passage directs us as partners toward concrete service that delivers people from various types of oppression and promotes wholeness of all kinds. God is the source for all of our ministries. God is the source for all our ministries-meaning that we are in one amazingly divine partnership, that is guided by God, empowered by the Holy Spirit and a mirror of Jesus’ ministry. Holy honour is found in the dynamic duo of the church and the trinity. Amen