Two Are Better Than One

 

Mark 6: 1-13

 

We read in Ecclesiastes 4:9-10a

9 Two are better than one,
       because they have a good return for their work:                             10 If one falls down,
       his friend can help him up.

Two are better than one. Today’s passage is a passage of encouragement. Last Sunday at the convention I was listening to Rev. Ron Tovmassian’s sermon entitled “Developing a Culture of Encouragement”. Development, indeed, encouragement needs to develop in us. Unfortunately, encouragement is not born in us. Criticism is more natural rather than encouragement. Today’s passage is a good example of how Jesus knew our weak human nature.  He knew that we could be discouraged and give up. Therefore, he sent his disciples two by two. We also in Ecclesiastics that two are better than one, because we can support and carry each other.

160 years passed from the July 1st, 1846. It was in Istanbul, Pera, where our first Evangelical Church was born. They were not just two, but forty individuals who took the message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ seriously. And soon the Word of God was translated into Western Armenian and distributed to our nation. They went with a mission form village to village, from town to town. Some doors were open, while some doors were closed. 

I read in today’s passage that Jesus is sending his disciples two by two to the world. And he is giving them some important instructions:

1 Do not have more than you need. Do not have excess baggage. I do like to travel, but I hate luggage. When I was student in the US, I sometimes traveled between the Middle East and the US. Luggage was a problem. I was cautious not to have excess luggage. Last week when my daughter and I were coming back from Philadelphia, we had two pieces of luggage. One of them was heavier. We had to empty one of them in order not pay the penalty.

When I was in the plane, next to me there was a young man. He had everything in his handbag. He had DVD player, lap top, hot food, hot water, special tea… Unbelievable, a “kitchen” and “office” was going with that man. Jesus is warning his disciples. Don’t get bogged down with Excess Baggage.

In one word, do not carry more than you need. I know some people travel to Europe with carry on luggage. Moreover, I know people who travel from SF to LA with 3- 4 pieces of luggage. Jesus is asking his disciples to be free from hindrances. We are not in show business. We are visiting people like us, just ordinary people like us. So let us make ourselves as available as possible. Let us carry the essential.

Today Churches argue what is essential and what is not. In the Middle Ages there were huge cathedrals. People like Francis of Assisi strongly objected of spending too much money for church structure. Instead helping the poor was more important. Others believed that when we build a place for worship, it should be the best one. You know, both are right.

The problem is when we start confusing the priorities. For some, the “cathedral” became so important, it became “extra weight” that one should not carry along. Sometimes extra weight is “worshiping” a denomination. We Armenian Evangelicals, or Orthodox, need to be careful of not having excessive luggage. There is a lot of mission work to be done in our nation. We do not have time for “extra weight.”

To be continued in English.