Catholic Commentary
The Mission of the Twelve
7He called to himself the twelve, and began to send them out two by two; and he gave them authority over the unclean spirits.8He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse,9but to wear sandals, and not put on two tunics.10He said to them, “Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there.11Whoever will not receive you nor hear you, as you depart from there, shake off the dust that is under your feet for a testimony against them. Assuredly, I tell you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”12They went out and preached that people should repent.13They cast out many demons, and anointed many with oil who were sick and healed them.
Mark 6:7–13 records Jesus commissioning the twelve apostles with authority to cast out demons, instructing them to travel in pairs with minimal possessions and depend on hospitality, warning that rejection of their gospel message carries grave eschatological consequences. The passage concludes by describing their ministry of preaching repentance, performing exorcisms, and healing the sick through anointing with oil.
Jesus sends the Twelve into the world with nothing but his authority — a radical wager that the Gospel itself, not provision or prestige, is enough to change hearts and shake kingdoms.
Commentary
Mark 6:7 — Sent in Pairs, with Authority The verb apostellō ("to send out") is the root of "apostle," and Mark here captures the formal act of apostolic commissioning. Jesus does not merely permit the Twelve to go; he calls them to himself first (proskaleitai) — mission flows from intimacy with Christ, not from self-appointment. Sending them "two by two" (duo duo, a Semitic distributive construction) reflects both the Mosaic requirement of two witnesses for legal testimony (Deut 19:15) and the practical wisdom of mutual support and accountability. Most significantly, he confers authority (exousia) over unclean spirits — the same authority that astonished the Capernaum synagogue (Mark 1:27). This authority is not the disciples' own; it is delegated and derivative, a share in Christ's own power. The battle against evil is not incidental to the mission — it is central to it.
Mark 6:8–9 — The Paradox of Apostolic Poverty The instructions for the journey are striking in their austerity: no bread, no bag (pēran, a traveler's knapsack), no money (chalkos, literally "copper," the smallest coin), only a staff and sandals, and only one tunic. The prohibition on a second tunic echoes the call to radical detachment. The staff (rhabdon) and sandals suggest that the disciples travel as people en route — like Israel in Exodus, loins girded, sandals on feet (Exod 12:11), ready to move at God's direction. The slight difference from Matthew 10:10 (which says "no staff") likely reflects Mark's tradition preserving a staff as permitted but nothing more. The deeper logic is theological: the missionary must not project self-sufficiency. He must be visibly dependent on God and on the hospitality of those to whom he is sent, which in itself becomes an invitation for the host to participate in the mission.
Mark 6:10 — Stability and Fidelity "Wherever you enter into a house, stay there until you depart from there" is a directive against social climbing or restlessness — the missionary does not move to a more comfortable home once a better offer arrives. This instruction models integrity and stability. The household (oikos) was the basic social unit of the ancient world, and accepting hospitality created a genuine relationship of mutual responsibility. The missionary's willingness to remain signals commitment, not mere transience.
Mark 6:11 — The Gravity of Rejection The gesture of shaking dust from one's feet was a Jewish practice used by rabbis returning from Gentile territory — symbolically purging ritual impurity. Here Jesus inverts and intensifies it: the dust is shaken as a testimony against those who refuse the Gospel, in a Jewish context, meaning the guilt is returned to its owners. The comparison to Sodom and Gomorrah — the archetypal cities of divine judgment (Gen 19) — is startling and unambiguous. To reject the apostolic mission is graver than the sin of Sodom, because it is the rejection of God's definitive salvation in Christ. This verse is one of Jesus' most explicit warnings about eschatological accountability.
Verses 12–13 — The Triad of Apostolic Ministry The disciples' activity resolves into three acts: they preached (ekēryxan) repentance, cast out demons, and anointed the sick with oil. This triad is programmatic. Preaching repentance (metanoia) echoes John the Baptist (Mark 1:4) but now announces the Kingdom inaugurated in Jesus. The exorcisms demonstrate the arrival of the Kingdom by routing its enemy. The anointing with oil (ēleiphon elaiō) is of singular importance: this is the only explicit reference in the Synoptic Gospels to the apostolic use of oil for healing, and it directly underlies the Church's practice of the Anointing of the Sick. It is not presented as a temporary measure but as an authoritative apostolic action — the Twelve anointed many, and many were healed.
Catholic Commentary
Catholic tradition finds in this passage the foundational charter for several dimensions of ecclesial life.
The Apostolic Office. The Catechism teaches that "Christ instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" (CCC 877). The sending in Mark 6 is not merely a historical episode but an originating act: the Church's episcopal and missionary structure flows from this commissioning. Vatican II's Ad Gentes (§5) roots the Church's missionary nature directly in the sending of the apostles by Christ.
Anointing of the Sick. The Council of Trent (Session XIV, De Extrema Unctione) cited Mark 6:13 alongside James 5:14–15 as scriptural warrants for the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick — one of the seven sacraments instituted by Christ. The Catechism (CCC 1511) states explicitly: "The apostles' practice of anointing the sick, alluded to in Mark 6:13..." is the basis for understanding Anointing as a genuine sacrament, not a pious custom. Origen noted that oil symbolizes the mercy of God flowing into the wounded soul.
Apostolic Poverty and Trust. St. Francis of Assisi's rule of absolute poverty is explicitly modeled on this passage. Pope Francis, in Evangelii Gaudium (§20), warns against a "tomb psychology" that paralyzes missionary outreach — a direct echo of Jesus' warning against over-provisioning. The missionary Church must travel light.
Two Witnesses. St. Bede the Venerable (Commentary on Mark) notes that the pairs fulfill Deuteronomy's requirement: "Two witnesses" ensure the truth of the proclamation and model the charity that should characterize the Church's common life — mission as communion.
For Today
This passage challenges the contemporary Catholic to examine three things concretely. First, mission belongs to every baptized person — the sending of the Twelve is the prototype for every Christian's call to witness, not a clerical prerogative. Ask: Am I waiting for credentials, comfort, or certainty before I speak about Christ? Jesus sent the Twelve before they fully understood him.
Second, the instruction to "travel light" confronts a culture of anxiety-driven accumulation. Spiritually, over-reliance on status, reputation, or financial security can become obstacles to authentic witness. The missionary's poverty is not self-punishment — it is a visible sign that the treasure being offered is not material.
Third, the anointing of the sick reminds Catholics that the Sacrament of Anointing is not a last rite to be feared and postponed, but an apostolic healing ministry to be embraced. Families and pastoral ministers should be encouraged to request this sacrament early in serious illness, trusting in its power — exactly as the Twelve exercised it: actively, generously, and without hesitation.
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