“Jesus said to them, ‘When I sent you out without a wallet, bag, or sandals, you didn’t lack anything, did you?’ They said, ‘Nothing.’” Luke 22:35 (CEB)
What was Jesus trying to teach His disciples by instructing them not to take a wallet or luggage or even spare sandals when they traveled with Him? Was He showing that He was all they ever needed? Did He want them to learn that their dependence had to be on Him alone? Was He instructing them in the humility of accepting help from others—a bed for the night, a meal, a borrowed coat when temperatures dropped?
Did He hope they’d realize they could get along on fewer belongings than they imagined? Or that their success depended on their traveling light? Or that they’d be safer from thieves along the journey if they had nothing worth stealing? Was it focus that Jesus cared about most? With nothing in their hands, nothing to distract them, would the disciples cling more diligently to Jesus’ words and to the ministry of caring for the people’s physical and spiritual needs?
The more I think about it, the more value I see in the “no baggage” directive. What if I walked into my day conscious of a “no baggage, no wallet, no extra sandals” mentality, intensely focused on Jesus, on His words, on His mission, the mission He passed on to us? What if I measured success not by how much I accumulate but on how little I need to survive, if I stay close to Jesus? What would I lack? Nothing.
Faith Step: Is an accumulation of things holding you back from what Jesus is asking you to do? Is there anything you own that is beginning to “act” as if it owns you? Are you willing to take a step toward the freedom of no baggage?
