Mark 6:1-13
To the inhabitants of Nazareth, the Lord Jesus was "the carpenter". For thirty years He had hidden His glory under the humble guise of a village craftsman. Such humbling cannot be understood by the natural man who is used to judging everything by appearances.
If it was difficult for the witness of the Lord to be received "in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house", how much more so for us where we are known – with all our faults and with our sad past life. But it is also there where the fruits of new life will be the most evident and will make for the most powerful of preaching (Philippians 2:15). Having been called in Mark 3:13-19, the twelve are now sent out to preach repentance. The Lord commands them to take nothing for their journey. Their life must be one of faith. Moment by moment, they will receive whatever is necessary both for their service and for their own needs. Supplying themselves with provisions would deprive them of rich experiences and make them lose sight of the bond which unites them with their absent Master. By contrast, their sandals were indispensable. They suggest what Ephesians 6:15 calls "the preparation of the gospel of peace". Every believer must adorn his walk with them so that he confirms the message of grace which he bears (cf. Romans 10:15).