Two

"Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow."

Ecclesiastes 4.9-10

In Mark 6, the twelve disciples were sent out on gospel mission in pairs.

They were told to take nothing. No security blanket, no back-up plan. They were to walk into the world with nothing to their name but mustard seed faith.

Not only that, but the text paints a bleak picture of the world’s cruelty and ultimate rejection.

I was pondering this. Why two? Wouldn’t they cover twice as much ground if they headed off alone?

But no, they were to go two by two. Shoulder to shoulder. Side by side.

Two, not one. A team, not a solo act. Knit together.

Because Jesus knew something.

Two is protection - Protection from the enemy, from the elements, from the trial and storm. The two would have to trust each other, watch each other’s back while on mission.

Two is accountability. When the mission failed, when the world spits out the gospel, when the calling became too hard, they would have given up if not for someone cheering them on, encouraging them. If they didn’t have each other, they would have walked off the job. But with two, there was a camaraderie.

Jesus is perfect in everything He does.

On mission, on the Great Commission, on this thing called the “Walk of Faith”, on this treacherous journey home, Jesus knew what we would need most…

Each other.