Mark 6:8

And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits; For the exposition, see the notes at ; Matthew 10:5....

7-13 Though the apostles were conscious to themselves of great weakness, and expected no wordly advantage, yet, in obedience to their Master, and in dependence upon his strength, they went out. They did not amuse people with curious matters, but told them they must repent of their sins, and turn to God. The servants of Christ may hope to turn many from darkness unto God, and to heal souls by the power of the Holy Ghost....

Verse Mark 6:8. _A STAFF ONLY_] It is likely he desired them to take only _one_ with every _two_, merely for the purpose of carrying any part of their clothes on, when they should be obliged to strip them off by reason of the heat; for walking staves, or things of this kind, were forbidden, see Matthew 10:10. But, probably, no more is designed than simply to state that they must not wait to make any provision for the journey, but go off just as they were, leaving the provision necessary in the present case to the care of Divine Providence. St. James is represented in ancient paintings, as carrying a gourd bottle on a STAFF _across his shoulder_....

See these verses fully explained in the notes at Matthew 10:9. In Matthew 10:5 they were commanded not to go among the Gentiles or Samaritans. Mark omits that direction, perhaps, because he was writing for the “Gentiles,” and the direction might create unnecessary difficulty or offence. Perhaps he omits it also because the command was given for a temporary purpose, and was not in force at the time of his writing....

EXPOSITION MARK 6:1 Our Lord now left the neighbourhood of Capernaum, and came INTO HIS OWN COUNTRY, the district of Nazareth, where he had been, not born indeed, but brought up, and where his kinsfolk after the flesh still lived. Nazareth would be about a day's journey from Capernaum. This was not the first public exercise of his ministry at Nazareth. Of that and its results St. Luke gives us the account (Luke 4:16). It would seem reasonable to suppose that, after the fame which he had now acquired, he should again visit the place where he had been brought up. His sisters were still living there. St. Mark here again uses the historical present ἔρχεται, "he cometh," for which there is better authority than for ἧλθεν_. _HIS

AND COMMANDED THEM THAT THEY SHOULD TAKE NOTHING FOR [THEIR] JOURNEY,.... To accommodate them in it, except those things after directed to: SAVE A STAFF ONLY; a single one, for staves in the plural number are forbidden, Matthew 10:10; NO SCRIP, NO BREAD, NO MONEY IN THEIR PURSE. Travellers used to put their bread, or any other sort of food into their scrips, and their money in their girdles; but the disciples were not allowed to carry either, because provision was to be made for them wherever they came at free cost, it being what their labour was worthy of; Matthew 10:9, Matthew 10:10....

TAKE NOTHING (_ See Scofield) - (Matthew 10:9). _ SCRIP provision-bag. PURSE belt....

CHAPTER 6 _ 1. The Servant rejected in Nazareth. (Mark 6:1. Matthew 13:54; Luke 4:16)_ 2. The Servant sends forth the Twelve. (Mark 6:7 .Matthew 10:5; Luke 9:1) 3. King Herod troubled. (Mark 6:14. Matthew 14:1; Luke 9:7)...

THE MISSIONARY ACTIVITY OF THE TWELVE. Wellhausen is sceptical as to the historic worth of this paragraph, as also of the section on the appointment of the Twelve. But Mk.'s view, that the disciples were not sent out to evangelize until they had been with Jesus some time (_cf. Mark 3:14_), is probable, as is also his view that their evangelistic activities ended when Jesus Himself withdrew from Galilee. He is clearly convinced that this missionary work of the Twelve was a real event which influenced the course of the history. Apparently it drew Herod's attention to Jesus (Mark 6:14), and the return of the Twelve initiates a new development in the life of Jesus, viz. His wish for retirement (Mark 6:30 points back to...

WITHOUT HONOR IN HIS OWN COUNTRY (Mark 6:1-6)...