In Matthew 10 Jesus gathers His 12 disciples together and sent them out to help people understand that the kingdom of God is near. He gave them some specific instructions and encouragement and then sent them out. We don't know how long they were gone. Matthew does not say.
But in Matthew 11, John the Baptist hears what Jesus was doing and sends one of his disciples to find out if Jesus was the one who was to come (Matt. 11:1-3). I wonder if John the Baptist was hearing what Jesus was doing because of the 12 that were sent out. I mean, Jesus did give them the authority to do the things He sends back to John as proof that He is the one to come. Some amazing things are going on in the life of the disciples as they are taking the good news to different villages.
While it is interesting to wonder how long they were out sharing the good news, I would like to know the conversations they were having with each other when they came back. The stories they would have about how they saw God moved in the lives they were sharing the good news. Also, how many people came back with them to see the Christ? At least 72 others. In Luke 10 Jesus appointed 72 others He sent out ahead of Him to every town. He gave them specific instructions and we never know when they return.
Maybe, just maybe, we don't know when they returned because this became a part of who they were. They just did life as a follower of Jesus where ever they went. It was now their life-style.
When they gathered they came back with stories of what God was doing and with new people who accepted the message about the good news. They came back with people who decided they now wanted to be part of the community of believers who are Jesus' disciples.
When Jesus said He would build His church, He was building people to become His disciples who would go out and make disciples who make disciples. As the number of true disciples grew, His Church grew and began to push back the gates of hell. What would this look like if His church lived this way today?
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