Today’s Gospel tells us that when Jesus saw the crowds his heart was moved to pity for them, because they were harassed and dejected like a sheep without a shepherd. The twelve whom Jesus sent on his mission to the lost sheep of Israel were men who made themselves available. They showed a willingness to go and a disposition to work for Christ. Besides, the twelve Jesus sent on his mission, a composite group. They were made up of fishermen, a tax collector, a rationalist, a doubter and a traitor. All of them had a variety of temperaments, yet they volunteered for a mission to a crowd that Jesus pitied.
Availability for Christ’s mission did not necessarily imply capability for the work. Christ knew the limitations of the twelve, so before they could set out, He told them, “Do not turn your steps to pagan territory and do not enter any Samaritan town. Go therefore to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” Why did He not send them to a pagan territory? We can only surmise that at this stage the twelve were not equipped with knowledge, skills, customs and techniques so necessary for a foreign mission.
