10-Minute Catholic Bible Study

Sunday, July 11, 2027 · Year B

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

He began to send them out two by two

The Sending of the Twelve Apostles, by Netherlandish School
The Sending of the Twelve Apostles, Netherlandish School, c. 1573

Amos, a shepherd and dresser of sycamores, insists that the Lord took him from his flock to prophesy. Jesus sends the Twelve out two by two with nothing but a walking stick. They preach repentance, drive out demons, and anoint the sick with oil.

Mass Readings

  • First Reading Amos 7:12-15
  • Responsorial Psalm Psalm 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
  • Second Reading Ephesians 1:3-14
  • Gospel Mark 6:7-13

Open the Mass Readings on USCCB.org →

First Reading Amos 7:12-15

The priest Amaziah orders Amos out of Bethel, the king’s sanctuary. Amos answers that he was no professional prophet but a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores; the Lord took him from following the flock and sent him to prophesy to Israel.

Psalm Psalm 85

Lord, let us see Your kindness, and grant us Your salvation.

Second Reading Ephesians 1:3-14

Blessed be God, who chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy, destined us for adoption, and redeemed us by His blood. In Him we were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, the first installment of our inheritance.

Gospel Mark 6:7-13

Jesus summons the Twelve and sends them out two by two with authority over unclean spirits. They are to take nothing but a walking stick: no food, no sack, no money. They preach repentance, drive out many demons, and anoint with oil many who are sick and cure them.

Step Into the Story

Amos preached around 760 B.C., when Jeroboam II ruled a rich northern kingdom of ivory beds and summer houses while the poor were sold “for a pair of sandals.” At Bethel, the king’s own shrine, the priest Amaziah told him to go home. Amos replied that he was no professional prophet, only a herdsman and a dresser of sycamore figs, which had to be slit by hand to ripen.

  1. c. 760 B.C.Amos preaches in Israel
  2. 4 B.C.Antipas rules Galilee
  3. 14 A.D.Tiberius becomes emperor
  4. c. 20 A.D.Antipas founds Tiberias
  5. This week’s scene: 28 or 29 A.D.The Twelve sent two by two

Stand with the Twelve in Galilee, likely in 28 or 29 A.D., in the reign of Herod Antipas, as Jesus sends them out two by two, the number the Law required for valid testimony. No bread, no bag, no copper coins in the belt: only sandals, one tunic and a walking stick. Feel how light you are, and how exposed. Hand over your purse.

Now take the road with one of the pairs. Mark names no villages and no season, so picture any Galilean track: dust or mud, stone walls, olive groves, a cluster of houses at the end of the day. Hear the dogs bark as strangers come near. Will a door open, or will you shake the dust from your feet? Walk on beside them, carrying oil for the sick, and wait to see who receives you.

Encounter the Lord

Watch the Twelve set off in pairs down the dusty roads of Galilee. No bag, no bread, no coins in their belts. Just a staff, sandals, and the authority Jesus has given them.

Jesus still sends ordinary people. Amos was a farmhand; the apostles were fishermen and a tax collector. He sends them light so that they rely on Him. Paul tells you why you can go with confidence: before the world began, the Father chose you in Christ, and the Spirit has sealed you as His own. Every baptized Christian shares in this mission. You may never leave your town, but you are sent to your family, your workplace, your neighbors.

This week, ask the Lord to show you one person He is sending you to. Offer that person a word of hope, an invitation, or simply your presence.

Know Your Faith

Catechism
  • 1506-1509·disciples share in Christ’s healing mission
  • 737-741·Church called to proclaim and bear witness
  • 849-856·origin and scope of the Church’s mission
  • 1122, 1533·mission-mindedness
  • 693, 698, 706, 1107, 1296·the Holy Spirit as God’s guarantee and seal
  • 492·Mary as a unique example of being chosen before the foundation of the world
YOUCAT
  • 123·the task of the Church
  • 242·the Church’s care for the sick
  • 139·the lay vocation

Sharing in Christ’s Healing Mission

Christ invites His disciples to follow Him by taking up their cross, and gives them a share in His ministry of compassion and healing: “They cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many that were sick” (CCC 1506). The Church continues this through the Anointing of the Sick (CCC 1510-1511).

Sent to Proclaim

The mission of Christ and the Holy Spirit is brought to completion in the Church, which is sent to announce, bear witness, make present and spread the mystery of communion of the Holy Trinity (CCC 737-738).

The Church’s Mission

Having been sent by God to the nations, the Church is missionary by her very nature (CCC 849-850). The ultimate purpose of mission is to make people share in the communion between the Father and the Son in their Spirit of love (CCC 850).

Chosen and Sealed

The Holy Spirit is the seal of God, marking the Christian as belonging to Christ (CCC 698, 1296). Mary was chosen before the foundation of the world and is a unique example of this grace (CCC 492).

Key Takeaways

  • Scripture
  • Doctrine
  • Sacraments
  • Christian Life
  1. Doctrine: Jesus sends ordinary people to share in His mission.
  2. Christian Life: Every baptized Christian is called to bear witness to Christ.
  3. Sacraments: The Anointing of the Sick continues the healing mission of the apostles.
  4. Doctrine: God chose us in Christ before the world began and sealed us with the Holy Spirit.

Test Your Knowledge

True or false? Tap your answer.

  1. Amos said he had been a professional prophet all his life.

    False: he was a shepherd and dresser of sycamores.

  2. Jesus sent the Twelve out two by two.

    True.

  3. The apostles were told to take plenty of money and food.

    False: they were to take nothing but a walking stick.

  4. The apostles anointed the sick with oil.

    True.

  5. The Catechism teaches that the Church is missionary by her very nature.

    True.

  6. Ephesians says God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.

    True.

  7. Only priests and religious share in the Church’s mission.

    False: every baptized Christian shares in it, CCC 900, 905.

  8. The Holy Spirit is described as a seal marking us as belonging to Christ.

    True.

  9. Amos prophesied at Bethel in the northern kingdom.

    True.

  10. The Anointing of the Sick has roots in the apostles’ ministry.

    True.

Answers: 1 F (he was a shepherd and dresser of sycamores) · 2 T · 3 F (they were to take nothing but a walking stick) · 4 T · 5 T · 6 T · 7 F (every baptized Christian shares in it, CCC 900, 905) · 8 T · 9 T · 10 T

Journal Prompts

  1. Where is Jesus sending me right now?

  2. What “extra baggage” keeps me from relying on God?

  3. How does it change me to know that God chose me before the world began?

  4. Who is someone I could bring the hope of Christ to this week?

Talk to God

Lord Jesus, You sent Your apostles with nothing but trust in You. Send me as well. Free me from what weighs me down, fill me with Your Spirit, and make me a witness of Your mercy wherever I go. Amen.