Any idea what Jesus was thinking that night, the one right before the twelve disciples took off on an internship?

They had been with him for many months. They had been watching how he lived, what he taught, where he ate. They had seen how he responded to challenges and conversations and suffering.

Then he sent them out in pairs. What’s cool is that as he sends them out, he gives them one last summary of the important things for this part of the journey. (Matthew 10)

As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’

That sentence was what John had said, what Jesus had said.  He gave them something incredibly familiar to do as they went, a simple success, a message that they had heard over and over.  He tells them all the worst things that will happen to them, and assures them they will be able to handle it, they will be able to endure. And he tells them what success will look like.

Many of us are sending kids off to college in the next couple weeks. They will be off finding out what they know, what we know. It’s hard. We would love to keep them close, we think. But if we did, like the disciples, they would never find out what they still need to learn. They would never discover that they, and we, actually do know some things. They would never have the preparation necessary for the next step, the step after this one, when they go change the world.

But I’m pretty sure, as I read Matthew 10, that Jesus understands our hearts. And I’m pretty sure that, although we think about what we could have done better, he’s looking as us and saying, “you know I’m going with them, right?”