First assignment: raise the dead

“These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them… ‘Heal the sick, raise the dead, clean lepers, cast out demons.’”
– Jesus (from Matthew 10:5-15)

Jesus picks his twelve and then sends them out on their first assignment to, amongst other things, raise the dead?

Seems pretty steep. First time out and all.

And, is such an instruction even remotely realistic?

No, as it turns out. It’s not.

But that’s the point.

It’s not realistic to us. Salvation is not a problem we can handle ourselves. Following God isn’t something we do alone. And neither is going out and doing his work.

But for him…these things are no problem. These things are what he does.

The question for us is not what, but who.

That is: whose name are we going out and doing work for?