The word ‘mission’ has had different meanings in the history of the Church. Today in can refer to the outreach asked of each of us as Christians to those who are not of our faith.
Some would see division as being the difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament. In the OT the picture of God is that of an angry judge, in the NT the picture is that of a loving Savior. Our readings today undermine the simplicity of such a view. In our reading from Isaiah we are offered a vision of peace, even among those who are naturally enemies. In our Gospel reading you feel John the Baptist would be perfectly at home in one of those old-style parish missions.
Jesus chooses to be the victim of violence rather than invoke His mighty powers to bring home the truth of His message. By doing this He reveals the nature of God. He also seems to have become fairly exasperated by the obtuseness of His disciples at times, in their case referring more sadly to their lack of faith and their likely weakness under attack. His main concern is to find a way of communicating that gets through to His listeners.