Matthew 10:1 “Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. 2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,[a] drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 9 “Do not get any gold or silver or copper to take with you in your belts— 10 no bag for the journey or extra shirt or sandals or a staff, for the worker is worth his keep. 11 Whatever town or village you enter, search there for some worthy person and stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you. 14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I tell you, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.”
Jesus had already told his followers that he had pity on the multitudes because they were like lost sheep without a shepherd. Having observed that laborers are needed for the spiritual harvest, Jesus did something about it! Many times, we don’t; we are quite fond of talking a situation to death, substituting discussions for solutions. Jesus gave very specific instructions. 1. Go only to Jewish communities 2. Give a very simple message “the kingdom of God is at hand.” 3. Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons. 4. Don’t collect any money for your services and don’t take any money with you. 5. Don’t even take extra clothes or a staff for walking and/or defense. 6. Seek out a worthy person and stay with them. 7. Bless anyone who helps you but shake the dust off your feet against anyone who will not listen or who does not welcome you. 8. People who do not receive you will be treated more severely than the people of Sodom and Gomorrah on judgment day!
Why go only to Jewish communities? The disciples were just starting out. Had the disciples gone to non – Jewish communities, they might have gotten caught up in senseless religious arguments. (Remember Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well; the lady was trying to argue religion with Jesus.) Keep the message simple – good advice in any age. Do miracles? Jesus told the disciples that he was giving them authority to do these things. The disciples had just watched Jesus do all of these miracles in the past few days, so why not? But Jesus’ next instructions were counter – intuitive: WHAT??? Don’t collect anything for your services? Don’t take any money with you? Not even any copper coins at all?? No bag? No extra clothes or sandals? Not even a staff? Everybody carried staffs. The paths were rocky and uneven and in a pinch, a staff could become a defensive weapon. This is getting serious! Didn’t Jesus know what might happen?
The British have a saying, “Begin as you mean to go on.” Jesus wanted the disciples to learn early on that God could be trusted and that God already had people in these various communities who were “people of peace,” that is, seekers after God, who would gladly shelter and feed someone who could tell them more about the Kingdom. But Jesus also knew what was in the heart of man and he knew that the disciples might face rejection, so he also prepared the disciples for that eventuality.
Think of the people who had the chance to shelter and feed the disciples and to be part of their ministry, but who refused. “What? He’s just some slob of a fisherman! His “master” is a carpenter! Why should I listen to him?”
And once more, we realize that eternity and untold blessings were following these disciples throughout their travels. For those with hearts open to God, there would be incredible experiences that they would remember for the rest of their lives. But for those who refused to listen or believe, hell had already begun. May we always be ready to receive new messengers from God!
PRAYER: Father God, thank you that you are no respecter of persons! Thank you that you still give power to witness, to heal, to restore, and to lift up. Help us to recognize your messengers when they come to us so that we will be able to help them and receive the blessings that come as a result of our efforts. We bless your Mighty Name now and forever! Amen.
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