Matthew 10
10
The Twelve Apostles
1And #Mark 3:13; Luke 6:13when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease. 2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, #John 1:42who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4#Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13Simon the Cananite, and Judas #Matt. 26:14; Luke 22:3; John 13:2, 26Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.
Sending Out the Twelve
5These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: #Matt. 4:15“Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of #2 Kin. 17:24; Luke 9:52; 10:33; 17:16; John 4:9the Samaritans. 6#Matt. 15:24; Acts 13:46But go rather to the #Is. 53:6; Jer. 50:6lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7#Luke 9:2And as you go, preach, saying, #Matt. 3:2; Luke 10:9‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. #(Acts 8:18)Freely you have received, freely give. 9#1 Sam. 9:7; Mark 6:8Provide neither gold nor silver nor #Mark 6:8copper in your money belts, 10nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; #Luke 10:7; (1 Cor. 9:4–14); 1 Tim. 5:18for a worker is worthy of his food.
11#Luke 10:8“Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. 12And when you go into a household, greet it. 13#Luke 10:5If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. #Ps. 35:13But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14#Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, #Neh. 5:13; Luke 10:10, 11; Acts 13:51shake off the dust from your feet. 15Assuredly, I say to you, #Matt. 11:22, 24it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!
Persecutions Are Coming
16#Luke 10:3“Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. #2 Cor. 12:16; Eph. 5:15; Col. 4:5Therefore be wise as serpents and #(Phil. 2:14–16)harmless as doves. 17But beware of men, for #Matt. 23:34; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11they will deliver you up to councils and #Acts 5:40; 22:19; 26:11scourge you in their synagogues. 18#Acts 12:1; 2 Tim. 4:16You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19#Mark 13:11; Luke 12:11, 12; 21:14, 15But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For #Ex. 4:12; Jer. 1:7it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; 20#2 Sam. 23:2; (2 Tim. 4:17)for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.
21#Mic. 7:6; Luke 21:16“Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22And #Matt. 24:9; Luke 21:17; John 15:18you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. #(Dan. 12:12); Matt. 24:13; Mark 13:13But he who endures to the end will be saved. 23#Matt. 2:13; Acts 8:1When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have #(Matt. 24:14; Mark 13:10)gone through the cities of Israel #Matt. 16:28before the Son of Man comes.
24#Luke 6:40; John 15:20“A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If #Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15, 18, 19; John 8:48, 52they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! 26Therefore do not fear them. #Mark 4:22; Luke 8:17; 12:2, 3; (1 Cor. 4:5)For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.
Jesus Teaches the Fear of God
27“Whatever I tell you in the dark, #Luke 12:3; Acts 5:20speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. 28#Luke 12:4; (1 Pet. 3:14)And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather #Is. 8:13; Matt. 5:22; Luke 12:5fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29Are not two #Luke 12:6, 7sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 30#1 Sam. 14:45; 2 Sam. 14:11; 1 Kin. 1:52; Luke 21:18; Acts 27:34But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.
Confess Christ Before Men
32#Ps. 119:46; Luke 12:8; (Rom. 10:9)“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, #(Rev. 3:5)him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33#(Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26); 2 Tim. 2:12But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
Christ Brings Division
34#(Luke 12:49)“Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. 35For I have come to #Mic. 7:6; Matt. 10:21; Luke 12:53‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; 36and #Ps. 41:9; 55:13; John 13:18‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ 37#Deut. 33:9; Luke 14:26He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38#(Matt. 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23; 14:27)And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39#Matt. 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24; 17:33; John 12:25He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.
A Cup of Cold Water
40#Mark 9:37; Luke 9:48; John 12:44; Gal. 4:14“He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. 41#1 Kin. 17:10; 2 Kin. 4:8He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward. 42#(Matt. 25:40); Mark 9:41; Heb. 6:10And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
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Matthew 10: NKJV
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.
Matthew 10
10
The Twelve Harvest Hands
1-4The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:
Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),
Andrew, his brother,
James, Zebedee’s son,
John, his brother,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew, the tax man,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus,
Simon, the Canaanite,
Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).
5-8Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.
9-10“Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.
11“When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.
12-15“When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now.
16“Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as shrewd as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.
17-20“Don’t be naive. Some people will question your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
21-23“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
24-25“A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?
26-27“Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.
28“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
Forget About Yourself
29-31“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
32-33“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?
34-37“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.
38-39“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
40-42“We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.