Matthew 10
10
The Mission of the Twelve. 1#10:1–11:1] After an introductory narrative (Mt 10:1–4), the second of the discourses of the gospel. It deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples (Mt 10:5–15), but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church between the time of the resurrection and the parousia. Then he summoned his twelve disciples#His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mk 3:13–14) and Luke (Lk 6:12–16), Matthew has no story of Jesus’ choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus’ authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Lk 6:13) and probably Mark (Mk 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority…every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Mt 4:23; Mt 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Mt 10:7). But although he teaches (Mt 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus’ resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Mt 28:20). and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.#Mk 3:14–19; Lk 6:13–16; Acts 1:13. 2The names of the twelve apostles#Here, for the only time in Matthew, the Twelve are designated apostles. The word “apostle” means “one who is sent,” and therefore fits the situation here described. In the Pauline letters, the place where the term occurs most frequently in the New Testament, it means primarily one who has seen the risen Lord and has been commissioned to proclaim the resurrection. With slight variants in Luke and Acts, the names of those who belong to this group are the same in the four lists given in the New Testament (see note on Mt 9:9). Cananean: this represents an Aramaic word meaning “zealot.” The meaning of that designation is unclear (see note on Lk 6:15). are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; 4Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.
The Commissioning of the Twelve. 5#Mk 6:7–13; Lk 9:1–6. Jesus sent out these twelve#Like Jesus (Mt 15:24), the Twelve are sent only to Israel. This saying may reflect an original Jewish Christian refusal of the mission to the Gentiles, but for Matthew it expresses rather the limitation that Jesus himself observed during his ministry. after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. 6#15:24. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’#3:2; 4:17. 8#The Twelve have received their own call and mission through God’s gift, and the benefits they confer are likewise to be given freely. They are not to take with them money, provisions, or unnecessary clothing; their lodging and food will be provided by those who receive them. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give. 9#Mk 6:8–9; Lk 9:3; 10:4. Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; 10#Lk 10:7; 1 Cor 9:14; 1 Tm 5:18. no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. The laborer deserves his keep. 11#Mk 6:10–11; Lk 9:4–5; 10:5–12. Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter a house, wish it peace. 13If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.#The greeting of peace is conceived of not merely as a salutation but as an effective word. If it finds no worthy recipient, it will return to the speaker. 14#Shake the dust from your feet: this gesture indicates a complete disassociation from such unbelievers. #Acts 13:51; 18:6. Whoever will not receive you or listen to your words—go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet. 15Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.#11:24; Gn 19:1–29; Jude 7.
Coming Persecutions. 16#Lk 10:3. “Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves. 17#The persecutions attendant upon the post-resurrection mission now begin to be spoken of. Here Matthew brings into the discourse sayings found in Mk 13 which deals with events preceding the parousia. But beware of people,#Mk 13:9–13; Lk 21:12–19. for they will hand you over to courts and scourge you in their synagogues,#Acts 5:40. 18and you will be led before governors and kings for my sake as a witness before them and the pagans. 19When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say. You will be given at that moment what you are to say.#Ex 4:11–12; Jer 1:6–10; Lk 12:11–12. 20For it will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21#See Mi 7:6 which is cited in Mt 10:35, 36. #24:9, 13. Brother will hand over brother to death, and the father his child; children will rise up against parents and have them put to death. 22You will be hated by all because of my name, but whoever endures to the end#To the end: the original meaning was probably “until the parousia.” But it is not likely that Matthew expected no missionary disciples to suffer death before then, since he envisages the martyrdom of other Christians (Mt 10:21). For him, the end is probably that of the individual’s life (see Mt 10:28). will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, flee to another. Amen, I say to you, you will not finish the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.#Before the Son of Man comes: since the coming of the Son of Man at the end of the age had not taken place when this gospel was written, much less during the mission of the Twelve during Jesus’ ministry, Matthew cannot have meant the coming to refer to the parousia. It is difficult to know what he understood it to be: perhaps the “proleptic parousia” of Mt 28:16–20, or the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70, viewed as a coming of Jesus in judgment on unbelieving Israel. 24#Lk 6:40; Jn 13:16; 15:20. No disciple is above his teacher, no slave above his master. 25It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, for the slave that he become like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul,#Beelzebul: see Mt 9:34 for the charge linking Jesus with “the prince of demons,” who is named Beelzebul in Mt 12:24. The meaning of the name is uncertain; possibly, “lord of the house.” how much more those of his household!
Courage Under Persecution. 26#Lk 12:2–9. “Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.#The concealed and secret coming of the kingdom is to be proclaimed by them, and no fear must be allowed to deter them from that proclamation. #Mk 4:22; Lk 8:17; 1 Tm 5:25. 27What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.#Jas 4:12. 29Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s knowledge. 30Even all the hairs of your head are counted. 31So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 32#In the Q parallel (Lk 12:8–9), the Son of Man will acknowledge those who have acknowledged Jesus, and those who deny him will be denied (by the Son of Man) before the angels of God at the judgment. Here Jesus and the Son of Man are identified, and the acknowledgment or denial will be before his heavenly Father. Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father. 33But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.#Mk 8:38; Lk 9:26; 2 Tm 2:12; Rev 3:5.
Jesus: A Cause of Division. 34#Lk 12:51–53. “Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth. I have come to bring not peace but the sword. 35For I have come to set
a man ‘against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36and one’s enemies will be those of his household.’
The Conditions of Discipleship. 37#16:24–25; Lk 14:26–27. “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; 38and whoever does not take up his cross#The first mention of the cross in Matthew, explicitly that of the disciple, but implicitly that of Jesus (and follow after me). Crucifixion was a form of capital punishment used by the Romans for offenders who were not Roman citizens. and follow after me is not worthy of me. 39#One who denies Jesus in order to save one’s earthly life will be condemned to everlasting destruction; loss of earthly life for Jesus’ sake will be rewarded by everlasting life in the kingdom. #Mk 8:35; Lk 9:24; Jn 12:25. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
Rewards. 40“Whoever receives you receives me,#All who receive the disciples of Jesus receive him, and God who sent him, and will be rewarded accordingly. and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.#Lk 10:16; Jn 12:44; 13:20. 41#A prophet: one who speaks in the name of God; here, the Christian prophets who proclaim the gospel. Righteous man: since righteousness is demanded of all the disciples, it is difficult to take the righteous man of this verse and one of these little ones (Mt 10:42) as indicating different groups within the followers of Jesus. Probably all three designations are used here of Christian missionaries as such. Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever receives a righteous man because he is righteous will receive a righteous man’s reward. 42And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple—amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”#25:40; Mk 9:41.
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Matthew 10
10
The Twelve Apostles
(Mk 3.13–19; Lk 6.12–16)
1Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and every sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew, the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Patriot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed Jesus.
The Mission of the Twelve
(Mk 6.7–13; Lk 9.1–6)
5These twelve men were sent out by Jesus with the following instructions: “Do not go to any Gentile territory or any Samaritan towns. 6Instead, you are to go to the lost sheep of the people of Israel. 7#Lk 10.4–12Go and preach, ‘The Kingdom of heaven is near!’ 8Heal the sick, bring the dead back to life, heal those who suffer from dreaded skin diseases, and drive out demons. You have received without paying, so give without being paid. 9Do not carry any gold, silver, or copper money in your pockets; 10#1 Cor 9.14; 1 Tim 5.18do not carry a beggar's bag for the journey or an extra shirt or shoes or a stick. Workers should be given what they need.
11 “When you come to a town or village, go in and look for someone who is willing to welcome you, and stay with him until you leave that place. 12When you go into a house, say, ‘Peace be with you.’ 13If the people in that house welcome you, let your greeting of peace remain; but if they do not welcome you, then take back your greeting. 14#Acts 13.51And if some home or town will not welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feet. 15#Mt 11.24; Gen 19.24–28I assure you that on the Judgement Day God will show more mercy to the people of Sodom and Gomorrah than to the people of that town!
Coming Persecutions
(Mk 13.9–13; Lk 21.12–17)
16 #
Lk 10.3
“Listen! I am sending you out just like sheep to a pack of wolves. You must be as cautious as snakes and as gentle as doves. 17#Mk 13.9–11; Lk 12.11–12; 21.12–15Watch out, for there will be those who will arrest you and take you to court, and they will whip you in the synagogues. 18For my sake you will be brought to trial before rulers and kings, to tell the Good News to them and to the Gentiles. 19When they bring you to trial, do not worry about what you are going to say or how you will say it; when the time comes, you will be given what you will say. 20For the words you will speak will not be yours; they will come from the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21 #
Mk 13.12; Lk 21.16 “Men will hand over their own brothers to be put to death, and fathers will do the same to their children; children will turn against their parents and have them put to death. 22#Mt 24.9, 13; Mk 13.13; Lk 21.17Everyone will hate you because of me. But whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 23When they persecute you in one town, run away to another one. I assure you that you will not finish your work in all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
24 #
Lk 6.40; Jn 13.16; 15.20 “No pupil is greater than his teacher; no slave is greater than his master. 25#Mt 9.34; 12.24; Mk 3.22; Lk 11.15So a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher, and a slave like his master. If the head of the family is called Beelzebul, the members of the family will be called even worse names!
Whom to Fear
(Lk 12.2–7)
26 #
Mk 4.22; Lk 8.17 “So do not be afraid of people. Whatever is now covered up will be uncovered, and every secret will be made known. 27What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must announce from the housetops. 28Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather be afraid of God, who can destroy both body and soul in hell. 29For only a penny you can buy two sparrows, yet not one sparrow falls to the ground without your Father's consent. 30As for you, even the hairs of your head have all been counted. 31So do not be afraid; you are worth much more than many sparrows!
Confessing and Rejecting Christ
(Lk 12.8–9)
32 “For those who declare publicly that they belong to me, I will do the same before my Father in heaven. 33#2 Tim 2.12But if anyone rejects me publicly, I will reject him before my Father in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
(Lk 12.51–53; 14.26–27)
34 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the world. No, I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35#Mic 7.6I came to set sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law; 36your worst enemies will be the members of your own family.
37 “Those who love their father or mother more than me are not fit to be my disciples; those who love their son or daughter more than me are not fit to be my disciples. 38#Mt 16.24; Mk 8.34; Lk 9.23Those who do not take up their cross and follow in my steps are not fit to be my disciples. 39#Mt 16.25; Mk 8.35; Lk 9.24; 17.33; Jn 12.25Those who try to gain their own life will lose it; but those who lose their life for my sake will gain it.
Rewards
(Mk 9.41)
40 #
Mk 9.37; Lk 9.48; 10.16; Jn 13.20 “Whoever welcomes you welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes God's messenger because he is God's messenger, will share in his reward. And whoever welcomes a good man because he is good, will share in his reward. 42You can be sure that whoever gives even a drink of cold water to one of the least of these my followers because he is my follower, will certainly receive a reward.”
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Good News Bible. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.