Day Ten – Tuesday, January 14, 2025

One Year Journey Through the New Testament

Matthew 10

Welcome to our journey through the New Testament!

The Twelve Apostles are Sent

Mark 6:7; Luke 9:110

5 And when 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. ² Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus went through Galilee healing the sick and going great deeds.
• He called disciples as He went, calling those who would be in God’s plan.
• He gathered them after one particular session of ministering to the crowds that followed him and commissioned them to go in His place at times.
• He gave them authority to heal and cast out demons just as He was doing.
• He then named the twelve apostles. Apostle is different from disciple in that an apostle goes under authority to establish ministry and carry out the will of Him who sent Him.
• The writer of the gospel, presumably Matthew, gave personal details and even recounted the fact that Judas betrayed Christ, as the actual gospel was written well after Jesus’ ascension to heaven.

The Twelve Apostles are Instructed

Mark 6:8–13; Luke 9:2–6, 12:2–10

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans. ⁶ But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. ⁹ Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts, ¹⁰ nor bag for your journey, nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus’ first priority as the Messiah (to begin with) was to go to the Jewish people declaring the good news. So He instructed His disciples to go only to the “lost sheep of the house of Israel.” These instructions or teachings were thorough and clear.
• While prophecies foretold that Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles, this was not the starting place. I believe Jesus wanted the Jews to have an opportunity to receive Him as Messiah before branching out. He did have Gentiles in His entourage not long after.
• Interestingly enough, Paul the Apostle followed this same pattern, preaching Jesus first to the Jews in the synagogues (and often being banned from the synagogues), and then preaching to the Gentiles.

The Worth of a City

¹¹ “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out. ¹² And when you go into a household, greet it. ¹³ If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet. ¹⁵ Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus wanted the disciples to see that not all people would accept the gospel message. Therefore, He gave them the ability to judge whether a city was worthy.
• He gave them the proper method whereby to ascertain the worthiness of a city. I believe He intended for them to give each city an opportunity to accept or receive their message.
• However, if they did not receive the message with gladness, the disciple should leave that city (or house) and move on, allowing them to suffer in their sin.

Stay Calm

¹⁶ “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves. ¹⁷ But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues. ¹⁸ You will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹ But when they deliver you up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus warned the disciples that they would be innocents among predators. Therefore, He called them to be wise and even cunning if necessary, but to do no harm.
• He warned them of persecution that would come. Trials, beatings, tribunals, etc.
• These actions, though, would be a sign to the Gentiles that Jesus and His followers identified with their plight.
• Hew told them not to overthink their responses, but to allow the very-present Holy Spirit to speak through them what they should say.

Persecution and Loss

²¹ “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. ²² And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved. ²³ When they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus further warns them about the reaction of others to their new calling.
• Families may be divided and even actively persecute their relatives, even to the point of death.
• Christians would be hated, but the great reward comes to those who endure to the end.
• He instructs His disciples to leave and hurry to another city when persecution rises to dangerous levels.

The Disciple and the Teacher

²⁴ “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵ It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household! ²⁶ Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus established the relationship between a disciple and his teacher. The teacher is the master of the disciple. He should just hope to and aspire to be like His teacher.
• He told them to be willing to suffer with Christ when necessary.
• He tells His disciples not to fear the persecutors, because their actions are not hidden from God.

Do Not Fear

²⁷ “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops. ²⁸ And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹ Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. ³⁰ But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹ Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.³² “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. ³³ But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus calls His disciples to be bold with the message He told them privately.
• He again tells them not to fear the enemies of the gospel, even if they threaten to kill them.
• Jesus additionally calls them to fear God, because He knows what happens to even the smallest birds. How much more does He care about us?
• Confess Christ and Christ confesses you before the Father. Deny Him and He will deny you.

Revolutionary Outlook

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For 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’; ³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ ³⁷ He 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 And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

Points to Ponder:

• The next thought Jesus shared with His disciples seems counterintuitive on its surface. And Angels sang “Peace on Earth” at Jesus’ birth, but here He is declaring He will not bring peace on earth. How can this be?
• Jesus did come to bring peace on earth to those who would receive Him. Jews, Gentiles, and all people could come to God, and they could find Him anywhere, not just behind the veil in the temple.
• But in the lead-up to this revolutionary change, there would be division and warfare, persecution and pain. Jesus wanted His disciples to be aware that this gospel revolution would not be easy. It would be painful. It would cost them much, including family and friends.
• Jesus then uttered some of His most remembered words encouraging the disciples to join the cause fully, “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”

Revolutionary Outlook

⁴⁰ “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me. ⁴¹ He 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 And 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.”

Points to Ponder:

• Jesus, conversely, states that those who receives His disciples receives Him.
• Jesus says that those who accept His disciples or His prophets will receive the same reward that they receive. Even a cup of cold water for His people will be met with a reward.
• Jesus has given His disciples the instructions needed to go out and minister in His name and authority. The message was not all sunshine and rainbows, but rather ominous and dangerous. However, He promised to be with them in Spirit and power. They gladly went out and fulfilled their mission.

All Scriptures from New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Join us this afternoon at 5:00 pm for a discussion of this chapter live online. Live@5 with Dr. Greg Sloop can be found on Facebook on the Dr. Greg Sloop page or on the Kannapolis Church of God Facebook page or Youtube page.