Matthew 9:35-10:23
Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the
good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the
crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep
without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers
are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil 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, preach this message: 'The
kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,
drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give. 9 Do not take along any gold or silver
or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for
the worker is worth his keep. 11 "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy
person there and stay at his 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, shake the dust off your feet when
you leave that home or town. 15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and
Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. 16 I am sending you out like sheep among
wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 "Be on your guard
against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18
On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to
the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At
that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your
Father speaking through you. 21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child;
children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 22 All men will hate you
because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 23 When you are persecuted in
one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of
Israel before the Son of Man comes.
God chose and called Moses and Aaron to lead His people out of
slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land – making them
heroes in our Sunday School books. But do we remember that Aaron
and Moses were NOT allowed to enter the Promised land themselves?
Turned out that our so-called heroes had feet of clay.
Moses's wife Miriam died while the Israelites were in the Desert of Zin.
And it was truly a desert, because Numbers 20 tells us "there was no
water for the community." The people whined to Moses and Aaron,
"If only we had died when our brothers fell dead before the LORD!
Why did you bring the LORD's community into this desert, that we and
our livestock should die here? Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to
this terrible place? It has no grain or figs, grapevines or pomegranates.
And there is no water to drink!"
So God told Moses and Aaron to gather the people together at a
particular rock. He told Moses to speak to the rock and water would
come out. But Moses was angry with the people - and probably with
God, too - so he raised his staff and hit the rock – not once, but twice.
Not at all what God had instructed him to do.
But God – in His mercy to His people – still caused water to gush out
of the rock. The people and their animals had plenty to drink.
However, God then informed Moses and Aaron that neither of them
would enter the Promised Land because they had not followed God's
instructions.
Let’s not be too hard on those two. God’s people have a long history
of being ungrateful and unfaithful and just plain disobedient.
God had chosen Abraham and his descendants to be His people.
Abraham’s great-grandson, Joseph, saved the people of Egypt and the
surrounding regions from starvation during a lengthy famine. Joseph
and his brothers’ descendants – who had moved to Egypt during the
famine – grew exponentially – so the Egyptians enslaved them.
After God sent a series of plagues, the Egyptian Pharoah allowed
Moses and Aaron and the rest of the Hebrew people to leave Egypt.
The 40 years they spent in the wilderness on the way to the Promised
Land were a time of testing, divine provision, and preparation for being
a nation of their own – under God’s laws and God’s providential care.
Along the way, God kept in touch with Moses, gave him the tablets of
the Law, and gave him a message of love for the people:
'You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you
on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now if you obey me fully
and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured
possession. Although the whole earth is mine, 6 you will be for me a
kingdom of priests and a holy nation.' These are the words you are to
speak to the Israelites." 7 So Moses went back and summoned the
elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had
commanded him to speak. 8 The people all responded together, "We
will do everything the LORD has said." So Moses brought their answer
back to the LORD.
Barbara Wheeler of Auburn Theological Seminary wrote that “election
creates a people.” The Hebrew people were “elected” or chosen by
God for a special job – which was to settle in the Promised Land and
establish the worship of the one true and living God – as opposed to
the multiple false gods of the pagan Canaanites.
Despite their frequent grumbling and disobedience – their descendants
did eventually get into Canaan – where God fought for them as they
took the land.
However – the Hebrew people, who were now called Israelites, quickly
abandoned the faith of their forefathers for the idols of the Canaanites.
From that point on, they had an off-and-on relationship with God –
which led to a series of conquests and exiles.
Let’s fast-forward to the time of Judea as part of the Roman Empire.
Jesus was busy teaching about the Kingdom of God and performing
some miracles. That attracted a lot of attention – and a lot of people
who needed His help.
So Jesus chose twelve men to help Him – the original disciples:
Simon Peter and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his
brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew; James
son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot.
Some of them were faithful and reliable. Others loved Jesus but were
One was a scoundrel.
Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom
we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.
And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we
also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces
perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And
hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love
into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at
just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the
ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a
good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates
his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for
us.