Matthew 10

Twelve called and given power 1
Twelve sent out to Israel only 5
Persecution coming but they were not to fear 16
They may kill the body but not the soul 26
Confessing Christ or denying him 32
Accepting Christ brings division 34
Receiving Christ; giving water to little ones 40
Text
Comments
.1 ¶ And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
 2  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The 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 publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
.4  Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
  1 - Called ... twelve disciples Compare jos0404.
.5 ¶ These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
 6  But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
 7  And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
.8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
.9  Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
.10  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
.11  And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
 12  And when ye come into an house, salute it.
 13  And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
.14  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
 15  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
  5 - Twelve ... not ... Gentiles The disciples had been with Jesus on His Galilean tour and had learned how He worked. Now they were sent out on their own. Why avoid Gentile communities? The prejudiced disciples weren't ready to consider them worthy. After Jesus' ascension Peter learned to accept Gentiles acts10. Jesus helped them when dealing with the Phoenician woman mt1521. A probation of 70 weeks of years had been granted to the Jews da0924-27. Sadly they, as a nation, rejected their Messiah but needed a full chance.
  8 - Cast out devils See on mr0508.
  10 - Scrip A purse or bag carried by travelers.
  10 - Neither shoes They were apparently not forbidden to to wear shoes (sandals) but to not take an extra pair. Notice "two coats" and "staves" (plural for "staff").
  11 - Worthy They were to seek someone greatly appreciated by the people of the town. They could share the good news with this man or family and it would be respected by others.
  14 - Shake off the dust This was not to be an act of displeasure for not being well received. If the disciples had been invited in, their host would have washed their feet. The message was, You have rejected the good news about eternal peace. The act would have been done in solemn regret. Jesus would not have given this command if it would not have been understood by the people. It is not something we should practice unless we are sure it would be understood as an act of love.
.16 ¶ Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
.17  But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
 18  And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
 19  But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
 20  For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
.21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
.22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
.23  But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
.24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
.25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
   16 - Sheep Jesus knew that the disciples and we would tend to get these things backwards.
   19 - Take no thought Don't worry about it. This is not an excuse to neglect Bible study.
  23 - Not ... all the cities of Israel Christ has not yet come in glory to take us to His Father's home jn1401. The term "Israel" was not used in Jesus' time to describe a political territory but for people mt0810, lu0234, jn0310, ac0222. And today we are spiritual Israel ro0228, ga0328.
.26  Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
.27  What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
.28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
.29  Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
.30  But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
 31  Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
  26 - Fear them not These are those who persecute, v23. Covering sin does not release the sinner from responsibility and judgment.
  27 - Darkness ... light Jesus shared concepts with the small group of disciples who would tell many others. Consider this statement in relation to the previous verse.
  28 - But rather fear What did Jesus mean and who kills the soul? See the note below: Also compare 1co0613.
  29 - Sparrows What a loving heavenly Father we have! Also ge0908ff, nu2230ff.
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.32  Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
.33  But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
  32 - Confess me "Confession is a demonstration of faith, (1) by public acknowledgment, and (2) by an obedient life. A verbal acknowledgment of Christ is not enough if the life is a denial, for then it shows that the acknowledgment was a lie. The two must correspond." (People's New Testament Commentary). Christ stands before the father as our intercessor. Because He lived and died in our place, our sins may be forgiven and we may have strength to live for His glory.
.34  Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35  For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
.36  And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
 37  He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
 38  And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
.39  He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
  34 - Think not ... peace But at the birth of Christ, the angels sang "Peace on earth. . . ." lu0213,14.
  36 - Foes ... own household Pictured by the scorpions of re0910.
  37 - Loveth ... more than me Honor to parents is required by the fifth commandment ex2012. This is not in conflict with supreme love for God mt2236,7. Parents may not take precedence.
  38 - Taketh not his cross This qualification for being a true Christian is more serious than we normally think Compare lu0923.
  39 - Findeth his life Owning the whole world is nothing in comparison to knowing Christ by the path of humility mt1626.
.40  He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
 41  He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
.42  And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
  40 - Receiveth you ... me Jesus helps us see that  treating the least of His brothers would be considered as done to Him mt2540.

Note on verse 28
 
28  And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Here's what we know from the verse:
The persecutors who kill the body can't kill the soul. This must have been a great comfort to those who were persecuted during the dark ages by the church that claimed authority over both.
The soul can be killed. It is not immortal ez1804, 1ti0616, unless granted that condition at the coming of Christ 1co1551. And what does the righteous soul do in the meantime? Sleep.
The word, soul (Gr. psuche) has several meanings. Considering the context here, it may best be seen as "person," ge0207, or a person who may have eternal salvation ja0520.
"Hell" is here geenna, from the place of burning trash outside Jerusalem. Jesus was speaking in symbols referring to the place of punishment for the wicked. Tradition from Greek mythology describes burning in the middle of the earth. The Bible, however, pictures it outside the New Jerusalem at the end of the thousand years re2009b.
The fire, in the verse linked immediately above, comes down from God out of heaven. He is the one who is able to destroy both soul and body. This is the second death from which there is no resurrection. It is not God's wish for us. For a page of links to discussions on what happens at death, click.
See photo with mr0945.
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