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Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
1He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to
drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
2These 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; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the
tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the
Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
Explanation: PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM (10:1-42)
Matthew explains the ethics of the kingdom (Mt 5-7), relationships
in the kingdom (13), and the presence (13) and future (23-25) of
the kingdom; but he does so to disciples whom he expects to further
propagate the message of the kingdom (10). Just as Jesus carries
on John's message (3:2; 4:17), so will his disciples carry on his
(10:7; 28:19). His followers must carry on his mission of healing
(9:35) because the laborers are so few (9:37). Matthew records the
words of Jesus in this chapter, like those in the Sermon on the
Mount, not for merely historical interest but to encourage fellow
disciples in the period between the first and second comings of
Jesus.
Jesus Commissions His Agents (10:1-4)
This passage carries on the narrative introduction to Jesus' mission
discourse that began in 9:35. It describes the disciples he commissioned.Authorizing
Others to Heal (10:1)
The number of disciples signifies a mission to Israel. In Jewish
texts from Jesus' day, twelve often symbolized the twelve tribes
of Israel. Although Jesus had many disciples, he apparently selected
a core group of twelve (as in Mk 3:16; 1 Cor 15:5) to make a statement
similar to that of the Qumran community with its twelve officers
(F. Bruce 1969:75; E. Sanders 1985:104): Jesus' disciples were the
leaders of the true remnant of God's people (Mt 19:28). Thus many
scholars point out that the church built on this foundation of the
twelve leaders of Israel's remnant represents the true heir of God's
ancient promises.
The text explicitly tells us that Jesus was interested not only
in proclaiming the kingdom but also in demonstrating it. In the
Bible, God worked miracles most often in times of revival, times
when he had raised up servants committed to his cause and full of
faith. Often these servants trained others. Elijah trained Elisha
and also apparently led a revival of wilderness prophets (see 2
Kings 2:3-18); Samuel also was training a prophetic movement that
had not existed when God first began calling him (1 Sam 3:1; 19:20-24).
We should be praying for a revival of laborers for the harvest today
(Mt 9:38).
Both Jesus' proclamation and practical acts of compassion go beyond
what many Christians call ministry today. Our communities are ravaged
by demonic forces, violence, injustice and all kinds of human pain,
while the church often remains irrelevant except to the few who
venture through our doors. To follow Jesus' model of ministry, more
Christians must stop simply going to church and learn rather to
become the church among our communities in evangelism and ministry
to social needs. (If we do not know where to begin on the latter,
staff with local social services organizations may be more than
happy to provide advice.)
The First Missionaries (10:2-4)
For effectiveness in reaching Israel, Jesus naturally limited his
disciples to free male Jews; perhaps due to the pool of available
disciples, he also seems to have selected mainly Galileans. We know
the occupations of roughly half of his disciples; of these, all
were middle-income professions in which less than 10 percent of
Jewish Palestine's population engaged (fishermen and tax gatherers),
perhaps to give emphasis to socially prominent individuals who were
nevertheless unassociated with any religious or social elite. Notably,
Jesus did not invite any who were already religious professionals-hence
already schooled in particular ideas-into his inner circle.
Despite these common features of the disciples, however, the list
indicates some diversity. To include a tax collector (who was backed
by the elite, v. 3) and possibly a revolutionary (v. 4) in the same
band of disciples was noteworthy. Any of us who struggle with whether
we are adequate to carry out God's purposes in the world should
recall that the first ambassadors Jesus called were wholly inadequate.
God uses especially those who will recognize their own inadequacy,
for those who suppose their own ability adequate for God's call
usually end up depending on it instead of on him.
5-15
5These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do
not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6Go
rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7As you go, preach this message:
'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8Heal the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have
received, freely give. 9Do not take along any gold or silver or
copper in your belts; 10take 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. 12As you enter
the home, give it your greeting. 13If the home is deserving, let
your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
14If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake
the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town. 15I tell
you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on
the day of judgment than for that town.
Explanation: The Mission of Jesus' Agents (10:5-15)
Jesus' instructions here show that the disciples would carry on
most aspects of his mission (9:35-38). Even if one started from
skeptical grounds, there is good evidence to suggest a historical
basis for the account of Jesus' sending his disciples. Teachers
could train disciples in part by giving them practice, and that
Jesus did so best explains the disciples' rapid imitation of his
miraculous ministry in the years immediately following the resurrection
(compare 2 Cor 12:12). Yet Matthew provides these instructions not
merely as a matter of historical interest-had his interest been
merely historical he would not have rearranged the material in this
section so thoroughly to be relevant to his readers-but as a living
message to his own audience.
Thus he includes some of Jesus' teachings not strictly relevant
to the first mission but which his audience would recognize as particularly
relevant in their own day, including prosecution in synagogue and
pagan courts (10:17-18; see F. Bruce 1972a:68; Morosco 1979; pace
Schweitzer 1968:361). Likewise Matthew 11:1, unlike Mark, does not
actually report the disciples' mission, because for Matthew the
mission must continue in his own generation. Summoning his audience
to greater commitment to the Gentile mission, he provides instructions
for those who would go forth to evangelize, and in more general
ways for the churches that send them.Jesus Sends His Disciples (10:5)
When Jesus sent out his disciples, he literally "apostled"
them. Thus he provides a relevant model for his appointed agents
in subsequent generations (whether they are "apostles"
in the narrower sense or not). The language used here for "sending"
probably connotes commissioning agents with delegated authority.
Ancient Israelite circles also used formal agents or messengers
(as in Prov 10:26; 13:17; 26:6); agency eventually became a legal
custom so pervasive that both Roman and Jewish law recognized the
use of agents, or intermediary marriage brokers, in betrothals (Cohen
1966:295-96).Agents did not always have high legal status; some
were even slaves. Yet they carried delegated authority, acting on
the authority of the one who sent them. Thus later teachers commonly
remarked that a person's agent is "equivalent to the person
himself" (t. Ta`anit 3:2; m. Berakot 5:5). How one treats Jesus'
messengers or heralds therefore represents how one treats Jesus
himself (Mt 10:40-42).
Because the agent had to be trustworthy to carry out his mission,
teachers sometimes debated the character the pious should require
of such agents (m. Demai 4:5; t. Demai 2:20). This also implies,
of course, that an agent's authority was entirely limited to the
scope of his commission and the faithfulness with which he carried
it out. The fact that Jesus authorizes us to do acts of compassion
in his name (Mt 9:36) does not authorize us to use his power to
get whatever we want (4:3).
Jesus' agents were not like just any legal agents: in biblical history,
God's agents were the prophets. The connections in this text between
Jesus' commissioned messengers and prophets should not be overlooked
(10:41; compare Boring 1982:89).
To Israel Alone (10:5-6)
This limitation fits the historic priority of Israel in salvation
history (compare Rom 1:16; 2:9-10; 15:8-9), was practical (these
disciples were not yet equipped to cross cultural boundaries) and
would have undoubtedly not been objectionable to the first disciples
themselves (compare Acts 10:28). Jesus did see a future hope for
the Gentiles in the Scriptures (see comment on 8:11-12), but he
limited his own mission primarily to Israel. In this text, however,
Jesus' orders may address geography more than ethnicity (NIV mistranslates
"way of Gentiles" as among the Gentiles); Jesus merely
prohibits taking any of the roads leading to Hellenistic cities
in Palestine (Manson 1979:179). Since Samaria and Gentile territories
surrounded Galilee, Jesus' orders de facto limited his disciples'
mission geographically, restricting their activity to Galilee (see
Gundry 1982:185).
In contrast to other commandments in this chapter, however, Matthew
indicates that Jesus later revokes this limitation (24:14; 28:19-20),
specifically clarifying that this one command was a temporary measure
during his earthly ministry. Indeed, by highlighting that the gospel's
first recipients are Jewish, hence that even Jewish people may reject
the kingdom and be treated as Gentiles (10:14-15), this limitation
implies a supraethnic view of the kingdom that ultimately necessitates
the Gentile mission.
Good News About God's Impending Kingdom (10:7)
That this good news about the kingdom remains the church's message
(Acts 8:12; 20:24-25; 28:31) is clear not only from the fact that
Matthew nowhere revokes it but also from the roughly parallel formulation
in his Gospel's conclusion: as you go (not the imperative go as
in the NIV rendering of 28:19) is a participle in both instances
(10:7 and 28:19). We proclaim Jesus' Lordship: he has all authority
in the universe (28:18; Dan 7:13-14) and appears alongside the Father
and the Spirit (28:19). To make disciples for this King is to proclaim
the good news that God's future reign is already active in this
age (compare 28:20).
Signs Bring Attention to the Message (10:8)
"The disciples' mission (vv. 7-8) replicates and extends the
mission of Jesus in preaching the coming of God's kingdom and in
healing the sick (see 4:23)" (Harrington 1982:45). Matthew
emphasizes the continuity between Jesus' mission and that of the
disciples precisely because the model of ministry God had exemplified
in Jesus remains important for Jesus' followers (see more fully
Wimber with Spring 1986:113-15; Keener 1996:85-89).
Insofar as possible, we should learn to demonstrate Jesus' rule
the way Jesus did. Although hardhearted people may never be satisfied
with signs (15:37-16:1; compare Jn 11:47-48; 12:10-11; Acts 4:16-17),
signs can draw other people's attention to the gospel (Mt 11:3-6,
21, 23; see also Jn 2:11; Acts 4:29-30; 9:35, 42). If such ministry
is more difficult in our rationalistic culture, it may be for that
reason all the more important. Yet some parts of today's church
that are open to miracles unfortunately have missed another part
of Jesus' teaching on faith and mission: God's messengers must live
simply (10:8-12).
Jesus' Agents Live Simply (10:8-10)
Cynic philosophers and many peasants had only one cloak. More relevant
here, some Palestinian Jews known as Essenes showed their devotion
to God by a simple lifestyle, especially those who lived in the
wilderness (1QS 1.11-13; 6.22-23; Jos. Ant. 18.20; War 2.122). Josephus
also indicates that Essenes did not take provisions when they traveled;
they expected hospitality from fellow Essenes in every city (War
2.124-25).
Yet perhaps most relevant is the model of Israel's ancient prophets
in times of national apostasy (for example, 1 Kings 18:13). One
may recall Elisha's unwillingness to accept Naaman's gifts, preferring
to allow the Aramean God-fearer to remain wholly indebted to Israel's
God; his servant Gehazi, however, determined to profit from Naaman
and suffered for it (2 Kings 5:20-27). Elisha reminded Gehazi that
the current time of spiritual crisis rendered the acquisition of
material possessions a vain pursuit (2 Kings 5:26). In contrast
to Elisha, many Western Christians waste their income on worldly
pursuits rather than committing all their resources to the kingdom.
On long trips, one typically brought both a change of clothes and
money in a bag tied to one's belt or fastened around one's neck
(Stambaugh and Balch 1986:38); Jesus here forbids the normal basic
apparatus for travel. By prohibiting a bag (Mt 10:10; Mk 6:8) Jesus
forbids begging, the survival method of the otherwise almost equally
simple Cynics (Meeks 1986:107). Mark allows at least staff (for
self-protection) and sandals, but Matthew's demand for simplicity
is still more radical, prohibiting even these. This is not a matter
of asceticism but of priorities, as in 6:19-34. These prohibitions
would distinguish the disciples from other kinds of wandering preachers
(like the Cynics in the Greek world) "whose questionable reputation
they did not want to share" (Liefeld 1967:260; see also p.
247).
Paul's examples of apostleship in 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 and 2 Cor
4:8-12; 6:3-10; 11:24-33 (presented like philosophers' lists of
sufferings) show the demands of a true apostolic call. Another early
church document warns that if a prophet wants to stay more than
three days or asks for money, he is a false prophet (Did. 11:5;
compare 2 Cor 11:7-15); Matthew may have even had such false teachers
in mind as he dictated this warning (Gundry 1982:186).
Although Christ does not send all Christians the same way he sent
these disciples, their obedience to their calling challenges us
to consider what we can sacrifice for the work of God's kingdom.
Missionaries today will not all follow these specifications exactly
(just as Mark apparently toned down Q's instructions for his own
community); hospitality is not as dependable in most cultures as
it was in first-century Jewish Palestine. Nevertheless, the message
of this text summons us to radically value our mission above all
possessions and to live as simply as necessary to devote our resources
to evangelism.
Those who strive to "witness" to their neighbors by demonstrating
that Christ can "bless" them with abundant possessions
may unwittingly witness for a false gospel, reinforcing the same
materialistic goals that drive many young men in ghettos to sell
drugs and many politicians to sell their souls. Non-Christians often
have the spiritual sense to recognize what much of the church ignores:
tacking Jesus' name onto worldly values does not sanctify those
values, it just profanes Jesus' name.
God Supplies for the Mission (10:10-11)
The disciples can travel light because they trust God to supply
their needs where they minister. Ancient Mediterranean peoples,
especially Jewish people, emphasized hospitality (as in Cicero De
Officiis 2.18.64; Ps-Phocyl. 24; Test. Job 10:1-4). Because strangers
could abuse this system, however, Jewish people outside Palestine
depended heavily on letters of recommendation showing that the traveler
was of good reputation. Jesus' messengers had better backing than
a letter of recommendation, however; the authority of Jesus himself
stood behind them (10:40-42; compare 2 Cor 3:1-6).
Responsibility and the Message (10:12-15)
The hearers would be judged by whether they embraced Christ's messengers.
The missionaries were to use one home as their base of operations
for evangelizing the community (10:11-12; compare Mk 6:10; Lk 10:7).
They would find the home first by inquiring regarding who might
hear their message (Mt 10:11), then by finding out if the household
welcomed them to stay there (vv. 12-13). Greetings constituted an
essential aspect of social etiquette in Mediterranean antiquity,
and social convention dictated particular rules for how to greet
persons of varying rank (23:7). But Jewish people also viewed their
greetings as "wish-prayers": Shalom (salom), "peace,"
meant "May it be well with you." Just as a curse undeserved
will not take effect (Prov 26:2), Jesus declares that the disciples'
blessings will be efficacious only if they prove appropriate.
Those who received the agents of Christ ultimately received Christ
himself (Mt 10:40-41), even if the only hospitality they had available
to offer was a cup of water (v. 42). But those who rejected Christ's
agents were to be treated like spiritual pagans (v. 14). Just as
Jewish people returning to the Holy Land might shake the dust of
Gentile lands from their feet, so Jesus' disciples were to treat
those who rejected their message as unholy (Acts 13:51). God would
treat these nations not merely like Gentiles in general, but worse
than Sodom and Gomorrah (Mt 10:15), for they were rejecting a greater
opportunity for repentance than Sodom had (11:23-24).
16-23
16I 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. 18On my account you will be brought before
governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19But
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, 20for 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.
22All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to
the end will be saved. 23When 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.
Explanation: Persecution Is Promised (10:16-23)
Matthew's inclusion of material concerning persecution (compare
Mk 13:9-13) in his discourse on the kingdom mission indicates his
view that persecution and proclamation are inseparable (see likewise
Acts or Paul's letters, such as Paul's defense of his apostleship
in 2 Cor 11:23-33). True ministry involves suffering, especially
if it is a frontline ministry to nonbelievers; I have been beaten
and threatened more than once for ministry on the streets. Yet as
Jesus reminds us in the next section, the worst our opponents can
do to us is kill us, and we will die anyway with or without their
persecution (Mt 10:24-33). Because persecution is a guarantee for
a true disciple (2 Tim 3:12), we may question the strength of our
witness if we are not experiencing any (compare, for example, Mt
5:11-12; Acts 5:41; 14:22; Gal 5:11; 1 Thess 3:3; Rev 1:9-though
these are most applicable where the gospel seriously violates long-standing
cultural traditions).Opposition and Empowerment (10:16-20)
Jesus sends his disciples (v. 16), persecution becomes an opportunity
for testimony (v. 18), and the Spirit of prophecy will provide the
words (v. 20). Once the church faced persecution but possessed Jesus'
power; now the church possesses more of the world's power but less
of Jesus (compare Thurman 1981:11-12).
Jesus' Followers Are Powerless in Their Own Strength (10:16)
Sheep, like Israel of old (v. 6; compare 9:36), were defenseless
against such predators as wolves (Sirach 13:17). Christians should
therefore avoid unnecessarily provoking their opponents (shrewd)
while remaining "guileless" (NIV innocent).Physical Suffering
and Shame for Jesus' Sake (10:17)
The hostility of synagogue officials (compare Jn 16:2) would extend
as far as scourging (Mt 10:17; 23:34), recalling the more deadly
scourging that the Lord himself would undergo (27:26). Local councils
probably consisted of town elders, with special privileges for local
priests. Synagogue scourgings probably resembled in some respects
the custom we know from later sources: a strap of calf leather with
interwoven thongs, brought against the condemned person's back twenty-six
times and the breast thirteen times (m. Makkot 3:10-12).
God Will Empower the Disciples to Speak Before Rulers (10:18-20)
That this passage speaks of Roman governors in the plural (Judea
had only one governor) indicates that Matthew again points beyond
the immediate mission of the Twelve to the continuing mission of
the church among the nations (28:19). God allows these hearings
precisely for a testimony (compare Mk 13:10-11), and God will empower
the disciples by the Holy Spirit of prophecy (compare Rev 19:10;
see Keener 1997). Thus despite the ancient aristocracy's valuing
of rhetorical skills, disciples need not be anxious about what they
will say (see also Lk 12:11-12; 21:13-15; Jn 16:1-11).
Divided Families (10:21-22)
! Jesus promises opposition so severe that it will divide even families.
The hatred of all (v. 22; Mk 13:12; compare "all nations,"
Mt 24:9) on account of Jesus' name (5:11-12; Jn 15:19-21) will extend
even to those in closest relation to us. The gospel is offensive
to those who reject its demands or whose culture or tradition it
challenges. Although Judaism considered betrayal to Gentiles a heinous
act (m. Terumot 8:12), even family members would now betray one
another to death (Mt 10:21; compare 10:35; 24:9; Mk 13:9, 12; Lk
21:12, 16). In a culture dominated by honor and shame, in which
the opinion of family members was paramount, such a threat demanded
an incomparably high allegiance to Christ (Mt 10:37-39).Opposition
Within Israel (10:23)
Even in Jewish Palestine, persecution would be so intense that disciples
would have no secure refuge until Jesus' return. Persecution would
cause disciples to flee (compare 2:13; Acts 14:5-6; 17:14) from
one city to another (Mt 10:23; 23:34); this persecution in Israel
would not subside fully until the Son of Man's return. Their missionary
task and its attendant persecution would not be completed until
Jesus' return (KG mmel 1957:61-62); in the end, however, Israel
would repent (Mt 23:39), just as the prophets had spoken (for example,
Deut 4:30; Jer 31:33; Ezek 37:23; Hos 2:14-23; 11:5-11; 14:1-7;
Mal 4:6).
24-33
24"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above
his master. 25It is enough for the student to be like his teacher,
and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been
called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
26"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed
that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known.
27What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered
in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28Do 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 hell. 29Are not two
sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the
ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs
of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth
more than many sparrows.
32"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge
him before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever disowns me before
men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
Explanation: Encouragement for the Persecuted (10:24-33)
Too often we try to encourage people by hoping that sufferings will
not come. Jesus instead warned us to get ready: evangelism is so
important that we must be prepared to give our lives for it.
Like Master, like Disciple (10:24-25)
Since a disciple was expected to be like a servant, since a disciple
could not be greater than the Master and since servants were considered
part of the household, whatever accusers could call the head of
the household, they would call the servants even more.
Preach Boldly (10:26-27)
In view of the impending end-time vindication (Mt 11:19), Jesus'
followers should preach boldly, fearing no shame from their peers
in this world. Because the flat housetops above the streets (24:17)
provided easier hearing than the streets themselves, "shouting
from the housetops" (10:27) underlines the boldness with which
disciples must make God's message known.
Fear God Alone (10:28)
Because God is judge in the end, we should not fear even persecutors
who threaten death (vv. 26, 28). Mortals can destroy only one's
body, while God can resurrect the body for damnation and destroy
the whole person (with eternal torture; compare 3:12; 25:46). The
choice is not between courage and fear but has to do with whom we
will fear more (Minear 1950:169). Jesus may here recall the Jewish
martyr tradition, which exhorted its followers not to fear those
who think they can kill, because eternal suffering awaits the soul
that disobeys God's command (4 Macc 13:14-15).
God's Care (10:29-31)
Jesus assures his disciples that they can trust God's sovereignty
in their protection or their death. Sparrows were the cheapest commodity
sold in the markets (as food for the poor); an assarion was a small
coin (one-sixteenth of a denarius, thus equivalent to less than
an hour's wage; compare 5:26; Wheaton 1982:792). Yet as worthless
as sparrows were to people, God watched over them. Jewish teachers
agreed that God was sovereign over each bird's fate (Pes. Rab Kah.
11:16; Gen. Rab. 79:6; Eccl. Rab. 10:8, 1). "How much more"
(following a standard line of Jewish reasoning) may we therefore
be assured that nothing happens to us when God is "not looking"
(Ps 121:4; compare 1 Kings 18:27-29). This teaching fits the biblical
perspective of a God sovereign over history, who knows every hair
on our heads (compare Acts 27:34; 1 Sam 14:45; 2 Sam 14:11; 1 Kings
1:52).
If we faithfully confess Jesus in our witness to others, including
before earthly tribunals (Mt 10:17-20), he will also faithfully
confess us before God's tribunal, justifying us before him (compare
12:36-37; Jn 12:42; 1 Tim 6:12-13; Rev 3:5). He will also deny those
who deny or are ashamed to testify boldly of him (Mt 10:32-33; Mk
8:38; 2 Tim 2:12); we may all be grateful for his mercy on the repentant
(Mt 26:34). Jewish people often spoke of "confessing,"
that is, proclaiming, God; Jesus thus probably calls for a confession
of faith in himself here equivalent to confession of faith in God.
34-42
34"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth.
I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35For I have come to
turn
" 'a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
37"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not
worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me
is not worthy of me; 38and anyone who does not take his cross and
follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life will lose
it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
40"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me
receives the one who sent me. 41Anyone who receives a prophet because
he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who
receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive
a righteous man's reward. 42And if anyone gives even a cup of cold
water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell
you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Explanation: Jesus Matters More Than Anything (10:34-39)
The demands of the kingdom are so offensive to a world already convinced
of its rightness that they provoke that world's hostility.
Opposition from Unconverted Family Members
(10:34-37)
Although Jesus values families (5:27-32; 15:4-6; 19:4-9), the division
his mission brings is particularly evident in families (compare
10:21; 1 Cor 7:16; of course more people prefer to quote Acts 16:31).
Jesus' example demonstrates how this division is accomplished: although
we are "harmless" (Mt 10:16; 12:19-20), God's agents proclaim
the kingdom uncompromisingly and thus face hostility from others
(13:57). Jesus' mission separates us from the values of our society,
and society responds with persecution. Jesus selects these specific
examples of in-laws (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law) because
young couples generally lived with the man's familyJesus matters
more than the approval or even the civility of our family (10:37).
Many viewed honoring one's parents as the highest social obligation
(Ep. Arist. 228; Jos. Apion 2.206; Ps-Phocyl. 8); for many, God
alone was worthy of greater honor (Deut 13:6; 33:9; 2 Macc 7:22-23).
Love Jesus More Than Life (10:38-39)
We must love Jesus not only more than our families but more than
our own lives. For all our talk about low self-esteem these days
(and most of us do view ourselves as less than what God has called
us to be), the vast majority of people still cling desperately to
life (compare Eph 5:29; Epict. Disc. 2.22.15-16). But the moment
we become Christ's followers, our own lives and wills become forfeit;
we die with Christ to sin (that is, to the right to make selfish
choices; Rom 6:3-4) and choose a path that could lead any day to
our execution for Christ's name (Mt 16:24). Although we may speak
glibly today of "our cross" as the need to put up with
Aunt Molly or a leaky roof, "taking up the cross" in Jesus'
day meant being forced to bear the instrument of one's execution
past a jeering mob to the site of one's imminent death as a condemned
criminal (see Hengel 1977).
The promise of eternal life should be sufficient motivation for
any who genuinely believe Jesus' claims-it doesn't take a math major
to recognize that the greatest mortal longevity pales in comparison
with eternity-but we sometimes prove less committed than we suppose
(26:41). That even the first disciples were not initially prepared
for such a demand (26:56) does not mitigate the level of commitment
our Lord seeks from us: if we want to be followers of Jesus, we
must be ready to die. If I value my life in this world more than
I value Jesus and the life of the next world, I cannot be his disciple.
Embracing Christ's Agents (10:40-42)
The person who relinquishes the right to his or her own life (10:38-39)
becomes a representative of Jesus (10:40-42; compare 18:5; Mk 9:37;
Lk 10:16; Jn 13:20), and one must receive a herald or ambassador
in the same way one would receive the one who sent him (for the
principle applied to an apostle, compare 2 Cor 5:20-6:2, 11-13;
7:2-4). Some in Jesus' day seem to have advocated receiving the
sages as God's representatives, but for Jesus it was those who became
like children-the epitome of dependence and powerlessness in antiquity-who
were his representatives (Mt 10:42; 11:25; 18:5-6).
As people treat God's prophet, so they treat the God who sent the
prophet (1 Sam 8:7). Matthew repeatedly emphasizes that disciples
as Jesus' agents are his righteous ones and prophets, even greater
than the prophets of old (Mt 5:11-12; 11:9; 13:17). Disciples were
also little ones (10:42), the easily oppressed and powerless who
could not or would not defend themselves, hence depended solely
on God (18:3-6, 10; compare Mk 9:37; 10:14-15).Receiving Jesus'
representatives with a cup of cold water (Mt 10:42; Mk 9:41) probably
refers to accepting into one's home missionaries who have abandoned
their own homes and security to bring Christ's message (Mt 10:11;
see also 25:35-40). A cup of cold water might have been all that
a peasant could offer, but hospitality given in faith to a prophet
who requested it would be rewarded (compare 1 Kings 17:12-16; 2
Kings 4:8-17).
The following narrative may illustrate the point twice: some would
not receive a prophet who came in a prophet's name (Mt 11:7-19;
compare 10:41); John the Baptist himself had to continue to receive
Jesus, to embrace his identity in the midst of challenges to his
faith (11:3-6).
