In the last lesson, we saw where Jesus encouraged His disciples to pray for workers to send into the spiritual harvest of souls. A partial answer for that prayer was to deputize twelve of His followers to carry His message and work to their nation. Having demonstrated the authority of faith sufficiently, Jesus specifically empowered and authorized these men to carry that faith throughout Judea and Galilee. They were to avoid any cities controlled by Gentiles or Samaritans. This was not simply Jewish prejudice, but the proper order of Kingdom logic. We note since the Covenant of Moses applies only to that people, in that land, until the revelation of Messiah, they were not to depart the land and the people. While it was certain they would as a nation reject that message, it must be offered to them first. Before that Covenant can be fulfilled, there must be this one last act of grace within that Covenant, so the chosen deputies were sent to them.
It would be easy to lose ourselves in discussing the identities of these Twelve Disciples. Suffice to note here they are mostly pairs from their families, and several are Jesus' cousins. By tradition we feel certain the Sons of Zebedee are, and we are specifically told Matthew's father (variously called Cleopas and Alphaeus) married a younger sister of Jesus' mother. That makes Matthew, James the Less and Lebbaeus Thaddaeus ("Judas the brother of James") all first cousins of Jesus. Some of the others may have been distant relatives, but the evidence is spotty. While there may have been numerous unknown factors involved, we can be certain the primary evidence of their fitness for this privilege is the manifest results seen later. We must note in passing, even Judas the Betrayer was given the powers the rest carried. At any rate, these were granted His authority, sent out in six pairs to the cities of the Jews in Palestine.
Recalling how Jesus at the end of chapter 9 sees the Jewish peasants as the lost sheep of Israel, Jesus sets conditions for this mission consistent with being still under the Law of Moses, fulfilling the substance of its demands. They are going to fellow Jews, who were bound by the Covenant to deal with visiting preachers of the Word. These went specifically in the name of Jesus -- in the vernacular of that place and time, they operated on His behalf, in His interests, doing His work as stewards of a high person. They were to carry out the same sort of activity we have been seeing in His early ministry in Galilee: healing, delivering from demons, even raising the dead. The message was summarized in the same words: "The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand." They were to show the abundant blessings of this message by abundantly exercising His power.
This abundant message should, by rights, produce abundant support of its own. They were among their own nation, and should not need the baggage of foreign travel. This follows in the sandals of the Old Testament prophets who were sent to Judah and Israel. It signaled their responsibility under the Covenant to hear the message, as demonstrated by providing the life support for the messengers. The men were to embrace every household as their own. If that household was unworthy, the Lord would see to it (Yahweh Yireh). Rejection was not their problem, but the people's problem. Indeed, filthy sinners such as Sodom and Gomorrah were in for lighter judgment than any part of Israel rejecting the message of Christ.
Some of this obviously represents long term instructions. They were not to be foolish, but harmless. Know there would be trouble in some places, as there had been for Jesus already, yet avoid making trouble in any other sense. No authority under Moses was equal to the One who fulfilled Moses, so they were not to fear synagogue councils. Nor need they prepare formal responses to accusations before such councils, but trust God to provide the response fitting the moment. His work will always bring His support. Even if this message rips apart blood kin and households, nothing was more important than getting the word before the people. Those who face worldly suffering for Jesus' sake will find death a mere circumstance. However, for so long as it is possible, flee unjust persecution so as to keep the mission going. Moving as fast as they could, the Twelve would hardly finish their canvasing before He arrived to follow up.
It was standard rabbinic practice a disciple should mimic his teacher, though hardly to the ridiculous degree some famous rabbis had taken it. Jesus explained He meant His disciples should expect the same harassment He had received, including accusations of working for Satan. Such lies would eventually be uncovered for what they were. Indeed, there was nothing of this ministry which was cultic and secretive. Their private discussions were not a matter of privileged insider status, but were preparing the ground for broadcasting to all. There was no need to keep secrets because God Almighty was watching over them as valuable servants. Those who lacked the confidence to be bold also lacked any standing before the Messiah, thus, before the Judge of all things.
The very substance of His claims as Messiah would split households, turning close family members against each other. The divide between those inside and those outside the Kingdom would not require keeping secrets, because the division would be a natural result of the truth. This earth would never see peace. Instead, it would be constantly stirred up in turmoil when confronted with the Kingdom's demands. Following Christ meant setting aside every earthly human concern, regardless the cost, in favor of spiritual peace.
Thus, in this preaching mission, those who received men teaching Christ would be receiving Christ Himself, which is the same as receiving Jehovah. It is not necessary everyone become a prophet, nor suddenly achieve righteousness. They can be offered the full reward of prophets and righteousness simply by embracing the message and mission of those who are righteous prophets. So it is with those who accept their message in the coming tour of Jewish cities. Should they so much as offer some small comfort to the needy because of what they understood from the message, they have set their feet on the path of the Kingdom.
Matthew continues showing us how Jesus stood the Jewish society on its head. That's because they had drifted so very far from the truth of God. Without this one last attempt to set things straight, to offer the people of Israel one last chance to finally understand what God had set before them in the Covenant of Moses, the Cross would mean nothing to them. At the same time, it is important to realize in a later commission to these Twelve, the situation is changed, and the needs of the mission would be different. The procedural instructions were unique to this mission, but the underlying principles by which they faced persecution were eternal. The methods were not the mission. The mission was to bring clear and simple truth, obviously at variance with the established teachings, and to increase the number of disciples prepared to accept the calling to spread the Word.
Return to Matthew
Index
[<-- Previous]
[Next -->]
Ed Hurst
22 September 2007
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: People of honor need no copyright laws; they are only too happy to give credit where credit is due. Others will ignore copyright laws whenever they please. If you are of the latter, please note what Moses said about dishonorable behavior -- "be sure your sin will find you out" (Numbers 32:23)