Matthew 10:1-33
1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. 2 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 Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 9 Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, 10 no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. 11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. 16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household. 26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.
Expectations and Rest
In chapter 10 of Matthew’s gospel, Jesus is commissioning the 12 to do a very important work. In the last verses of chapter 9, Jesus is going to every city proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing all who were sick and afflicted. He then lays out the problem to the disciples. There is more harvest than laborers, and in light of that, there should be prayer for more workers to send into the harvest.
Matthew 9:37–38 “37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.””
Jesus then calls the 12, including Judas, and deputizes them. He imparts to them the ability to heal the sick and cast out demons, proclaim peace to a house or walk away, and raise the dead. They need not take anything, because everything they needed would be provided for them on the journey.
Definition of a Great Day
Matthew 10:1 “1 And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.”
Matthew 10:11–15 “11 And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. 12 As you enter the house, greet it. 13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. 15 Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”
We all wake up in the morning with the idea of what a great day should look like. You have an idea of what a great year should look like. When we finish up a day that has gone according to our expectations, we can be at rest.
Expectations: I have all the power and authority to complete the task I have been given. I have the power and authority to leave those who do not accept me with the confidence they will be punished and I will be rewarded.
The majority of our stress does not come from our amount of work but our expectations concerning that work. Expectations of pace, people, circumstances, and results will determine if you can be at peace.
Now the Rest of the Story
Matthew 10:16–25 “16 “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues, 18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles. 19 When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. 20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you. 21 Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death, 22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes. 24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If they have called the master Beelzebul, how much more will they malign those of his household.
As great as the first 15 verses of chapter 10 are, Jesus would not send the twelve out with unrealistic expectations. Why would he send them out armed with a pipe dream only to be devastated by reality? They indeed had all the power and authority they would need, and yes they could and would proclaim peace or withhold it, but they too would experience extreme difficulty, and Jesus would not have them be naive about it.
The modern church seems to be content with anxious members who have been given half the story living life unprepared for the rest of it. Jesus gave power but also managed expectations. None of his disciples would be ignorant of what they were facing. There were no “Best Life Now” speeches, or that certain afflictions never come to a person with faith. Jesus presented a Gospel that included raising the dead and being thrown into jail.
Accurate expectations can result in a peaceful heart. A peaceful heart is different than a heart without stress, and the church would do well to not get the two confused. Jesus sent the 12 out to labor in the harvest. With the correct expectations, they would be able to apply faith and the power they were given and declare peace even under stress. Without the correct expectations, we find ourselves under stress with no peace to give.
Ultimate Source
Matthew 10:26–33 “26 “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. 28 And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But even the hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. 32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven, 33 but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.”
Jesus teaches the disciples that the difference between peace and fear is who possesses the ultimate authority.
This means that even in the midst of persecution we can know that God is in control and he is aware of everything that is impacting us and provides the strength for that season. We then are not looking for a perfect day but to the perfect savior. My hope is not based on my circumstances or perfect expectations but on him who cares for me and equips me, the one who will bear the burden with me.