Mt. 9:35 And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
Mk. 6:6b Then He went about the villages in a circuit, teaching.
Note once again that His words are always accompanied by action. What is the Kingdom? The Kingdom is made up of those people who are ruled by God and who are demonstrating His rule in their lives through action.
Mt. 9:36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.
Even though His Messiahship has been officially rejected by the leadership of Israel, the Lord still has compassion for the common people. They want to be loyal to their leaders and follow their counsel, but they have heard the Lord’s teaching and saw His miracles. They are very confused, like lost sheep without a shepherd. The Bible describes it this way: “Who shall go out before them and come in before them, and who shall take them out and bring them in, so that the Lord’s community may not be like sheep that have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17).
Resource: Numbers 27:17
Mt. 9:37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.”
M:Avoth 2:15 says, “The days is short and the work is much, the workmen are indolent, but the reward is much.” The Lord is telling His disciples that after He goes, their work will begin among these lost sheep. Many can still be won over to His teachings and be saved. It will be their job to do it.
Source: M:Avoth 2:15
Mt. 9:38 “Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send laborers into His harvest.”
Mt. 10:1 And when He had called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.
Mk. 6:7 And He called the twelve to Him, and began to send them out two by two, and gave them power over unclean spirits.
Lk. 9:1,2 Then He called His twelve disciples together and gave them power and authority over all demons and to cure diseases. He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
Mt. 10:2 Now 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.
Mt. 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Labbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.
Mt. 10:4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Notice that in this verse His disciples are now referred to as apostles. This is a term that is very much misunderstood in the church today. Many incorrectly try to make this position into one of power and leadership that God never intended. The word “apostle” comes from the Hebrew word shaliach, which simply means “one who is sent.” The person normally was picked from the congregation, and after they had laid hands on him and prayed for him, was sent to accomplish a specific mission. After completing his work he returned back and reported to the congregation about the success of his mission. The one very important thing to remember is that the apostle was responsible to the congregation, not the other way around. There was a very special group of people, which we read about here, who were personally picked by the Lord for a specific purpose. But even then, there were the regular type of apostles operating in the synagogues during this time. They were the public announcers, not spiritual overlords. This function was not ever a part of the leadership of the synagogue or early church. Even the Apostle Paul, when he started a church, was not operating at that time within the function of an apostle.
Mt. 10:5 These twelve Jesus sent out and He commanded them, saying, “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.”
Mt. 10:6 “But go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Mt. 10:7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.’”
Their commission is to go out and proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to the ones that will listen and their words will be confirmed by miracles.
Mt. 10:8 “Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.”
One question that comes up ever so often is: “Was Judas Iscariot ever saved?” This verse here should be plenty of evidence to the affirmative. The Lord sent out the twelve (Judas included), giving them power to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. Three of these, depending on the circumstances, could have been equal to the Messianic Miracles that only Yeshua was supposed to be able to perform. Would Yeshua give this kind of power to an unbeliever? Judas Iscariot evidently did eventually backslide and only the Lord can be the judge of the eternal home of his soul. But, it is clear that at one time Judas was a believer.
Mt. 10:9 “Provide neither gold nor silver nor copper in your money belts.”
Staves, grab bags, purses, and girdles were common travel items of the Jewish people of that day. We see this, for example, in M:Berachoth 9:5 where it says, “No man is to go on the Temple Mount with a staff, his shoes, his purse, girdle, nor yet with dust covered feet. If he comes in from being on a journey, he cannot bring them into the Temple compound.” Yeshua tells His disciples they will have no need for these things. Hospitality was a very important thing within the Jewish culture. A stranger was usually welcomed to a meal and rest at someone’s door if it was requested. The Lord did not want His disciples to be concerned with these issues. They had other very important work to perform.
Source: M:Berachoth 9:5
Mt. 10:10 “Nor bag for your journey; nor two tunics, nor sandals, nor staffs; for a worker is worthy of his food.”
Mk. 6:8 He commanded them to take nothing for the journey except a staff – no bag, no bread, no copper in their money belts –
Lk. 9:3 And He said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, neither staffs nor bag nor bread nor money; and do not have two tunics apiece.”
A minor point, but both Matthew and Luke say that the Lord told the disciples not to take a staff with them, but Mark says to take one. Supposedly Mark is the original Gospel and both Matthew and Luke copied from him, but not in this case.
Mk. 6:9 But to wear sandals, and not to put on two tunics.
Mt. 10:11 “Now whatever city or town you enter, inquire who in it is worthy, and stay there till you go out.”
Mk. 6:10 Also He said to them, “In whatever place you enter a house, stay there until you depart from that place.”
Lk. 9:4 “Whatever house you enter, stay there, and from there depart.”
“Seek out those who are worthy” is in reference to a Pharisaic practice of staying with those who practice tithing. M:Demai 4:6 says, “When a person enters into a city where everybody is a stranger to him, let him inquire, ‘Who is faithful? Who here in this place pays tithes?’”
Source: M:Demai 4:6
Mt. 10:12 “And when you go into a household, greet it.”
Mt. 10:13 “If the household is worthy, let your peace come upon it. But if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.”
Mt. 10:14 “And whosoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake the dust from your feet.”
Mk. 6:11a “And whoever will not receive you nor hear you, when you depart from there, shake off the dust under your feet as a testimony against them.
Lk. 9:5 “And whoever will not receive you, when you go out of that city, shake off the very dust from your feet as a testimony against them.”
Shaking the dust off was a Jewish act of depreciation. Because of something that was said or an act that was committed, a person had become unworthy of a relationship with this individual and he was demonstrating his feelings through this act. It is mentioned, for instance, in T:Makkoth 6:1; BT:Sanhedrin 12a, 15b; M:Tarahoth 54:5; BT:Gittin 8a; M:Oholoth 15:6. M:Avoth 1:4 says, “Yose ben Yoeser said, ‘Let your house be a gathering place for sages, and wallow in the dust of their feet, and drink in their words with gusto.’” We know from Rabbinic writings that the idea of dust referred to teaching. Matthew said shake off the dust from your feet when they would not receive you. Mark said shake if off when they refused to hear you. Luke said to shake it off as a testimony against them. Plainly it is an act that shows that their beliefs are wrong and you want no part of them.
Sources: T:Makkoth 6:1; BT:Sanhedrin 12a, 15b; M:Tarahoth 54:5; BT:Gittin 8a; M:Oholoth 15:6; M:Avoth 1:4
Yeshua’s words seem almost out of character from the way we have been taught to view Him. To paraphrase what He is saying: “When you go to a house and ask for shelter, bless it and all who live there if they accept you and what you teach. If they reject you and your teachings, go on down the road. They are not worth you messing with.” This is actually a sign of judgment against them, for such as these will not enter the Kingdom of God.
Mt. 10:15 “Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.”
Mk. 6:11b Assuredly, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city!”
This simple act can have more serious consequences than we can imagine. Most people are familiar with the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. Because of their sin God simply obliterated them, and archaeologists are finding only a few signs of what they think are left of their cities today. And yet, Yeshua said that it will be more tolerable for them on the Day of Judgment than for those who refuse His teachings.
Mt. 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.”
Mt. 10:17 “But beware of men, for they will deliver you up to councils and scourge you in their synagogues.”
Between the death of Yeshua (ca. 31 C.E.) and the outbreak of the First Jewish Revolt (ca. 66 C.E.), the Jewish authorities and/or the mobs repeatedly persecuted the believers in Yeshua. The High Priest had accused Yeshua of being a political troublemaker by not rendering taxes to Caesar and by claiming to be the King of the Jews. Yeshua warned His disciples that they would be persecuted through arrest and being flogged in the synagogues.
The early church did not immediately leave Judaism, but remained very much apart of it during the first half of the first century, with its leaders closely identified with Jewish affairs. At first, there was no split from the synagogue but the teaching and preaching that Yeshua had risen from the dead and that He was the Messiah was sure to bring conflict, even though His disciples remained faithful to their Jewish roots. The real break came when His believers escaped from Jerusalem just before the city was surrounded by Titus and the Roman armies. They did this in obedience to the Lord’s command, but the other Jews looked upon them as traitors.
Scourging by the synagogue leaders was a part of normal Judaism and was not only expected, but was commonly mentioned in early Rabbinic literature. Each synagogue had its own small, three-man court called the Bet Din, which handed out punishment for certain small crimes. A person called the hazan dealt out the stripes according to the ruling of the court. The maximum number of stripes that could be given was forty, but thirty-nine was the norm in order to keep from going over the forty. The reason for this is that if forty-one stripes was accidently given, when the one that was given the stripes healed, then he was allowed to administer the stripes to the one who gave him too many. This is where we get the saying in the Bible: “forty less one” (Deut. 25:3). M:Makkoth 1:1-3 says that the number of stripes administered had to be divisible by three: one stripe on the person’s chest and two on his back.
Sources: Deut. 25:3; M:Makkoth 1:1-3
Mt. 10:18 “And you will be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.”
Mt. 10:19 But when they deliver y“ou up, do not worry about how or what you should speak. For it will be given to you in that hour, what you should speak.”
Mt. 10:20 “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.”
Mt. 10:21 “Now brother will deliver up brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death.”
Mt. 10:22 “And you will be hated by all men for My name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Mt. 10:23 “But when they persecute you in this city, flee to another. For assuredly, I say to you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.”
Mt. 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master.”
Mt. 10:25 “It is enough for a disciple that he will be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those who are in His household?”
In this verse the Lord tells His disciples that they will be rejected on the same basis that He was — demonic possession. Don’t be surprised by it. Be prepared for it.
Although the position of a Rabbi at this time was not nearly as official as it is today, Rabbis or teachers were still very highly respected. M:Berachoth 3:2 says, “He who says something that he did not hear from his Rabbi causes the Shekhinah to depart from Israel. He that would contradict his Rabbi is he that would contradict the Shekhinah. He that would contradict his Rabbi is he that would contradict God. My son, give more heed to the words of the Rabbis than to the words of the Law. If the son has been made pious through the instrumentality of his teacher, the teacher takes precedence over the father in every place, for both he and his father are bound to honor his teacher.”
Source: M:Berachoth 3:2
Mt. 10:26 “Therefore do not fear them. For there is nothing covered that will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known.”
Mt. 10:27 “Whatever I tell you in the dark, speak in the light; and what you hear in the ear, preach on the housetops.”
This phrase was understood by the Jews who were familiar with the idea of study in the Bet Midrash where teachers would literally speak the message in one’s ear and then the interpreter (meterginim) would shout it out to others, both in class and in public. This verse is clear evidence that nothing Yeshua said was to be considered “secret knowledge” to be known only by a select few. Sects and denominations who practice this violate the very intent of the Bible. Also, this type of practice was one of the basic beliefs of the Gnostics, one of the biggest and first heresies to come into the church. The Mormons still practice this today.
Mt. 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both the body and soul in hell.”
Mt. 10:29 “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will.”
Mt. 10:30 “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.”
Mt. 10:31 “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.”
Mt. 10:32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will confess before My Father who is in Heaven.”
Mt. 10:33 “But whoever denies Me before men, him I will deny before My Father who is in Heaven.”
Mt. 10:34 “Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth.” I did not come to bring peace but a sword.”
Few Christians fully realize the prophetic implications of this verse. That sword Yeshua spoke about would be wielded by the Roman Legions when they invaded the land of Israel. Over one million Jews would be killed and some ninety-seven thousand would be taken captive and sold into slavery. Peace would not come to Israel again until Yeshua returns the second time.
Mt. 10:35 “For I have come ‘to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”
As discussed previously, when Yochanan haMatbil began preaching in the wilderness, he actually had a two-fold purpose. First of all, he was to be the forerunner of the Messiah, announcing His coming (Malachi 3:1). Yochanan accomplished that task very well. But, the second part of the two-fold purpose of his coming is quite different. According to Malachi 3:23, 24, his message was to bring the families of Israel back together so that when the Lord came He would not strike the whole land with utter destruction. This is very probably a reference to the revolt of 70 C.E. It is apparent from this verse in Matthew that Yochanan’s message did not accomplish its intended purpose. Yeshua’s words here are a quote from Micah 7:6 and are the opposite of Malachi 3:24. The same words basically can be found in BT:Sotah 49b and Midrash Rabba - The Song of Songs 11:33.
Sources: Malachi 3:1, 23, 24; Micah 7:6; BT:Sotah 49b; Midrash Rabba - Song of Songs 11:33
Mt. 10:36 “And a man’s foes will be those of his own household.”
Mt. 10:37 “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.”
Mt. 10:38 “And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me.”
Mt. 10:39 “He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.”
Mt. 10:40 “He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me receives the One who sent Me.”
Mt. 10:41 “He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward. and he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward.”
Mt. 10:42 “And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”
Mt. 11:1 Now it came to pass, when Yeshua finished commanding His twelve disciples, that He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Mk. 6:12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
Lk. 9:6 So they departed and went through the towns, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere.
Mk. 6:13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.
Here is the first reference in the Gospels for the anointing with oil to heal the sick, which is a major practice in the Pentecostal churches today.
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