“According
to Matthew”
A study of the Gospel of
Matthew
In Chapter Ten we move into a new
section in the gospel according to Matthew. Let us us do a brief
recap. Matthew’s concern is to present Christ as King and outline
the way we should live as citizens of the His Kingdom.
- We have seen the strange circumstances of His origins.
- We have seen the strange nature of His Kingship – His self-emptying.
- We have heard His Kingdom manifesto in the Sermon on the Mount and seen case-studies of how that teaching was to be expressed.
Then in chapter eight through chapter
ten came a section that dealt with the ‘exousia’, His authority.
(An authority based upon the total freedom that ‘oozed’ out of
His life).
That authority was demonstrated
through;
- Healing sickness
- Stilling a storm
- Casting out demons
- Forgiving sins
- Bringing life to one who had died.
In the midst of all of this there has
been a reoccurring theme that to be a disciple meant total commitment
to the values of His Kingdom. We have also seen how the opposition to
Jesus is increasing.
Up until now it has been Jesus teaching
everything and doing everything. It has been His work and His
authority. In Chapter Ten we see Jesus sharing the authority of His
kingdom work with His disciples. But first He puts the team together.
NAS
Matthew
10:1 And having summoned His twelve disciples, He gave them authority
over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of
disease and every kind of sickness. 2
Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who
is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son
of
Zebedee, and John his brother; 3
Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax-gatherer; James
the son
of
Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;4
Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him. (Mat
10:1-4 NAS)
If we take a look at other Gospels,
such as Luke, we notice different names than we have here. There are
a number of lists of apostles. Some suggest that this can be
explained simply by the fact that the disciples were known by more
than one name. For example we know that Simon became Peter. The text
tells us that much.
A possible explanation is that there
were actually more than twelve apostles, but Matthew is using the
number ‘12’ in a figurative sense to show the continuity between
the twelve tribes of the Old Testament and the twelve apostles of the
New Community in Christ. Furthermore there seems to be a conscious
pairing up of the disciples, stressing the fact that He sent them out
‘two-by-two’ in their missionary endeavors. You will notice also
that some of the most formative thinkers who shaped Christianity, in
particular Saul who became known as Paul, are not among this list.
Obviously that couldn’t be so, as his encounter is with the Risen
Christ, but nevertheless we know him as the ‘Apostle’ Paul and
consider his experience as genuine as that of those listed here.
There is also the strange pairing at
the end of the list of ‘Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, the
one who betrayed Him’. One can only imagine the conversations that
could take place between a revolutionary freedom fighter and the
rather conservative and critical treasurer of the community coffers
that Judas was to become.
All of which goes to stress that from
it’s inception Christianity has brought together communities of
people who were so radically different from one another that their
only source of unity was their desire to be faithful followers of the
Kingdom teaching He would offer to them. There was no earthly reason
why tax-collectors, freedom-fighters, fishermen and philosophers
would ever sit down together and decide they were being called to a
mission to change the world. Only the authority (exousia) of Jesus
could achieve such a strange thing.
No mention is made of the women in the
community. But from the interaction Jesus had with Mary, Martha and
many other unnamed females, women had a vital role to play in the
mission of the church. At that time in history such was an
unthinkable proposition. Indeed, in Scriptural events such as Jesus
encounter with a woman at a Samaritan well, there were potential
seeds of scandal. Only later would Paul write to the churches (some
of whom appeared to have been led by ladies in the faith) that in
Christ there was no longer ‘male or female.’
This first sending out of the disciples
appears to be a training exercise for what would come after Jesus was
no longer walking with them upon earth. Principles are laid down that
they would later adopt as mission endeavors spread throughout the
known world. For now though the confines of their work are laid out
for them. They are to go to ‘the lost sheep of Israel’ Take a
look at 5-7:-
5
These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, "Do
not go in the
way
of the
Gentiles,
and do not enter any
city
of the Samaritans; 6
but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7
"And as you go, preach, saying, 'The kingdom of heaven is at
hand.' (Mat 10:5-7 NAS)
In all probability these
first disciples had no experience of the world outside of Judaism. To
reach the Samaritan and Gentile population would require skills that
they did not possess. Such a task would fall to Paul, whose
background was more cosmopolitan. It made sense for them to deal with
people that they knew.
Maybe there is also a
sense of ‘damage limitation’ in Jesus insisting that they go only
to their own people. They would find among their own at least some
friends and recognition. People had responded to John the Baptist and
they would respond to them.
Their message is similar
to that of John the Baptist. ‘The Kingdom of heaven is ‘near’
or ‘at hand.’ They would demonstrate that nearness through
seeking to do the same kind of actions they had witnessed Jesus
doing. Healing. Teaching. Casting out evil. They are to do so with
the mandate that such signs were demonstrations not of their own
personal ability, but of the authority (exousia) of Jesus Himself.
This was the work of His Kingdom. They were the ambassadors.
The principles that are
laid out for them from verses 8 through 40 have guided Christian
missions, to a lesser and greater degree, ever since. They offer us
an insight as to what radical discipleship of Jesus Christ may
entail. Let us allow ourselves to be challenged by the qualities of
discipleship that Matthew places before us; “The Disciples Charter”
- Disciples were to be dependent on God, not on their own wealth or possessions, for necessities (8—11)
8
"Heal the
sick,
raise the
dead,
cleanse the
lepers,
cast out demons; freely you received, freely give. 9
"Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts,
10
or a bag for your
journey,
or even two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy
of his support. 11
"And into whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is
worthy in it; and abide there until you go away.
(Mat
10:8-11 NAS)
Barclay stresses in his
commentary that tasks such as raising the dead and cleansing lepers
can be interpreted in a spiritual as well as a physical sense. To me,
as one of those sent out into the world by the call of Christ that is
encouraging. I seldom come across lepers and I believe it would be
foolish to suggest to those who contact me for funeral services, “Do
you mind if I try and raise them back to life before we make any
arrangements?”
It is not that I don’t
believe in the power of healing prayer or that there are situations
of evil that people need delivering from, it’s just that the
spiritual interpretation seems more true to ministry, as I have known
it. Sickness is often a lot more than just physical symptoms and
people can indeed be dead in their sins. Folk get themselves tied up
in all sorts of situations that seem to pollute their minds or
thoughts that they desire to be cleansed from and there are certainly
folk who need help escaping from situations and addictions that have
a hold on them as strong as any demon.
The mission of the church
has always been one of healing, deliverance and putting things right.
We often do that in a corporate rather than individual way. We feed
the hungry by supporting Our Daily Bread. We host programs for
organizations such as Trucking for Troops. We involve ourselves with
Operation Christmas Child. Such things are the practical outcome of
the original charter Jesus gave to the first disciples.
We don’t do so for
financial gain. We freely give because we believe God freely gave His
only Son, Jesus Christ, to die upon the Cross, that God may reconcile
all things. We support those in full-time and part-time ministry
because we believe enough in what God is doing in our midst to see
the value of setting certain people free to devote significant
amounts of their time to do the work of the Church.
We commission them to
build the Kingdom, to let people know that if they seek to follow the
way of Jesus Christ, it will open up to them new vistas of
opportunity and blessing, and take their lives in wonderful,
unexpected directions. We seek for people to encounter the Savior…
using that term in it’s fullest sense of the word… to encounter
the One who can heal, bring life in all it’s fullness, and who
offers forgiveness and cleansing, deliverance and new life.
As long as there is
freedom of religion expression in this nation, then we have the
opportunity to build churches as centers for mission and worship. I’m
not convinced that our efforts are as welcome in the 21st
century as they were in the 20th
century. There was a day when town planners would include houses of
worship as important for community life. Even the coal camps of West
Virginia, in all their sparseness, included a store, a schoolhouse
and a chapel. I suspect most town planners these days do not make
religious centers a priority.
Such is probably the
best contemporary interpretation we can apply to the injunction at
the end of his section:-“Abide
there until you go away.” As
both sociological and demographic forces make our situation somewhat
precarious, we do well to do our best to preserve the advantages we
have in terms of the freedom to practice our faith and carry out our
mission as best as we are enabled!
In many lands, and to
increasing numbers in this land, the gospel is not welcomed. Such
does not give us the excuse therefore not to proclaim it, and what
becomes of those who reject our message is not a call we are asked to
make.
Such seems to be the
message lying behind our next passage: 12-15
- Disciples were to give all men the freedom to accept or reject them and their Lord (12-15)
12
"And as you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13
"And if the house is worthy, let your greeting
of peace
come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your greeting
of peace
return to you.14
"And whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you
go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15
"Truly 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.
(Mat 10:12-15 NAS)
Though not practiced by
ourselves the practices of offering ‘greetings of peace’ and of
the ‘shaking the dust from ones feet’ were not unusual in their
historical setting. A spoken greeting carried a certain authority
with it. It was a request seeking reciprocation.
The closest analogy I can
think of is of time past when door-to-door encyclopedia salesman were
common. They would bring their wares. If you were favorable to the
doorstep conversation you’d let them in and they would explain the
benefits. At some point you would decide to purchase. And then they
moved on… maybe to have the next door slammed in their face. Their
greeting, in effect, would be returned to them. No sale!
The practice of shaking
the dust off of the feet was one practiced by Jews such as the
Pharisees whenever they had spent time in Samaritan or Gentile lands.
They would shake their feet in order that every speck of polluting
Gentile dust could no longer pollute their footsteps. It was a way
of putting the past behind them.
Returning to the salesman
image, how do you deal with slammed doors? What do you do when you
get no sale? Walk away. Forget about it. And get busy on the next
one. Don’t worry about the negative. That’s their loss.
Or in the case of
this passage, don’t worry about their judgment, because God has all
that taken care of. ‘Truly
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.’
Interestingly, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah are here condemned
not for their immorality (which has often been the traditional
interpretation) but for their lack of hospitality and welcome.
The disciples had already
seen that, despite the amazing things He was doing, particularly
those who held the keys of religious power viewed the message of
Jesus with great suspicion and hostility. The disciples should
expect a similar response. Verses 16-25.
- Disciples were to expect and to endure persecution from those who rejected and hated their Lord. (16-25)
16
"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves;
therefore be shrewd as serpents, and innocent as doves. 17
"But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the
courts,
and scourge you in their synagogues; 18
and you shall even be brought before governors and kings for My sake,
as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19
"But when they deliver you up, do not become anxious about how
or what you will speak; for it shall be given you in that hour what
you are to speak. 20
"For it is not you who speak, but it
is the
Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21
"And 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. 22
"And you will be hated by all on account of My name, but it is
the one who has endured to the end who will be saved. 23
"But whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next;
for truly I say to you, you shall not finish going
through the
cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes. 24
"A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his
master. 25
"It is enough for the disciple that he become as his teacher,
and the slave as his master. If they have called the head of the
house Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household! (Mat
10:16-25 NAS)
As a settled church
community in a tolerant land we easily forget that not only are there
areas of our world today where the church is persecuted, but the
earliest church grew up in an age of great opposition. The advice of
Jesus in the face of opposition is that we be ‘shrewd as servants
and innocent as doves”.
The idea of the ‘serpent
as wise’ goes back to Genesis 3:1 where the serpent in the garden
is pictured as being more ‘crafty’ (the Hebrew word ‘Arum’)
than any other beast. ‘Arum’ can also be translated as shrewd or
sensible. Matthew Henry alludes to Psalm 58:4 that speaks of the
cobra who refuses to listen to the sorcerer’s charms, and of how a
snake will hide in the cleft of the rocks to protect its head. So, he
infers, it is our duty to be wise so as not to bring down trouble on
our heads, to be wise knowing when to keep silent in evil times and
to be wise in not causing offense whenever we can help it.
The dove was considered a
bird of peace. The dove holding an olive branch in its beak, was a
sign to Noah that the terror of the flood was over. The psalmist
cries ‘Oh for the wings of a dove’ that he may fly away and be at
peace. Matthew has already told us that the Holy Spirit, pictured as
a dove, descended upon Jesus at His baptism.
‘Akerios’ the
Greek word commonly translated as innocent also has the meaning
‘unmixed’, which related to laws of purity and separation. Being
as innocent as a dove meant focusing, as Paul suggested to the
Philippian church, on that which was good and honest and true, rather
than having mixed motives. Though we are not a church daily
persecuted for our faith the advice to pursue faithfulness and be
whole-hearted in our commitment applies to all situations.
Matthew speaks of
how persecution could come not only from outside forces of government
and religion, but even from within the members of ones own family.
But in every case they were to cultivate the awareness that the Holy
Spirit would be with them, guiding them, being an advocate in their
defense, inspiring them as to what they should say. And if things
become impossible in one situation they should feel free to move on.
"But
whenever they persecute you in this city, flee to the next; for truly
I say to you, you shall not finish going
through the
cities of Israel, until the Son of Man comes.”
Most commentators see the
phrase ‘until the son of man comes’ as a reference to the second
coming of Christ that reflects the theology of the later church. But
it can also be given an altogether less futuristic interpretation as
meaning that Jesus was promising to always be there for them as they
carry out their mission.
Such ties in with the
teaching that follows, namely that they were to remember that this
was Christ’s mission, they were the servants, not the guiding
light. If you recall the Pharisees accusation in the last chapter
that Jesus was doing the works of the devil Jesus amusingly turns
that imagery into something to motivate the disciples. He points out
that if they call the head of the house Beelzebub, then I guess it
makes us all little devils!
This Kingdom message Jesus
invites them to share is not of this world. They were ambassadors of
God, doing work of great value. Such is the stress of our next
passage verses 26-33.
- Disciples were to remember their great value to God the Father, and do His will without fear of men. (26—33)
26
"Therefore do not fear them, for there is nothing covered that
will not be revealed, and hidden that will not be known. 27
"What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what
you hear whispered
in
your
ear,
proclaim upon the housetops. 28
"And do not fear those who kill the body, but are unable to kill
the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and
body in hell. 29
"Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet
not
one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30
"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31
"Therefore do not fear; you are of more value than many
sparrows. 32
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also
confess him before My Father who is in heaven. 33
"But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him
before My Father who is in heaven. (Mat 10:26-33 NAS)
A follicly challenged
minister colleague told me that Matthew 10:30 was his least favorite
in the whole bible. I see his point. What meaning does “Every hair
on your head is counted’ have to a bald man? Thankfully there are
still the sparrows! Or in these parts maybe we would prefer to use
ravens as our illustration of God’s provision. Whatever our image
the point is that God takes care of creation and therefore God will
take care of God’s servants.
They are not to be afraid.
God will bring all things to light, both the false motives of their
opponents and their right motives and deeds of faith. As long as they
keep on keeping on, all things will reach their eternal end, be it a
glorious or hellish destination.
They are not to fear. But
neither are they to expect that this whole mission is going to be a
breeze. The message of Jesus would bring division and separation. And
often the place that would be felt most acutely was within the
immediate family. So verses 34-39.
- Disciples were to expect conflict, even in their own homes. In everything Jesus is to be put first, and pain is to be borne just as Jesus bore the pain of His cross. (34—39)
34
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on the earth; I did not
come to bring peace, but a sword. 35
"For I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter
against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
36
and a man's enemies will be the members of his household. 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. 38
"And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not
worthy of Me. 39
"He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost
his life for My sake shall find it. (Mat 10:34-39 NAS)
The words in this section
have to be interpreted against the background of what has come before
them. Jesus is seeking the kind of total commitment from His
disciples that He knew was the only thing that could carry them
through. Let me provide an Adrian paraphrase of what I sense is the
thrust of this passage.
“Look, when you
agreed to follow me, did you think it was all going to be plain
sailing? Did you think I could do a few miracles and everybody would
love us and the glory of God would just materialize in our midst like
a cloud? That’s not the way it works. The Good News will be seen as
bad news. It will divide some, rather than bring them together. Peace
never comes without struggle. And very up close and personal.
So be sure of your love
for me! I have to be first… or your loyalties will be divided. I’m
headed for death upon a Cross… are you sure you want to follow? To
find your true self you are going to have to lose yourself in this
mission! But at the end of it all… you will find life like you
never imagined possible!
Lest you consider my own
paraphrase be too fanciful consider Eugene Petersen’s
transliteration in the Message Bible.
"Don't
think I've come to make life cozy. I've come to cut—make a sharp
knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and
mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free
you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies.
If you prefer father or mother over me, you don't deserve me. If you
prefer son or daughter over me, you don't deserve me. "If you
don't go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don't
deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you'll
never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me,
you'll find both yourself and me.”(Matthew 10:34-39 – The
Message)
Whilst disciples should
not be along for the journey just because there was a prize at the
end of it, at the same time, they should realize that faithfulness
would bring great blessings both to themselves and those they
ministered to. Our final section 40-42.
- Disciples could know they brought great gifts to men, who would be rewarded for their responses to the Father and His children. (40—42)
40
"He who receives you receives Me, and he who receives Me
receives Him who sent Me. 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 shall receive a
righteous man's reward.
42
"And whoever in the name of a disciple gives to one of these
little ones even a cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he
shall not lose his reward." (Mat 10:40-42 NAS)
So our passage concludes on an entirely
different note. After beginning with talk of raising the dead and
casting out demons, suddenly we are taken down from such lofty
heights. Jesus speaks no longer of the people as being wolves, but
‘little ones’. The mission is phrased as ‘Whoever
in the name of a disciple gives to one of these little ones even a
cup of cold water to drink, truly I say to you he shall not lose his
reward."
It is almost as though
Matthew senses that his readers must be thinking, ‘No way can I
make that kind of commitment. This is too much to take!” So again
we are reminded that true religion is as much about the little things
as the big things. Little loving actions, like offering a child a
drink of cool water when they are thirsty, are significant acts in
the Kingdom of God. The smallest kindness can be a window through
which God’s love can shine.
In chapter 11 we’ll
meet some disciples of John the Baptist and learn what has become of
him since those days down at the riverside. We’ll also receive some
more wonderful pictures of discipleship. But for now let us recall
the ‘Disciple’s Charter.’
“I am sending you out like
sheep among wolves”
1. Disciples were to be
dependent on God, not on their own wealth or possessions, for
necessities (8—11)
2. Disciples
were to give all men the freedom to accept or reject them and their
Lord (12-15)
3. Disciples were to expect and
to endure persecution from those who rejected and hated their Lord.
(16-25)
4. Disciples were to remember
their great value to God the Father, and do God’s will without fear
of people. (26—33)
5. Disciples were to expect
conflict, even in their own homes. In everything Jesus is to be put
first, and pain is to be borne just as Jesus bore the pain of His
cross. (34—39)
6. Disciples could know they
brought great gifts to people, and would be rewarded for their
responses to the Father and His children. (40—42)
“Anyone
who does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.”