GOSPEL READING: Matthew 9:35-10:23
35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
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.
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. 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.
NOTES: At this point in Matthew's account, Jesus has preached a Kingdom message, and demonstrated Kingdom activity; now he sends his Apostles out to spread the Gospel, in Word and deed. He sends them out w/specific commandments and a new identity, as Kingdom workers in the field. Life will never be the same for them. There are a lot of broad commandments Matthew includes in this lengthy discourse, many of which are spread through Mark and Luke's accounts, in different places. But in Matthew, this commission of the Twelve follows immediately on the heals of a flurry of healing and miracles, and Jesus' commandment to pray for workers in the context of a shortage (9:37-38). There is urgency to develop the Apostles from being mere beneficiaries of his teaching and miracles, to producers of teaching and miracles themselves. In 10:8 we find a Jesus teaching peculiar to Matthew's account, which sums it up: "Freely you have received, freely give." This story tells us a lot, about moving from hearers to doers, about not waiting until we feel fully equipped and ready, about the eventual goal of our discipleship, and all the lessons in these broad commandments, about the nature of Kingdom work, both ups and downs. Much of Paul's Epistle material sheds autobiographical light on his own experience of becoming one of the "workers in the harvest field." Romans 5:3,4 especially speak to the dark times of following and being sent. To any person, Paul or otherwise, with a real sense of their own salvation, their own journey with Christ, this Matthean passage stands as a timeless reminder: "Freely you have received, freely give." It begs reflection on where we are, perhaps remaining in Matthew 9, perhaps being thrust into Matthew 10....
FOR YOUNG ONES: Given the dramatic "shove out of the nest" encountered in Matthew 10, this story is one of those narratives that invites reflection on the feelings of the Apostles. What did they think about Jesus' commissioning of them, immediately following his pronouncement about the shortage of harvest workers in a world ripe for harvest? What about his predictions, some of which are scary? We are often forced to take journeys, or enter situations, we feel less prepared for than we would like. How is following the Lord like that? Perhaps there are stories of such journeys, risks, or situations you can share and help the kids share. Perhaps an adult asked them to take on a responsibility or chore they did not feel equipped to handle, but realized they had been prepared for all along. Perhaps God does not even give us what we need for the journey until we trust him to go (reminds us of Abraham's story and Hebrews 11). What would it be like for Matthew 10:20 to come true? How is Jesus' pronouncement, "Freely you have received, freely give," a "life motto" or basis for our Kingdom identity?
