In the Fulness of Time/Part 56

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The Instruction and Activities of the Twelve. Matthew 10: 5-23

The Limitation of their Ministry—10:5-6

Matthew 10:5-6 “These twelve Jesus sent forth and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any of the cities of the Samaritans enter not; But go, rather, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”

A number of things in 10:5-15 must be taken together in order to make these instructions understandable. The first of these is the strict limitation of the sphere of their ministry. The Twelve are commanded not to go toward the Gentile areas which lie in the northwest (Phoenicia) and to the east (Decapolis), nor to the Samaritan cities on the West Bank of the Jordan. But they are to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The reason is found in the authority given in 10:1 and the performance of the miracles in 10:8, along with the specific proclamation of 10:7. In short, the Twelve are to be a continuation and an extension of the ministry of Jesus to His own nation. To go to the Gentiles and Samaritans before they have attempted to reach the lost in Israel would have been premature. The Messiah/King must be presented to Israel first; if the nation refuses Him, then, as in Matthew 28:18-20, they can go to all nations.

The Proclamation in their Ministry—10:7-8

Matthew 10:7-8 “And as ye go, preach, saying, The Kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons; freely ye have received, freely give.”

The second part of the instructions is essential to the first. If the ministry is to be limited to Israel, then the message and its authentication by miracles must follow. The message therefore must be the same that John the Baptist preached in 3:1-2, and that Christ preached in 4:17 and 9:35, “Repent” (cf. Mark 6:12), “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Up to this point the gospel of the kingdom of Messiah was still being offered. The miracles also are the same that Christ performed; He healed many sick people (4:23; 9:35), cleansed the leper (8:1-4), raised the dead (9:18-26) and cast out demons (8:28-34).

The Twelve were to preach “as ye go” (poreumenoi, present participle, “in your going”) indi­cating some urgency to the preaching as they were constantly traveling from city to city. Last, but far from least, the ministry was to be given freely. It was bestowed without cost and was to be given without price. There were, and are, sad to say, those who make a market of the minis­try. The Apostle Paul knew of this danger, writing to the Corinthians: “Ye tolerate it if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you…” (2 Corinthians 11:20). But Paul preached the gospel freely (2 Corinthians 11:7). Thus it was commanded to the Twelve.

The Provision for their Ministry. 10:9-10

Matthew 10:9-10 “Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor copper in your purses, Nor a bag for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet a staff; for the workman is worthy of his food.”

There are two reasons for this unusual command; first, to prevent delay in getting to the lost in Israel they were not to take time to accumulate money and provisions for their journey. Second, it was to prove to them that He could supply all their needs. The seeming discrepancies in the lists of provisions permitted in the three Gospel accounts may be resolved by noting the two reasons mentioned. They would normally have only one staff and one pair of sandals, but to take time and effort for more than was absolutely necessary was the real emphasis. That they had no lack on their journey is reflected in Luke 22:35 “And he said unto them, When I sent you without purse, and bag, and shoes, lacked ye anything? And they said, Nothing.”

The principle that “the workman is worthy of his food,” is repeated in Luke 10:7; 1 Corinthians 9:9-10; 1 Timothy 5:17-18. It originally came from Deuteronomy 25:4, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the grain.” So Paul says, “Even so hath the Lord ordained that they who preach the gospel should live of the gospel” (1 Corinthians 9:14). That this is not a contra­diction to “Freely ye have received, freely give” (Matthew 10:8) will be seen in the very next verses, (10:11-15). And, “in the fulness of time,” the Lord of the harvest will reward His laborers who labored faithfully in this life, with crowns which He has prepared for them!

Read Part 57