The Gospel Of Matthew Chapter 10 Part 1 Sent Out To Preach The Gospel

We must always remember that the chapter divisions are helpful aids put in by translators many years ago, but sometimes the chapter division is in the wrong place.

The last two verses of Matthew 9 actually belong with chapter ten as you will see.

Preachers of the gospel and faithful Christians are needed to work to bring in a harvest. 

Matthew 9:37-38  Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborer's are few; 38)  Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborer's into his harvest. 

"The harvest truly is plenteous" is vivid picture of kingdom work as Jesus gave us another beautiful image. 

A waving field of ripened, golden grain invites many reapers to come and bring in an abundant harvest. 

Jesus saw the multitude of people that flocked to his ministry as a harvest waiting to be gleaned for the kingdom of heaven. 

Many people expected and longed for the Messiah. 

Many were prepared to receive the gospel but the laborers to bring the gospel to them were few. 

Jesus directed His disciples to pray for the Lord of the harvest to send forth His reapers. 

This pictures the Father as architect of a great harvest of souls in the world, and only He can call and send gospel workers to gather it in.

There is good application of this truth for all sinners who hear the gospel of Christ.

In Matthew 9:1-2, nothing was allowed to hinder bringing the palsied man to the Saviour. 

In like manner every poor helpless sinner should come to Jesus and lay himself at His feet for Christ alone can save him from his sins.

Jesus has power to forgive sins and He claimed that power while working a miracle to prove His point (See Matthew 9:6).

Jesus prepared to send out His disciples to preach the gospel with signs and wonders.

Matthew 10:1-4  And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. 2)  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The 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 publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 4)  Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

The twelve men were called by the grace of God and were already Christ's disciples.

Their names are recorded so that we understand Jesus selected them to become His apostles when He ascended to His Father in heaven (See Acts 1:8).

They sat at His feet, and received His words. 

They heard his doctrines, and witnessed His miracles.

Jesus prepared them for public ministry but had not yet sent them forth to begin kingdom ministry.

Jesus empowered them to assume a prominent role in proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom of God.

The twelve were given power to heal all kinds of sickness and disease and authority to cast out unclean spirits because God always certified His prophets by signs and wonders that they did.

Mark's gospel says Jesus "ordained" twelve which means He prepared and made them ready for this important ministry.

Mark also tells us that Jesus’ purpose was that "he might send them forth" which is the word "apostle" to be sent away to a place appointed by the Lord (See Mark 3:13-15).

Jesus' sent forth His disciples to preach the gospel exclusively to the Jewish people. 

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

Jesus gave very specific parameters for His disciples to observe.

First, they were to go preach the gospel to Israel whom the Lord likened to lost sheep needing a shepherd.

Second, Jesus did not permit them to preach the gospel to any Gentiles (non Jewish people) nor were they allowed to preach the gospel to the Samaritans who were of mixed Jewish and Gentile lineage.

The gospel would be preached beginning at Jerusalem and Judea to the Jewish people before it would be preached in Samaria and the rest of the world.

Thus, the primary focus is Israel because Messiah is to be their King in fulfillment of all prophecy.

Wherever the gospel is preached, the people who hear it are accountable to God for accepting or rejecting His call to repent and be saved. 

Jesus sent His disciples forth to preach the gospel of repentance for sin and faith in Christ. 

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

Matthew 4:16-17  The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. 17)  From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

The gospel message they preached was one of repentance and faith in Christ, just as Jesus preached when He began His public ministry.

People must hear what God says about sin in His moral law so that they can repent of their sins and turn to Christ for forgiveness and salvation.

The disciples were to heal the sick just as Jesus had healed all who came to Him, for this was a sign to the Jews that God was at work and these men were speaking for God.

The good news was also to be preached to lepers who were outcasts and suffered physically, socially and spiritually from being cut off from their people and normal society.

Thus, as Jesus healed lepers whose lives were hopeless, so His disciples were given power to heal lepers.

Jesus gave them power to raise the dead and to cast out demons as they preached the gospel of the kingdom of heaven. 

Jesus freely gave this power to them and they were not to attempt to monetize it in any form because the people of God will support His ministers.

This is God's plan so His disciples were to freely and liberally minister the gospel and the power Christ was given to them to benefit all the people.

Psalm 43:3  O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. 

Wherever the gospel of Christ is preached pure light from God's Word shines brightly into hearts of sinners darkened by their transgressions. 

When God's word enters human hearts, it imparts heaven's blazing light and truth (See Psalm 119:130).

When we receive and believe God's Word, it becomes a lamp to show us the peril of sin so that we do not fall, and it shines like a bright beacon to show us the holy way God wants us to walk on (See Psalm 119:105).

Those who labor preaching the gospel must live in dependency upon God to supply their needs.

Matthew 10:9-10  Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10)  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 

An apostolic preacher who goes to the wilderness of the culture seeking lost sheep, will be exposed to hunger and cold or other inconveniences. 

He must depend upon the providential care of God to supply the necessities of life. 

Since Jesus sent them He would support them and taking money for the journey indicated a lack of faith that God would meet their needs. 

They were workmen preaching the gospel of the kingdom and were worthy of and entitled to maintenance of their daily needs from the people to whom they labored. 

Jesus taught them to pack lightly, so that they were not burdened with too many clothes, shoes or walking sticks.

Having too many supplies would lessen their need to depend upon God to supply their needs.

The focus is the gospel of Christ and preaching it to as many people as possible. 

Those who minister the gospel are to be cared for by the church and individual believers.

2 Corinthians 9:8-11  And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: 9)  (As it is written, He hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. 10)  Now he that ministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;) 11)  Being enriched in every thing to all bountifulness, which causeth through us thanksgiving to God. 

The apostle Paul also wrote about the need for the churches to support ministers of the gospel of Christ.

This connects with what Jesus commanded His disciples.

God is able to make grace abound in the twelve as they went out to preach the gospel, and He will cause the people to support their physical needs.

Jesus' disciples were to lodge with people who were morally upright and open to the gospel

Matthew 10:11-13  And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12)  And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13)  And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 

As Christ had instructed them in what manner they were to travel, so He directs them where to go, who to inquire about for a temporary dwelling place in the towns and villages they visited.

To inquire who is worthy means finding a family of good character; for a preacher of the Gospel must be careful of his reputation, and stay only with those who are morally upright.

Once a dwelling place was established in a town, the disciples were to be content to stay there for the duration of their visit.

The word "house" refers to the family dwelling there, so they were greeting the family who would host them.

The apostles were directed to salute the family and show them proper respect and gratitude (See also Matthew 12:25, and John 4:53).

The house or family being worthy is the idea of letting the peace which you seek come upon it. 

The disciples were to seek the family's peace and happiness by their prayers and gospel conversation as long as they stayed with them.

This means they wanted to impart the blessings of the gospel to them, hoping that they respond with repentant faith in Christ.

"But if it be not worthy" means that the family does not prove to be what it was said to be, and they expected.

Instead of His disciples finding generous, liberal hosts they might have discovered them not living a holy life.

In such a case, they were to "let your peace return to you" which pictures the blessing that the disciples wanted to bestow upon that family would not be given.

The prayers and good wishes of the apostles shall be void, and of none effect for that family.

They should then seek to be directed to another house where they might find hospitality. 

Shake off dust from your feet to consign those who reject the gospel to judgment.

Matthew 10:14-15  And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15)  Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 

Jesus told His disciples what action to take if they came to a hostile family or town that would not listen to gospel preaching.

The Jews considered themselves defiled by the dust of a heathen country, which was represented by the prophets as a polluted land (See Amos 7:17). 

Therefore, to shake off the dust of any city of Israel from off one’s clothes or feet was a symbolical act signifying a renunciation of all farther connection with them. 

This act placed any gospel rejecting Jewish town on the same level with polluted Gentile cities, and made them ripe for judgment.

God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for the sin of sexual perversion.

Genesis 19:23-24 The sun was risen upon the earth when Lot entered into Zoar. 24)  Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; 

You can read all of Genesis 19 which contains the sordid details of sexual perversion that took root in these two cities.

How does God view sexual sin? 

He rained down fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed the cities and the sinners in them.

Archaeologists have unearthed the most likely sites for Sodom and Gomorrah and they remain buried under a layer of ashes about 6 feet deep.

The Jewish people knew the history of Sodom and Gomorrah and Jesus gave a vivid reminder that God will judge people and nations for their sins.

Therefore, Jesus said that towns and villages who were hostile and rejected the gospel would be subject to severe judgment from God.

John 4:35-38  Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. 36)  And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. 37)  And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. 38)  I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours. 

Jesus always looked on all people with compassion and love for He knew that they needed a Shepherd to guide them to His Father.

Jesus is the fullest expression of the love of God toward sinners.

He came to suffer for us and receive the wages of our sins which is death.

He rose from the grave on the third day to prove His work was our propitiation and that He would forgive all sinners and grant eternal life to all who believe.

This is why John's gospel records what Jesus said to His disciples when He spoke to the Samaritan woman.

Jesus tells us the same thing today: "Lift up your head, look around at all the people and see them as Christ sees them. Fields of souls ready to be harvested for the kingdom of God."

You and I are the reapers and we enter into the labor of others who have gone before us.

Good gospel seed has been sown and we must continue to sow the good seed of God's Word into people's lives.

Our hope is to reap the eternal fruits of born again souls for Christ and His kingdom.

What must we do as Christians living in a depraved and violent culture?

We must be willing to share the gospel of Christ even in challenging circumstances.

We must be willing to live by the precepts of the gospel.

We must see sinners as Christ sees them, as sheep gone astray and in need of a shepherd, so that we can point them to Jesus for salvation.

We must have a growing desire to see sinners converted to Christ.

We must work tirelessly to advance the kingdom of God by sharing the gospel of Christ.

Bob