Jesus Sends Forth The Church Matt 10:1-42
Matt 9:35-38 A Message of Truth & Hope
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Jesus Sends Forth The Church
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Jesus heart went out to the people He encountered. Without the truth of God their lives and minds were filled with all sorts of false ideas that gave them little hope and little purpose in their lives… mostly just burdens and fears. Jesus responded emotionally. He wants people to hear the truth, He wants people to have hope, and He wants His disciples to continue His ministry after He is gone and feel about it the way He did.
This introduction to Jesus sending forth of His followers to carry on His work tells us about the heart of our Lord plus it contains a practical instruction for our prayer life so we might have that same emotional engagement … Jesus tells us part of ourprayers to the Father should concern the continuation of Jesus ministry through the church, with an emphasis on those who are specifically sent into the field to proclaim the truth.
Matt 10:1-7 The Commission And The Authority
There are three elements to Jesus’ command to “go forth”:
- Grants them authority – not a blank check so they can do whatever they want however they want… they cannot draw upon the authority He has given apart from faith and prayer – Matt 17:20, Mark 9:29
- Gives them some limitations: go only to Israel
- conforms to God’s general pattern Rom 1:16 – an expression of God’s unfailing love and commitment to Israel even to the very end when Christ returns Romans 11:26-28 / Zechariah 8:23
- the disciples were from a Jewish background – they were ill equipped to deal with the sophisticated and cynical people of the Greek and Roman world… it would take a person like Paul to go toe to toe with the philosophies of the Greeks
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- Tells them what to say: The Kingdom of God [KOG] is near – the word near can refer to either time or proximity and is used both ways interchangeably in NT… they were near Jerusalem, or the time to leave was near…
- Time – the idea of time is problematic for us today because the KOG clearly has not come. Trying to reconcile the time idea with reality leads some to say that the KOG is a spiritual event that takes place in the hearts of people who accept the H.S. Thus the KOG began in 31 AD when the spirit was poured out. This also leads to the idea that the KOG is the church.
- Proximity – the KOG is close by in the person of Jesus who is the king of the kingdom… He is also the embodiment of everything the KOG stands for. Note: subsequent scriptures show us that Jesus will leave and later return to bring the rule of God / Kingdom of God to earth at a future time. That is why we (UCG) proclaim the KOG as something coming and not yet here (Jesus makes this understanding very clear in several of His KOG parables) Note: the KOG is referred to as a future event in Acts and the Epistles by the leaders of the church.
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What Did The Disciples Think The KOG Meant?
Acts 1:3-6 – right up until the moment He leaves them the disciples were still thinking of the nearness of the KOG in terms of time.
Also, at the time the disciples received these first instructions to go forth and preach the KOG they still considered the Messiah and His kingdom to be a Jewish thing (restore the kingdom to Israel)… they did not know that the Messiah was a universal savior and a universal ruler.
Later on they got a much more developed view of what the KOG was all about. For now they had only the most basic understanding of what the KOG meant. Their purpose at that moment was to proclaim the presence of the king among the people.
Perhaps it was the healing of sicknesses and driving away of evil spirits would teach the people about the KOG in ways the disciples were no yet prepared to do… providing an objective demonstration of the power of the king and His kingdom and its spirit of mercy and compassion.
12 Are Selected
Christ had quite a number of followers but here He selects 12 from among them and sets these 12 apart and sends them forth to do the work of preaching and proclaiming (apostello).
Eph 4:12 we see this principle at work in the church at Ephesus today where some are specifically tasked with the unique roles within the ongoing ministry of Jesus Christ.
We are also asked to pray for workers that the Lord of the Harvest sends into the field – 2 Thess 3:1-2.
Do The Rest of Us Simply Pay & Pray?
The Church of God has always made the distinction that some are set apart specifically to go forth and proclaim the coming of Christ the King and the establishment of the rule on God on earth… and we still have those who are set apart yet today. But does that mean because you are not ordained and set apart for that purpose you have no role in bringing the truth to people in this world? No.
The scriptures clearly teach that we are to train and prepare ourselves that we might talk about our faith “give an answer” to others. We are also to train and discipline our lives so they reflect the values of the kingdom… that some might even be won over by our example… I Peter 3:15 / Col 4:6
A key phrase here is “train and prepare”… study the work of God so that you can talk to others about what you believe. The negative spin on this is that If you are untrained or unskilled in the word you run the risk of misrepresenting Christ the King.
The 12 who were selected had spent time in Jesus presence. They were part of the inner circle who had received training and preparation for the task at hand. Now Jesus was sending them forth as His representatives on what could be seen as a trial run or practice drill before the beginning of the MAIN EVENT… the beginning of the Church in Acts 2-3.
Matt 10:9-14 Practical Instruction On Dealing With People
- How they will be supported
- How to deal with rejection
Financial Support: the workers sent forth by Christ are to be supported by the people they are laboring among. They don’t finance the work themselves… they take no bag of money etc. Jesus tells the disciples to give freely and not charge money for access to the truth… but He very much expects those receiving the message of the KOG… to value it enough that they support those who are preaching it.
I think the practical non-supernatural manner God provides for His workers is a stumbling block for some that causes them to doubt the divine power behind the work. (fed by ravens?)
Rejection: As heralds / ambassadors of the great King their presence in someone’s home was a great honor to that person. Some would recognize it as such and others would not. The manner in which the disciples were instructed to respond was to withdraw with dignity… not begging or pleading with the person to give them another chance… but to consider that they had performed the duty God required. The person had not rejected them but had rejected the king.
These instructions would remind them that they were not going forth in their own name… but as ambassadors and representatives clothed with the authority, armed with the power, and vested with the rights of the King of kings.
Verse 15 – the people of Sodom are the biblical poster children for sin and depravity… but one who hears and rejects the truth, his ambassadors… Christ solemn judgment is that they are worse. He will deal with them. (that is another sermon)
Matt 10:16-23 Jesus Predicts the Opposition They Will Face
Jesus predicts there will be great cost exacted of those who go forth in His name. Those who go forth in His name must expect trials and troubles… Jesus suffered why not you?... Jesus was rejected why not you?
Verse 19-20 persecution is a means whereby a witness of the truth and the message of the Kingdom can be made before public representatives.
Also, “you will be given what to say” – not to be used as an excuse for not preparing to give an answer through study of God’s word. As we read earlier we are to prepare ourselves… the spirit works by bringing to recollection what we have already put in there.
Verse 23 – be courageous in the face of opposition and trouble… When the path of duty is clear don’t shirk it… but don’t walk into trouble… flee the city… remove yourself from the source of trouble (caveat: unless fleeing would undermine the teaching and proclamation of the truth).
Cities of Israel – This verse is perhaps too eagerly looked at as only referring only to the second coming of Jesus. If we stick to the immediate context we see that Jesus is sending them out before Him to prepare for His arrival… literally He was coming to the towns and villages of the land… but especially He was coming to the city of Jerusalem… where He would pass sentence upon the city for rejecting (and killing their King at His appearing).
This judgment upon Jerusalem is also a type of foreshadow of His second coming when He will return to pass a judgment of condemnation on the governments and rulers of the earth and replace their rule with the rule of God.
Note: UCG interprets this verse to indicate that the disciples (ie the church) will never have finished delivering the truth and proclamation of Christ’s return and the KOG before the time of the end… that we will never have reached all the cities of the 12 lost and scattered tribes of Israel (let alone the whole world) before the second coming of Christ right up to the very end. Therefore we will be proclaiming the KOG up to the very end… as long as we are able.
I say this because some in the COG argue that the taking of the message of the KOG to the world was completed by HWA sometime in the 1980s and that the church should turn inward and focus on preparing themselves spiritually for the immanent return of Christ.
UCG says that there is still work to be done and we will continue to do it. (see also Matt 28:20)
Matt 10:24-33 Have Courage… Fear God Not Man
Jesus never sugar coated the trials and troubles the disciples were in store for. Although Jesus is directly speaking to those appointed to go forth and preach the principle applies to each of us within the church.
His advice: in all circumstances place total confidence in the power of Jesus Christ. You are His servant and chosen representative… nothing that happens to you goes unnoticed… no suffering that you undergo for the sake of His name that will go unrewarded.
Knowing this we are to focus on God who holds true power in his hand. What power is that? … the power of life and death… permanent (or eternal) life… or permanent (or eternal) death.
Verse 28 – To me this is a verse that is referring to the permanent destruction in the lake of fire. The word soul = psuche, meaning that spark of life that is in you. It is translated as “life” or “soul” in scripture.
This scripture is saying don’t be afraid of people and how they judge you, or trouble you, or punish you. They at most only have power to kill your body… which simply causes you to sleep until the time of your resurrection. Be concerned with how God judges you because He has the power to permanently establish you or eliminate you as a living thinking being… no hell… nothing.
Matt 10:34-39 Where Do Your Loyalties Lie?
Loyalty to Jesus Christ will cause friction with those who also lay claim to your loyalty. You can be a good son, daughter, father, or mother… but loyalty to Christ and your role in His commission comes first. You can be a good citizen… but loyalty to God comes first.
Again, we are not looking for trouble… we are not trying to pick a fight… but when duty calls we know where our loyalty must be. Maintaining this loyalty may bring trouble… we may suffer loss… and may be a burden or cross we must bear.
Matt 10:30-42 Reward
Not everyone is appointed to personally go forth in the name of Jesus Christ to preach the KOG… some work behind the scenes providing financial support, help, food & lodging, prayers and more. As we have noted in previous sermons… preaching the gospel is a work with a reward… and here we see that providing support functions (a cup of cold water) is also a work with reward.
The Work of Jesus Carries On In The Church Today
In His “sermon” Jesus prepares His followers for the future. So He would be gone but they would still have the commission to preach the message of the KOG. After His death they would continue on as His representatives, the ambassadors of a coming King of Kings. How people would respond to this message will be accounted as how they would receive Jesus Himself.
The disciples have long since died but the commission to go forth as His representatives continues within the Church… and you are part of it.
Let us go forth, be courageous, stay loyal, and keep working.
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