Daily Bread 2010 - Matthew 10
Matthew 10
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.
We see now the next phase of Jesus’ ministry, when he sends out the 12 disciples to continue the ministry he has started. And he tells them to do the same things he was doing: preach that God’s kingdom was near and then demonstrate it through healing people. This included even raising people from the dead, curing diseases and driving out demons.
As they went out they were to look for the “person of peace”, who would welcome them into their lives. If someone wasn’t a person of peace, they told not to try and convince them. They were told to shake the dust off their feet and move on. In later verses, he predicts that the world will not accept them, just as it did not accept him.
So we see the challenge and opportunity Jesus gives the first disciples. They have a chance to participate in some powerful stuff, and demonstrate how God’s kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven. and earth through them. But we also see that there will be resistance and hardship associated with this kind of responsibility.
I truly believe Jesus has called us, as “his disciples”, to a similar calling. If Jesus modeled this and then equipped his disciples to carry out what he had started, why would we think our mission as he 21st century disciples has changed? Strategies to accomplish this mission may change in our day, but the heart of preaching, teaching and healing as a sign of God’s in-breaking into our world is the same today as it was in Jesus’ day.
Maybe you can take a small step in being this kind of influence in the world this year. Maybe it would be praying for someone who is hurting either physically or emotionally. Maybe it is reaching out to a co-worker or neighbor who is challenged in today’s economy. Pray for God to send you out to the world and find a person of peace who will welcome you into their life for such a time as this. I’m a quite positive if you pray for and seek this, God will introduce you to many opportunities to advance His kingdom in and through you.
Prayer: God send us out to proclaim who you are but what we say and do. Give us opportunities to spread your Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Help to recognize a person of peace and partner with them for your purposes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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.
We see now the next phase of Jesus’ ministry, when he sends out the 12 disciples to continue the ministry he has started. And he tells them to do the same things he was doing: preach that God’s kingdom was near and then demonstrate it through healing people. This included even raising people from the dead, curing diseases and driving out demons.
As they went out they were to look for the “person of peace”, who would welcome them into their lives. If someone wasn’t a person of peace, they told not to try and convince them. They were told to shake the dust off their feet and move on. In later verses, he predicts that the world will not accept them, just as it did not accept him.
So we see the challenge and opportunity Jesus gives the first disciples. They have a chance to participate in some powerful stuff, and demonstrate how God’s kingdom might come on earth as it is in heaven. and earth through them. But we also see that there will be resistance and hardship associated with this kind of responsibility.
I truly believe Jesus has called us, as “his disciples”, to a similar calling. If Jesus modeled this and then equipped his disciples to carry out what he had started, why would we think our mission as he 21st century disciples has changed? Strategies to accomplish this mission may change in our day, but the heart of preaching, teaching and healing as a sign of God’s in-breaking into our world is the same today as it was in Jesus’ day.
Maybe you can take a small step in being this kind of influence in the world this year. Maybe it would be praying for someone who is hurting either physically or emotionally. Maybe it is reaching out to a co-worker or neighbor who is challenged in today’s economy. Pray for God to send you out to the world and find a person of peace who will welcome you into their life for such a time as this. I’m a quite positive if you pray for and seek this, God will introduce you to many opportunities to advance His kingdom in and through you.
Prayer: God send us out to proclaim who you are but what we say and do. Give us opportunities to spread your Kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. Help to recognize a person of peace and partner with them for your purposes. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
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