Daily Bread 2011 - Matthew 10


Verse of the Day: 10:5-8
The Workers Are Few
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give. 5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel. 7 As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.

What Does This Mean? As mentioned yesterday, Jesus now begins the transition from primarily doing the ministry to equipping His disciples to carry on what He started. And what was the principal message that He told them to proclaim, “The kingdom of God has come near.”

What does the “kingdom of God” mean? The kingdom of God is a place where God’s rule or reign is the prevailing operating system. It is a place where God’s shows us His victory over sickness, disease, and even death. It is a place where spiritual powers that are set up against God’s kingdom are defeated once and for all. This is reclaiming of a world that God has originally designed for us to enjoy.

And the message that Jesus brought and gave evidence to was that this Kingdom had come near. Through Jesus, the kingdom has broken into our world in a new and unalterable way. Simply put, things would never be the same.

As Jesus sends out the original twelve disciples, he gives them instructions to go first the “lost sheep of Israel”. These were the people God had set apart to show the world His goodness and love in the Old Testament. These were the people to whom He made a covenant with Abraham that through them all the nations would be blessed. (Genesis 12) And a people through whom he would covenant through King David to set up an everlasting Kingdom through the King of Kings! It is to this kingdom that Jesus has now equipped His disciples to bring first to the lost sheep of Israel.

What Does This Mean For Us?
This same mission that Jesus gave His disciples still applies to us, the Church! Sometimes it is easy for the church to be more about making its members happy than continuing the work of God’s kingdom coming today. It is easy for pastors to be more about creating consumers of religious good and services than to equip them to bring in the Kingdom as God has called them to do. How is God calling and equipping you to do what Jesus describes? Does it seem a little intimidating? How might you take a next step this year to discover how God might use you to proclaim, “The kingdom of God has come near”?

Jesus as you sent Your original twelve disciples, send us in Your name to bring about the Good News of Your kingdom. Empower us by Your Spirit to say and do the things that you did to world who needs to see Your Kingdom power at work. Amen.

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