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apostles

54 Matthew 10:8-23 Provisions & Persecution

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54 Matthew 10:8-23 Provision & Persecution - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

On this journey, Jesus deliberately makes his apostles dependent on the hospitality of the children of Israel by instructing them not to take provisions. The apostles might expect they are launching a victory tour, but they will learn first-hand how the children of Israel will reject the Messiah.

Review

This second discourse in Matthew’s gospel contains the instructions Jesus gave before sending the Twelve to minister on his behalf. This journey represents an important first step in Jesus passing his ministry to the apostles. He sent them into Jewish territory and gave them the authority to heal and teach as he has been doing.

Passage

8“Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.  9Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts,  10no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food.  11And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart.  12As you enter the house, greet it.  13And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.  14And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town.  15Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.”  – Matthew 10:8-15

  • Jesus tells them not to make payment a precondition for their ministry. However, they can receive support and hospitality.
  • Since they can’t charge for the ministry, they probably expect to pack enough provisions to provide for themselves. But Jesus tells them not to bring such provisions.
  • Jesus deliberately puts the Twelve in a situation where they must be dependent on the hospitality of the people in the towns they visit.
  • They are to stay in homes where their message is appreciated. If the town rejects them and their message, they are to leave with a symbolic, public action of shaking the dust off their feet (Luke 9:4-5; Luke 10:11).
  • The account of Sodom and Gomorrah is in Genesis 18-19. These cities and their destruction are frequently alluded to in Scripture (Dt 29:23; Dt 32:32; Isa 1:9-10; Isa 3:9; Isa 13:19; Jer 23:14; Lam 4:6; Eze 16:46-56; Zep 2:9; Mat 10:15; Matt 11:24; Luk 10:12; Luk 17:29; Rom 9:29; 2Pet 2:6; Jud 1:7).
  • Sodom and Gomorrah became the poster children for willful, sinful rejection of God. 
  • Because their livelihood will be dependent on hospitality, the Twelve will know immediately who rejects and who accepts them.
  • This sending is not a model for all missionaries in all times (Luke 22:35-36), but a unique situation for this first training journey.
  • The apostles probably expect this trip will be a victory tour, but instead they will face persecution and rejection.

16“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.  17Beware of men, for they will deliver you over to courts and flog you in their synagogues,  18and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the Gentiles.  19When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour.  20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.  21Brother will deliver brother over to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death,  22and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.  23When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next, for truly, I say to you, you will not have gone through all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” – Matthew 10:16-23

  • Matthew 10:16 is unique to Matthew. Mark & Luke include the rest of this section in the Olivet Discourse. Matthew collected the instructions Jesus gave on various occasions into one discourse.
  • On the one hand, the disciples need understanding and perception (wise as serpents), but they are not to cross the line into vengeance, lying, cheating, etc (innocent as doves).
  • The Apostle Paul is a good example of this shrewd integrity (Acts 21). Paul remained truthful, but also strategic in each dangerous situation he faced.
  • Matthew 10:17-20 describes what the apostles faced after Jesus left as recorded in Acts.
  • Jesus is not telling all Christian teachers everywhere to make no preparations before they teach.  He is promising the apostles when they are in the extraordinary situation of being arrested and brought before kings that God will make sure they know what to say. 

03 Holy Spirit: Revelation vs Understanding

  • Family ties will be broken by the split between those who love Jesus and those who hate him. 
  • Their own personal salvation depends on continuing to follow and trust Jesus, even in the face of hostility and persecution.
  • Jesus treats his disciples the way that God treats all of His people.  God is quite willing to take His people through hardships and trials so that we can learn to trust Him.

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 55 Matthew 10:23 Coming of the Son of Man

Previous: 53 Matthew 9:35-10:8 Sending the Twelve

Series: Gospel of Matthew 8-13 Behold the King, Part 2

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Podcast season 20, episode 13

53 Matthew 9:35-10:8 Sending the Twelve

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53 Matthew 9:35-10:8 Sending the 12 - Bible Study | WednesdayintheWord.com

Matthew presents this initial sending of the Twelve as a first step toward their ultimate global mission. Even though they are to stay in Jewish territory on this journey, ultimately, Jesus is going to send them to the world.

Review

Outline Matthew’s Gospel

  • Chapters 1-4 – Prologue
  • Chapters 5:1-16:12 – Jesus’ ministry in Galilee, including 3 discourses.
  • Chapters 16:13-17 – Turning Point; Jesus prepares to go to Jerusalem
  • Chapters 18-28 – Journey to Jerusalem, culminating in the passion week, including 2 discourses.

Passage

35And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.  36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.  37Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few;  38therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  – Matthew 9:35-38

  • Matthew 9:35 is almost identical to Matthew 4:23.
  • The imagery of a sheep without a shepherd recalls many Old Testaments passages (e.g. Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 50:6; Ezekiel 34:23-24).
  • The people of Israel were spiritually and morally lost in a way that only Jesus, the true Shepherd, can remedy.  He has come to proclaim the good news that is the solution to their troubles.
  • Jesus encourages his disciples to pray that God will send more workers to proclaim his message, knowing he will send the 12 out to be those workers.

More: Sheep & Shepherd imagery in Scripture

1And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction.  2The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;  3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus;  4Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.  – Matthew 10:1-4

  • Luke records Jesus sending out his disciples twice. First he sends only the 12 (Luke 9:1-6). Then he sends seventy (Luke 10:1-16).
  • Matthew repeats the language of 4:23 “to heal every disease and every affliction” in 9:35 and applies it to the Twelve in 10:1.
  • Jesus commissions the Twelve and grants them the authority to be an extension of his work.
  • Mathew uses the word “apostle” for the first and only time in 10:2.
  • There are 4 lists of the twelve: Matthew 10:1-4; Mark 3:16-18; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:12-13.
  • Matthew pairs the Twelve in his list. Mark 6:7-13 tells us Jesus sent the Twelve out in pairs. Perhaps Matthew’s pairings represent who journeyed together.
  • Since many apostles were still alive when Matthew wrote his gospel, this list would be important to his readers.

The four lists of the Twelve follow patterns. Each list can be divided into the same 4 groups. Each group begins with the same apostle, but the order within the group varies.

  • Group 1: Simon Peter, his brother, Andrew, James & John, the sons of Zebedee
  • Group 2: Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew
  • Group 3: James son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon the Zealot, Judas Iscariot

5These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans,  6but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  7And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’  8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.”  – Matthew 10:5-8

  • Much of the language in Matthew 10 is found in Mark 6 and Luke 9.  But Matthew includes some of the language Mark & Luke place in the Olivet Discourse.
  • Perhaps Matthew collected teachings from several different instructions. Or perhaps Jesus gave similar and overlapping instructions on more than one occasion.
  • Matthew organized his gospel thematically, rather than chronologically.
  • On this trip, Jesus tells them to stay in Jewish territory. The ministry to the Gentiles will come later.
  • The Twelve are to do exactly what Jesus has been doing: teaching and healing.
  • The promises of the kingdom were made to the children of Abraham and the gospel was proclaimed first to them.  The reaction of this Jewish people to this ministry is a very important part of the story.
  • The Twelve don’t know it yet, but ultimately Jesus is going to leave and send them out to the world.  This trip is preparation for future trips to come.

Please listen to the podcast for more detail and explanation.

Next: 54 Matthew 10:8-23 Provisions & Persecution

Previous: 52 Matthew 9:27-34 Blind & mute

Series: Gospel of Matthew 8-13 Behold the King, Part 2

Study: Matthew Resources

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Season 20, episode 12

How the Apostles died

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How the Apostles died - Bible Study Tools | WednesdayintheWord.com

Scripture records the deaths of only 2 apostles: James (Acts 12:1-2) and Judas Iscariot (Matthew 27:5). Most of what we know about the deaths of the other apostles comes from early christian writers and church tradition. Most scholars think the Apostle John is the only apostle who died of natural causes. The exact dates are unknown, most are estimates.

ApostlesPlace/DateManner of death
PeterRome
64 AD		According to church tradition, Peter was killed by Nero around 64 AD after the great fire of Rome. A 2nd Century text claimed Peter was crucified upside down at his own request.
AndrewGreece
60 AD		According to tradition, Andrew was crucified on an X-shaped cross.
James, son of ZebedeeJerusalem
44 AD		1st apostle to be martyred; executed with a sword; Acts 12:1-2
John, son of ZebedeeEphesus
98 AD		The only apostle to die of natural causes at an old age; Tertullian wrote that the Romans brought John into a coliseum and dunked him in a vat of boiling oil. After he emerged unharmed, the entire coliseum converted to Christianity. John was then banished.
PhilipHieropolis
80? AD		Conflicting traditions state that he was beheaded, stoned, crucified or died of old age. The earliest tradition states he was crucified upside down.
Bartholomew
(Nathaniel)		??The most reliable tradition is that Bartholomew was flayed and beheaded. Other traditions claim he was crucified head down
ThomasIndia
72? AD		The “Acts of Thomas” claims he was stabbed with spears. No other tradition exists.
MatthewEthiopia
60? AD		The early church fathers claimed he was burned, stoned, stabbed or beheaded. Later tradition claims Matthew died of natural causes.
James, son of Alphaeus??One tradition claims he was crucified in Egypt. Another tradition claims he was stoned to death in Jerusalem.
Thaddaeus (aka Judas, Jude)??Conflicting tradition claims he was crucified, clubbed to death or his head was shattered with an axe
Simon the Zealot?? One tradition claims he was martyred in Iberia. Another that he was martyred in Persia around 65 AD. Another that he was crucified in 61 AD in Britain. Others that he died of old age.
Judas IscariotJerusalem
30 AD		suicide by hanging; Matthew 27:5
Matthias??Matthias was chosen by lot to replace Judas (Acts 1:12-26). Little is known about him. Some traditions claim he was stoned, in Ethiopia; others that he was stoned in Jerusalem and then beheaded. Hippolytus claims he died of old age in Jerusalem.
PaulRome
66 AD		Beheaded by Rome
James, brother of the LordJerusalem
66? AD		Tradition claims he was thrown from the temple tower and then beaten with a fuller’s club.

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