Jesus has instructed His disciples that a kingdom harvest is ready but the laborers are few who are going into the fields to reap (Mt 9). Regarding their labor in those fields, Jesus gives His disciples specific instructions (in Mt 10).
To sum up Matthew’s account (which appears in ABBA structure), Jesus calls His twelve disciples to Himself and sends them out into fields where they will not be received by all (A; Mt 10:1-15). Like their teacher, they will be persecuted (B; Mt 10:16-25), but they should not fear when they are persecuted (B’; Mt 10:26-33). The gospel brings division, but those who receive the apostles will be rewarded (A’; Mt 10:34-42`).
The twelve are sent out, but it is a very specific mission they are given at this juncture. They are to go “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” not to the Gentiles and Samaritans. Later they will be sent to the whole world, but for now the immediate concern lies with the covenant people of God, Israel, to whom and through whom Messiah has been promised.
Jesus gives them a simple, concise message to preach: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This message is accompanied by signs: healing, resurrections, and exorcisms. The messengers are to receive no pay for their labors and must travel light, depending on their hosts for food. They will not long stay in any one place. If their message is received they will stay for a time, and if it is not, then they are to depart.
The apostles are told that their peace will be upon those who receive them, but to those who reject them judgment will come. The judgment is decisive – it will be worse for those who reject the apostles than the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jesus readies His disciples by explaining just how difficult things will be for them. This isn’t a pep talk; it is a commission, a commission to go as sheep in the midst of wolves. That is, it is a dangerous commission given by Jesus.
Jesus explicates the kind of persecution the apostles will face. They will be opposed by religious people who will send them to the courts, both religious and civil, and Jesus’s followers will receive hostile examinations and floggings. They will be betrayed by these opponents, who are the kind who will turn on their own family members. Some will even be put to death. The apostles will be hated on account of their allegiance to Jesus, calling to mind Jesus’s teaching about persecution in His Sermon in Mt 5.
In enduring such persecution the apostles show their likeness to Jesus. We do well to realize that Jesus isn’t warning them about “the pagans” but about God’s people, the house of Israel. The religious folk have maligned Jesus; they will malign His followers. Jesus has a few immediate instructions for them on the occasion of persecution. First, they are to be wise, shrewd even, as they proceed (vv. 16-17). Second, he tells them not to be anxious (vv. 19-20), since the Holy Spirit will be with them and give them words to speak when the need arises. Third, they are to flee those towns where they face opposition and move on to the next town. They are commissioned to move swiftly among “the lost sheep,” gathering up who they may while there is time.
In all of this, the apostles are not to fear their persecutors. The concern for one’s own life is admittedly of major import in the face of persecution, but it is by no means the primary matter with respect to kingdom that is at hand. Even if the apostles are killed, they will not be destroyed – the body may be killed but the soul will not be. But this, while true, isn’t the sum of the matter. In fact, the durability of the soul and the promise of life after death isn’t even the first reason Jesus offers to dissipate fear among the apostles.
The primary reason the apostles are not to fear is that the kingdom truth about God’s salvation will now be revealed. They are not to fear because everything will be brought to light, what is covered will be revealed, and what is hidden will be known. Yes, just as the sparrows are of concern to the Father, He is even more concerned for the souls of the apostles. Yet there is something more, something greater. So, just as God cares for the sparrows, but for the apostles yet more, then just as God is concerned for the souls of the apostles, so he is concerned for the souls of the lost sheep of Israel. The apostles are not to fear because, yes, He will take care of their souls, but, even more importantly, the kingdom work they are setting out to do should not be hindered by unnecessary fear. There is too much at stake for that.
Jesus then recalls themes mentioned earlier in the chapter. The message of the kingdom will bring division, even division among families. The announcement of the kingdom will not always be greeted by peace. It appears, in fact, that it often will not bring peace, but a “sword.” The sword is an instrument of power, a power that brings death.
That Jesus means to evoke thoughts of death, immediately, mind you, after telling them not to fear, is made clear by His reference to the cross in v. 38, and His teaching about finding and losing life in v. 39. Jesus is evoking the fear of death, again just after instructing the disciples not to fear death, in order to graphically instruct them to submit to His lordship. If you follow Jesus, you take up the cross, and whoever takes up a cross goes to die. There are more important things than living.
Jesus offers His disciples a closing reminder about their reception by the lost sheep. There are those religious people who are looking for typical “prophets” and the “righteous.” That is, we religious people tend to see ourselves in a good light, and we hope to find messengers who will confirm the good things we think about ourselves, in which case we commend them in kind. But when we do that, we receive reward that is ephemeral. Not so, Jesus says, when we treat with kindness those who bring the true message of the kingdom, because we know the messenger is a disciple of Jesus. In that case comes a reward that cannot be lost.
The disciples are now sent out with the message of the at-hand kingdom. The entrance to the kingdom involves death, but not a fearful one. Yes, we naturally fear death, but Jesus points the way round that – the promise of the kingdom and its inbreaking reality makes the pain of death pale by comparison. In light of this, there is to be no anxiety, no worry, no fear in the face of persecution, because to lose one’s life for Jesus’s sake is to find life after all.
The twelve are sent out, but it is a very specific mission they are given at this juncture. They are to go “to the lost sheep of the house of Israel,” not to the Gentiles and Samaritans. Later they will be sent to the whole world, but for now the immediate concern lies with the covenant people of God, Israel, to whom and through whom Messiah has been promised.
Jesus gives them a simple, concise message to preach: “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This message is accompanied by signs: healing, resurrections, and exorcisms. The messengers are to receive no pay for their labors and must travel light, depending on their hosts for food. They will not long stay in any one place. If their message is received they will stay for a time, and if it is not, then they are to depart.
The apostles are told that their peace will be upon those who receive them, but to those who reject them judgment will come. The judgment is decisive – it will be worse for those who reject the apostles than the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
Jesus readies His disciples by explaining just how difficult things will be for them. This isn’t a pep talk; it is a commission, a commission to go as sheep in the midst of wolves. That is, it is a dangerous commission given by Jesus.
Jesus explicates the kind of persecution the apostles will face. They will be opposed by religious people who will send them to the courts, both religious and civil, and Jesus’s followers will receive hostile examinations and floggings. They will be betrayed by these opponents, who are the kind who will turn on their own family members. Some will even be put to death. The apostles will be hated on account of their allegiance to Jesus, calling to mind Jesus’s teaching about persecution in His Sermon in Mt 5.
In enduring such persecution the apostles show their likeness to Jesus. We do well to realize that Jesus isn’t warning them about “the pagans” but about God’s people, the house of Israel. The religious folk have maligned Jesus; they will malign His followers. Jesus has a few immediate instructions for them on the occasion of persecution. First, they are to be wise, shrewd even, as they proceed (vv. 16-17). Second, he tells them not to be anxious (vv. 19-20), since the Holy Spirit will be with them and give them words to speak when the need arises. Third, they are to flee those towns where they face opposition and move on to the next town. They are commissioned to move swiftly among “the lost sheep,” gathering up who they may while there is time.
In all of this, the apostles are not to fear their persecutors. The concern for one’s own life is admittedly of major import in the face of persecution, but it is by no means the primary matter with respect to kingdom that is at hand. Even if the apostles are killed, they will not be destroyed – the body may be killed but the soul will not be. But this, while true, isn’t the sum of the matter. In fact, the durability of the soul and the promise of life after death isn’t even the first reason Jesus offers to dissipate fear among the apostles.
The primary reason the apostles are not to fear is that the kingdom truth about God’s salvation will now be revealed. They are not to fear because everything will be brought to light, what is covered will be revealed, and what is hidden will be known. Yes, just as the sparrows are of concern to the Father, He is even more concerned for the souls of the apostles. Yet there is something more, something greater. So, just as God cares for the sparrows, but for the apostles yet more, then just as God is concerned for the souls of the apostles, so he is concerned for the souls of the lost sheep of Israel. The apostles are not to fear because, yes, He will take care of their souls, but, even more importantly, the kingdom work they are setting out to do should not be hindered by unnecessary fear. There is too much at stake for that.
Jesus then recalls themes mentioned earlier in the chapter. The message of the kingdom will bring division, even division among families. The announcement of the kingdom will not always be greeted by peace. It appears, in fact, that it often will not bring peace, but a “sword.” The sword is an instrument of power, a power that brings death.
That Jesus means to evoke thoughts of death, immediately, mind you, after telling them not to fear, is made clear by His reference to the cross in v. 38, and His teaching about finding and losing life in v. 39. Jesus is evoking the fear of death, again just after instructing the disciples not to fear death, in order to graphically instruct them to submit to His lordship. If you follow Jesus, you take up the cross, and whoever takes up a cross goes to die. There are more important things than living.
Jesus offers His disciples a closing reminder about their reception by the lost sheep. There are those religious people who are looking for typical “prophets” and the “righteous.” That is, we religious people tend to see ourselves in a good light, and we hope to find messengers who will confirm the good things we think about ourselves, in which case we commend them in kind. But when we do that, we receive reward that is ephemeral. Not so, Jesus says, when we treat with kindness those who bring the true message of the kingdom, because we know the messenger is a disciple of Jesus. In that case comes a reward that cannot be lost.
The disciples are now sent out with the message of the at-hand kingdom. The entrance to the kingdom involves death, but not a fearful one. Yes, we naturally fear death, but Jesus points the way round that – the promise of the kingdom and its inbreaking reality makes the pain of death pale by comparison. In light of this, there is to be no anxiety, no worry, no fear in the face of persecution, because to lose one’s life for Jesus’s sake is to find life after all.