When Jesus Sent His Friends to Change the World
What’s Matthew 10 about?
Jesus calls His twelve disciples and sends them out with extraordinary authority to heal, cast out demons, and proclaim the Kingdom – but warns them they’re walking into a storm that will test everything they believe about following Him.
The Full Context
Matthew 10 captures one of the most pivotal moments in Jesus’ ministry – the commissioning of the Twelve. This isn’t just a casual “go tell people about Me” moment. Jesus is essentially franchising His ministry, giving ordinary fishermen and tax collectors the same supernatural authority He’s been wielding. The historical context is crucial: Jesus has been drawing massive crowds with His miracles and teaching, but now He’s multiplying His impact by sending out teams. This comes right after Matthew 9:37-38, where Jesus tells His disciples the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few – and then immediately does something about it.
But here’s what makes this chapter so fascinating: it starts with incredible power and authority, then quickly shifts into some of the most sobering warnings in the entire New Testament. Jesus doesn’t sugarcoat what following Him will cost. Within the broader structure of Matthew’s Gospel, this chapter serves as a bridge between Jesus’ early Galilean ministry and the growing opposition He’ll face. It’s both a high point of delegated authority and a realistic preview of the persecution that’s coming. The cultural background is essential too – in the ancient Near East, when a master sent out representatives, they carried his full authority, but also his reputation and the consequences that came with it.
What the Ancient Words Tell Us
The Greek word Matthew uses for “authority” in verse 1 is exousia – and it’s loaded with meaning. This isn’t just permission or influence; it’s delegated power that comes with the right to use it. When Jesus gives them exousia over unclean spirits and diseases, He’s literally transferring His supernatural ability to them.
But here’s where it gets interesting: the word for “send” in verse 5 is apostello, which gives us our word “apostle.” It doesn’t just mean “send” – it means to send someone as your official representative with full authority to act on your behalf. In the Roman world, when Caesar sent an envoy, that person spoke with Caesar’s voice and carried Caesar’s authority. Jesus is doing something similar but infinitely more significant.
Grammar Geeks
The phrase “freely you have received, freely give” in verse 8 uses the Greek word dorean, which means “as a gift” or “without payment.” But the grammar here is particularly striking – it’s written as a perfect passive, meaning the disciples have been permanently gifted with something they had no part in earning, and now they must give in the same manner.
The shift happens dramatically at verse 16: “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves.” The Greek word for “sheep” here is probata – not just any sheep, but specifically the ones that go ahead of the flock. Jesus isn’t calling them helpless victims; He’s saying they’re the advance guard walking into hostile territory.
What Would the Original Audience Have Heard?
When Jesus told them to take “no bag for the journey” (verse 10), His first-century audience would have immediately understood something we might miss. Traveling teachers and philosophers routinely carried bags (pera) for collecting donations. Jesus is essentially telling them: “Don’t go as professional religionists looking for payment. Go as My representatives trusting in My provision.”
The instruction about shaking dust off their feet (verse 14) would have been shocking. Devout Jews would shake the dust off their feet when leaving Gentile territory to avoid bringing anything “unclean” into holy land. By telling His disciples to do this to Jewish towns that reject them, Jesus is making a radical statement about where holiness actually resides.
Did You Know?
When Jesus mentions being “handed over to local councils” in verse 17, he’s referring to the synedrion – local courts with the authority to order floggings. These weren’t just religious disagreements; they were formal legal proceedings that could result in real physical punishment.
The reference to family betrayal in verses 21-22 would have been particularly devastating to hear. In ancient Mediterranean culture, family honor and loyalty were everything. Jesus is warning that following Him might cost them the very thing that defined their identity and security in that society.
Wrestling with the Text
Here’s something puzzling about this chapter: Jesus gives them incredible authority and then immediately tells them they’ll face rejection, persecution, and even death. Why give someone supernatural power and then warn them it might not protect them from suffering?
The answer seems to lie in verse 25: “If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of His household!” Jesus is preparing them for the reality that having His authority doesn’t exempt them from His experience. The power isn’t for self-preservation; it’s for mission.
But then there’s this fascinating tension in verses 5-6 where Jesus explicitly tells them “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.” This seems to contradict the Great Commission later in Matthew 28. What’s happening here?
Wait, That’s Strange…
Jesus tells them in verse 23 “you will not finish going through the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.” This has puzzled scholars for centuries – was Jesus wrong about His timing, or is He referring to something else entirely? Comment your thoughts.
What we see is Jesus establishing a progression: Israel first, then the world. This isn’t about racial favoritism; it’s about God’s covenant strategy. Israel was always meant to be the light to the nations, and Jesus is giving them one final, concentrated opportunity to embrace their Messiah before the Good News (Gospel) explodes beyond ethnic boundaries.
How This Changes Everything
The most revolutionary thing about Matthew 10 isn’t the miracles – it’s the democratization of ministry. Jesus takes His authority and distributes it among ordinary people. This wasn’t how religious systems typically worked in the ancient world. Power stayed at the top, carefully guarded by professional priests and religious elites.
But Jesus flips the entire model. Fishermen get authority over demons. Tax collectors get power to heal diseases. The message is clear: God’s Kingdom operates on completely different principles than earthly kingdoms.
“Jesus doesn’t just call us to follow Him; He calls us to represent Him with His own authority.”
The warnings about persecution aren’t meant to discourage – they’re meant to prepare. Jesus is essentially saying: “You’re about to enter a spiritual war zone. The authority I’m giving you is real, but so is the opposition you’ll face. Don’t be surprised when the world responds to you the way it responded to Me.”
This changes how we think about Christian ministry today. We’re not just sharing opinions or offering religious services. We’re carrying the actual authority of the King of the universe. That’s both incredibly empowering and sobering.
The family division passages (verses 34-37) aren’t Jesus being harsh – they’re Jesus being honest. The Gospel has a way of exposing what people truly worship. Sometimes the cost of following Jesus is losing relationships with people who can’t understand why anyone would choose Him over comfort, security, or family approval.
Key Takeaway
Jesus gives His followers real authority to advance His Kingdom, but that authority comes with the guarantee of opposition, not the promise of ease. The question isn’t whether we’ll face resistance, but whether we’ll use faith in His power to push through it.
Further Reading
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