Matthew 10


Jesus Sends Out the Twelve

¹He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.
²These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

Matthew 10:1-4

Explanation:

PROCLAIMING THE KINGDOM (10:1-42)
Matthew explains the ethics of the kingdom (Mt 5-7), relationships in the kingdom (13), and the presence (13) and future (23-25) of the kingdom; but he does so to disciples whom he expects to further propagate the message of the kingdom (10). Just as Jesus carries on John's message (3:2; 4:17), so will his disciples carry on his (10:7; 28:19). His followers must carry on his mission of healing (9:35) because the laborers are so few (9:37). Matthew records the words of Jesus in this chapter, like those in the Sermon on the Mount, not for merely historical interest but to encourage fellow disciples in the period between the first and second comings of Jesus.




Jesus Commissions His Agents (10:1-4)
This passage carries on the narrative introduction to Jesus' mission discourse that began in 9:35. It describes the disciples he commissioned.


Authorizing Others to Heal (10:1)
The number of disciples signifies a mission to Israel. In Jewish texts from Jesus' day, twelve often symbolized the twelve tribes of Israel. Although Jesus had many disciples, he apparently selected a core group of twelve (as in Mk 3:16; 1 Cor 15:5) to make a statement similar to that of the Qumran community with its twelve officers (F. Bruce 1969:75; E. Sanders 1985:104): Jesus' disciples were the leaders of the true remnant of God's people (Mt 19:28). Thus many scholars point out that the church built on this foundation of the twelve leaders of Israel's remnant represents the true heir of God's ancient promises.
The text explicitly tells us that Jesus was interested not only in proclaiming the kingdom but also in demonstrating it. In the Bible, God worked miracles most often in times of revival, times when he had raised up servants committed to his cause and full of faith. Often these servants trained others. Elijah trained Elisha and also apparently led a revival of wilderness prophets (see 2 Kings 2:3-18); Samuel also was training a prophetic movement that had not existed when God first began calling him (1 Sam 3:1; 19:20-24). We should be praying for a revival of laborers for the harvest today (Mt 9:38).

Both Jesus' proclamation and practical acts of compassion go beyond what many Christians call ministry today. Our communities are ravaged by demonic forces, violence, injustice and all kinds of human pain, while the church often remains irrelevant except to the few who venture through our doors. To follow Jesus' model of ministry, more Christians must stop simply going to church and learn rather to become the church among our communities in evangelism and ministry to social needs. (If we do not know where to begin on the latter, staff with local social services organizations may be more than happy to provide advice.)



The First Missionaries (10:2-4)
For effectiveness in reaching Israel, Jesus naturally limited his disciples to free male Jews; perhaps due to the pool of available disciples, he also seems to have selected mainly Galileans. We know the occupations of roughly half of his disciples; of these, all were middle-income professions in which less than 10 percent of Jewish Palestine's population engaged (fishermen and tax gatherers), perhaps to give emphasis to socially prominent individuals who were nevertheless unassociated with any religious or social elite. Notably, Jesus did not invite any who were already religious professionals-hence already schooled in particular ideas-into his inner circle.
Despite these common features of the disciples, however, the list indicates some diversity. To include a tax collector (who was backed by the elite, v. 3) and possibly a revolutionary (v. 4) in the same band of disciples was noteworthy. Any of us who struggle with whether we are adequate to carry out God's purposes in the world should recall that the first ambassadors Jesus called were wholly inadequate. God uses especially those who will recognize their own inadequacy, for those who suppose their own ability adequate for God's call usually end up depending on it instead of on him.

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.

Matthew 10:5-15

Explanation:

The Mission of Jesus' Agents (10:5-15)
Jesus' instructions here show that the disciples would carry on most aspects of his mission (9:35-38). Even if one started from skeptical grounds, there is good evidence to suggest a historical basis for the account of Jesus' sending his disciples. Teachers could train disciples in part by giving them practice, and that Jesus did so best explains the disciples' rapid imitation of his miraculous ministry in the years immediately following the resurrection (compare 2 Cor 12:12). Yet Matthew provides these instructions not merely as a matter of historical interest-had his interest been merely historical he would not have rearranged the material in this section so thoroughly to be relevant to his readers-but as a living message to his own audience.
Thus he includes some of Jesus' teachings not strictly relevant to the first mission but which his audience would recognize as particularly relevant in their own day, including prosecution in synagogue and pagan courts (10:17-18; see F. Bruce 1972a:68; Morosco 1979; pace Schweitzer 1968:361). Likewise Matthew 11:1, unlike Mark, does not actually report the disciples' mission, because for Matthew the mission must continue in his own generation. Summoning his audience to greater commitment to the Gentile mission, he provides instructions for those who would go forth to evangelize, and in more general ways for the churches that send them.


Jesus Sends His Disciples (10:5)

When Jesus sent out his disciples, he literally "apostled" them. Thus he provides a relevant model for his appointed agents in subsequent generations (whether they are "apostles" in the narrower sense or not). The language used here for "sending" probably connotes commissioning agents with delegated authority. Ancient Israelite circles also used formal agents or messengers (as in Prov 10:26; 13:17; 26:6); agency eventually became a legal custom so pervasive that both Roman and Jewish law recognized the use of agents, or intermediary marriage brokers, in betrothals (Cohen 1966:295-96).


Agents did not always have high legal status; some were even slaves. Yet they carried delegated authority, acting on the authority of the one who sent them. Thus later teachers commonly remarked that a person's agent is "equivalent to the person himself" (t. Ta`anit 3:2; m. Berakot 5:5). How one treats Jesus' messengers or heralds therefore represents how one treats Jesus himself (Mt 10:40-42).

Because the agent had to be trustworthy to carry out his mission, teachers sometimes debated the character the pious should require of such agents (m. Demai 4:5; t. Demai 2:20). This also implies, of course, that an agent's authority was entirely limited to the scope of his commission and the faithfulness with which he carried it out. The fact that Jesus authorizes us to do acts of compassion in his name (Mt 9:36) does not authorize us to use his power to get whatever we want (4:3).

Jesus' agents were not like just any legal agents: in biblical history, God's agents were the prophets. The connections in this text between Jesus' commissioned messengers and prophets should not be overlooked (10:41; compare Boring 1982:89).

To Israel Alone (10:5-6)

This limitation fits the historic priority of Israel in salvation history (compare Rom 1:16; 2:9-10; 15:8-9), was practical (these disciples were not yet equipped to cross cultural boundaries) and would have undoubtedly not been objectionable to the first disciples themselves (compare Acts 10:28). Jesus did see a future hope for the Gentiles in the Scriptures (see comment on 8:11-12), but he limited his own mission primarily to Israel. In this text, however, Jesus' orders may address geography more than ethnicity (NIV mistranslates "way of Gentiles" as among the Gentiles); Jesus merely prohibits taking any of the roads leading to Hellenistic cities in Palestine (Manson 1979:179). Since Samaria and Gentile territories surrounded Galilee, Jesus' orders de facto limited his disciples' mission geographically, restricting their activity to Galilee (see Gundry 1982:185).

In contrast to other commandments in this chapter, however, Matthew indicates that Jesus later revokes this limitation (24:14; 28:19-20), specifically clarifying that this one command was a temporary measure during his earthly ministry. Indeed, by highlighting that the gospel's first recipients are Jewish, hence that even Jewish people may reject the kingdom and be treated as Gentiles (10:14-15), this limitation implies a supraethnic view of the kingdom that ultimately necessitates the Gentile mission.

Good News About God's Impending Kingdom (10:7)

That this good news about the kingdom remains the church's message (Acts 8:12; 20:24-25; 28:31) is clear not only from the fact that Matthew nowhere revokes it but also from the roughly parallel formulation in his Gospel's conclusion: as you go (not the imperative go as in the NIV rendering of 28:19) is a participle in both instances (10:7 and 28:19). We proclaim Jesus' Lordship: he has all authority in the universe (28:18; Dan 7:13-14) and appears alongside the Father and the Spirit (28:19). To make disciples for this King is to proclaim the good news that God's future reign is already active in this age (compare 28:20).

Signs Bring Attention to the Message (10:8)

"The disciples' mission (vv. 7-8) replicates and extends the mission of Jesus in preaching the coming of God's kingdom and in healing the sick (see 4:23)" (Harrington 1982:45). Matthew emphasizes the continuity between Jesus' mission and that of the disciples precisely because the model of ministry God had exemplified in Jesus remains important for Jesus' followers (see more fully Wimber with Spring 1986:113-15; Keener 1996:85-89).

Insofar as possible, we should learn to demonstrate Jesus' rule the way Jesus did. Although hardhearted people may never be satisfied with signs (15:37-16:1; compare Jn 11:47-48; 12:10-11; Acts 4:16-17), signs can draw other people's attention to the gospel (Mt 11:3-6, 21, 23; see also Jn 2:11; Acts 4:29-30; 9:35, 42). If such ministry is more difficult in our rationalistic culture, it may be for that reason all the more important. Yet some parts of today's church that are open to miracles unfortunately have missed another part of Jesus' teaching on faith and mission: God's messengers must live simply (10:8-12).

Jesus' Agents Live Simply (10:8-10)

Cynic philosophers and many peasants had only one cloak. More relevant here, some Palestinian Jews known as Essenes showed their devotion to God by a simple lifestyle, especially those who lived in the wilderness (1QS 1.11-13; 6.22-23; Jos. Ant. 18.20; War 2.122). Josephus also indicates that Essenes did not take provisions when they traveled; they expected hospitality from fellow Essenes in every city (War 2.124-25).

Yet perhaps most relevant is the model of Israel's ancient prophets in times of national apostasy (for example, 1 Kings 18:13). One may recall Elisha's unwillingness to accept Naaman's gifts, preferring to allow the Aramean God-fearer to remain wholly indebted to Israel's God; his servant Gehazi, however, determined to profit from Naaman and suffered for it (2 Kings 5:20-27). Elisha reminded Gehazi that the current time of spiritual crisis rendered the acquisition of material possessions a vain pursuit (2 Kings 5:26). In contrast to Elisha, many Western Christians waste their income on worldly pursuits rather than committing all their resources to the kingdom.

On long trips, one typically brought both a change of clothes and money in a bag tied to one's belt or fastened around one's neck (Stambaugh and Balch 1986:38); Jesus here forbids the normal basic apparatus for travel. By prohibiting a bag (Mt 10:10; Mk 6:8) Jesus forbids begging, the survival method of the otherwise almost equally simple Cynics (Meeks 1986:107). Mark allows at least staff (for self-protection) and sandals, but Matthew's demand for simplicity is still more radical, prohibiting even these. This is not a matter of asceticism but of priorities, as in 6:19-34. These prohibitions would distinguish the disciples from other kinds of wandering preachers (like the Cynics in the Greek world) "whose questionable reputation they did not want to share" (Liefeld 1967:260; see also p. 247).

Paul's examples of apostleship in 1 Corinthians 4:9-13 and 2 Cor 4:8-12; 6:3-10; 11:24-33 (presented like philosophers' lists of sufferings) show the demands of a true apostolic call. Another early church document warns that if a prophet wants to stay more than three days or asks for money, he is a false prophet (Did. 11:5; compare 2 Cor 11:7-15); Matthew may have even had such false teachers in mind as he dictated this warning (Gundry 1982:186).

Although Christ does not send all Christians the same way he sent these disciples, their obedience to their calling challenges us to consider what we can sacrifice for the work of God's kingdom. Missionaries today will not all follow these specifications exactly (just as Mark apparently toned down Q's instructions for his own community); hospitality is not as dependable in most cultures as it was in first-century Jewish Palestine. Nevertheless, the message of this text summons us to radically value our mission above all possessions and to live as simply as necessary to devote our resources to evangelism.

Those who strive to "witness" to their neighbors by demonstrating that Christ can "bless" them with abundant possessions may unwittingly witness for a false gospel, reinforcing the same materialistic goals that drive many young men in ghettos to sell drugs and many politicians to sell their souls. Non-Christians often have the spiritual sense to recognize what much of the church ignores: tacking Jesus' name onto worldly values does not sanctify those values, it just profanes Jesus' name.

God Supplies for the Mission (10:10-11)

The disciples can travel light because they trust God to supply their needs where they minister. Ancient Mediterranean peoples, especially Jewish people, emphasized hospitality (as in Cicero De Officiis 2.18.64; Ps-Phocyl. 24; Test. Job 10:1-4). Because strangers could abuse this system, however, Jewish people outside Palestine depended heavily on letters of recommendation showing that the traveler was of good reputation. Jesus' messengers had better backing than a letter of recommendation, however; the authority of Jesus himself stood behind them (10:40-42; compare 2 Cor 3:1-6).

Responsibility and the Message (10:12-15)

The hearers would be judged by whether they embraced Christ's messengers. The missionaries were to use one home as their base of operations for evangelizing the community (10:11-12; compare Mk 6:10; Lk 10:7). They would find the home first by inquiring regarding who might hear their message (Mt 10:11), then by finding out if the household welcomed them to stay there (vv. 12-13). Greetings constituted an essential aspect of social etiquette in Mediterranean antiquity, and social convention dictated particular rules for how to greet persons of varying rank (23:7). But Jewish people also viewed their greetings as "wish-prayers": Shalom (salom), "peace," meant "May it be well with you." Just as a curse undeserved will not take effect (Prov 26:2), Jesus declares that the disciples' blessings will be efficacious only if they prove appropriate.

Those who received the agents of Christ ultimately received Christ himself (Mt 10:40-41), even if the only hospitality they had available to offer was a cup of water (v. 42). But those who rejected Christ's agents were to be treated like spiritual pagans (v. 14). Just as Jewish people returning to the Holy Land might shake the dust of Gentile lands from their feet, so Jesus' disciples were to treat those who rejected their message as unholy (Acts 13:51). God would treat these nations not merely like Gentiles in general, but worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Mt 10:15), for they were rejecting a greater opportunity for repentance than Sodom had (11:23-24).

Matthew 10


¹⁶I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
¹⁷"Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. ¹⁸On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. ¹⁹But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, ²⁰for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
²¹"Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. ²²All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. ²³When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.

Matthew 10:16-23

Explanation:

Persecution Is Promised (10:16-23)
Matthew's inclusion of material concerning persecution (compare Mk 13:9-13) in his discourse on the kingdom mission indicates his view that persecution and proclamation are inseparable (see likewise Acts or Paul's letters, such as Paul's defense of his apostleship in 2 Cor 11:23-33). True ministry involves suffering, especially if it is a frontline ministry to nonbelievers; I have been beaten and threatened more than once for ministry on the streets. Yet as Jesus reminds us in the next section, the worst our opponents can do to us is kill us, and we will die anyway with or without their persecution (Mt 10:24-33). Because persecution is a guarantee for a true disciple (2 Tim 3:12), we may question the strength of our witness if we are not experiencing any (compare, for example, Mt 5:11-12; Acts 5:41; 14:22; Gal 5:11; 1 Thess 3:3; Rev 1:9-though these are most applicable where the gospel seriously violates long-standing cultural traditions).


Opposition and Empowerment (10:16-20)
Jesus sends his disciples (v. 16), persecution becomes an opportunity for testimony (v. 18), and the Spirit of prophecy will provide the words (v. 20). Once the church faced persecution but possessed Jesus' power; now the church possesses more of the world's power but less of Jesus (compare Thurman 1981:11-12).
Jesus' Followers Are Powerless in Their Own Strength (10:16)

Sheep, like Israel of old (v. 6; compare 9:36), were defenseless against such predators as wolves (Sirach 13:17). Christians should therefore avoid unnecessarily provoking their opponents (shrewd) while remaining "guileless" (NIV innocent).


Physical Suffering and Shame for Jesus' Sake (10:17)

The hostility of synagogue officials (compare Jn 16:2) would extend as far as scourging (Mt 10:17; 23:34), recalling the more deadly scourging that the Lord himself would undergo (27:26). Local councils probably consisted of town elders, with special privileges for local priests. Synagogue scourgings probably resembled in some respects the custom we know from later sources: a strap of calf leather with interwoven thongs, brought against the condemned person's back twenty-six times and the breast thirteen times (m. Makkot 3:10-12).

God Will Empower the Disciples to Speak Before Rulers (10:18-20)

That this passage speaks of Roman governors in the plural (Judea had only one governor) indicates that Matthew again points beyond the immediate mission of the Twelve to the continuing mission of the church among the nations (28:19). God allows these hearings precisely for a testimony (compare Mk 13:10-11), and God will empower the disciples by the Holy Spirit of prophecy (compare Rev 19:10; see Keener 1997). Thus despite the ancient aristocracy's valuing of rhetorical skills, disciples need not be anxious about what they will say (see also Lk 12:11-12; 21:13-15; Jn 16:1-11).



Divided Families (10:21-22)
! Jesus promises opposition so severe that it will divide even families. The hatred of all (v. 22; Mk 13:12; compare "all nations," Mt 24:9) on account of Jesus' name (5:11-12; Jn 15:19-21) will extend even to those in closest relation to us. The gospel is offensive to those who reject its demands or whose culture or tradition it challenges. Although Judaism considered betrayal to Gentiles a heinous act (m. Terumot 8:12), even family members would now betray one another to death (Mt 10:21; compare 10:35; 24:9; Mk 13:9, 12; Lk 21:12, 16). In a culture dominated by honor and shame, in which the opinion of family members was paramount, such a threat demanded an incomparably high allegiance to Christ (Mt 10:37-39).


Opposition Within Israel (10:23)
Even in Jewish Palestine, persecution would be so intense that disciples would have no secure refuge until Jesus' return. Persecution would cause disciples to flee (compare 2:13; Acts 14:5-6; 17:14) from one city to another (Mt 10:23; 23:34); this persecution in Israel would not subside fully until the Son of Man's return. Their missionary task and its attendant persecution would not be completed until Jesus' return (KG mmel 1957:61-62); in the end, however, Israel would repent (Mt 23:39), just as the prophets had spoken (for example, Deut 4:30; Jer 31:33; Ezek 37:23; Hos 2:14-23; 11:5-11; 14:1-7; Mal 4:6).

Matthew 10


²⁴"A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. ²⁵It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
²⁶"So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. ²⁷What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. ²⁸Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. ²⁹Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. ³⁰And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. ³¹So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
³²"Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. ³³But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.

Matthew 10:24-33

Explanation:

Encouragement for the Persecuted (10:24-33)
Too often we try to encourage people by hoping that sufferings will not come. Jesus instead warned us to get ready: evangelism is so important that we must be prepared to give our lives for it.
Like Master, like Disciple (10:24-25)

Since a disciple was expected to be like a servant, since a disciple could not be greater than the Master and since servants were considered part of the household, whatever accusers could call the head of the household, they would call the servants even more.

Preach Boldly (10:26-27)

In view of the impending end-time vindication (Mt 11:19), Jesus' followers should preach boldly, fearing no shame from their peers in this world. Because the flat housetops above the streets (24:17) provided easier hearing than the streets themselves, "shouting from the housetops" (10:27) underlines the boldness with which disciples must make God's message known.

Fear God Alone (10:28)

Because God is judge in the end, we should not fear even persecutors who threaten death (vv. 26, 28). Mortals can destroy only one's body, while God can resurrect the body for damnation and destroy the whole person (with eternal torture; compare 3:12; 25:46). The choice is not between courage and fear but has to do with whom we will fear more (Minear 1950:169). Jesus may here recall the Jewish martyr tradition, which exhorted its followers not to fear those who think they can kill, because eternal suffering awaits the soul that disobeys God's command (4 Macc 13:14-15).

God's Care (10:29-31)

Jesus assures his disciples that they can trust God's sovereignty in their protection or their death. Sparrows were the cheapest commodity sold in the markets (as food for the poor); an assarion was a small coin (one-sixteenth of a denarius, thus equivalent to less than an hour's wage; compare 5:26; Wheaton 1982:792). Yet as worthless as sparrows were to people, God watched over them. Jewish teachers agreed that God was sovereign over each bird's fate (Pes. Rab Kah. 11:16; Gen. Rab. 79:6; Eccl. Rab. 10:8, 1). "How much more" (following a standard line of Jewish reasoning) may we therefore be assured that nothing happens to us when God is "not looking" (Ps 121:4; compare 1 Kings 18:27-29). This teaching fits the biblical perspective of a God sovereign over history, who knows every hair on our heads (compare Acts 27:34; 1 Sam 14:45; 2 Sam 14:11; 1 Kings 1:52).

If we faithfully confess Jesus in our witness to others, including before earthly tribunals (Mt 10:17-20), he will also faithfully confess us before God's tribunal, justifying us before him (compare 12:36-37; Jn 12:42; 1 Tim 6:12-13; Rev 3:5). He will also deny those who deny or are ashamed to testify boldly of him (Mt 10:32-33; Mk 8:38; 2 Tim 2:12); we may all be grateful for his mercy on the repentant (Mt 26:34). Jewish people often spoke of "confessing," that is, proclaiming, God; Jesus thus probably calls for a confession of faith in himself here equivalent to confession of faith in God.

Matthew 10


³⁴"Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. ³⁵For I have come to turn
   " 'a man against his father,
       a daughter against her mother,
   a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--
        ³⁶a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.'
³⁷"Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; ³⁸and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. ³⁹Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
⁴⁰"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me. ⁴¹Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward. ⁴²And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."

Matthew 10:34-42

Explanation:

Jesus Matters More Than Anything (10:34-39)
The demands of the kingdom are so offensive to a world already convinced of its rightness that they provoke that world's hostility.

Opposition from Unconverted Family Members (10:34-37)

Although Jesus values families (5:27-32; 15:4-6; 19:4-9), the division his mission brings is particularly evident in families (compare 10:21; 1 Cor 7:16; of course more people prefer to quote Acts 16:31). Jesus' example demonstrates how this division is accomplished: although we are "harmless" (Mt 10:16; 12:19-20), God's agents proclaim the kingdom uncompromisingly and thus face hostility from others (13:57). Jesus' mission separates us from the values of our society, and society responds with persecution. Jesus selects these specific examples of in-laws (mother-in-law and daughter-in-law) because young couples generally lived with the man's family


Jesus matters more than the approval or even the civility of our family (10:37). Many viewed honoring one's parents as the highest social obligation (Ep. Arist. 228; Jos. Apion 2.206; Ps-Phocyl. 8); for many, God alone was worthy of greater honor (Deut 13:6; 33:9; 2 Macc 7:22-23).

Love Jesus More Than Life (10:38-39)

We must love Jesus not only more than our families but more than our own lives. For all our talk about low self-esteem these days (and most of us do view ourselves as less than what God has called us to be), the vast majority of people still cling desperately to life (compare Eph 5:29; Epict. Disc. 2.22.15-16). But the moment we become Christ's followers, our own lives and wills become forfeit; we die with Christ to sin (that is, to the right to make selfish choices; Rom 6:3-4) and choose a path that could lead any day to our execution for Christ's name (Mt 16:24). Although we may speak glibly today of "our cross" as the need to put up with Aunt Molly or a leaky roof, "taking up the cross" in Jesus' day meant being forced to bear the instrument of one's execution past a jeering mob to the site of one's imminent death as a condemned criminal (see Hengel 1977).

The promise of eternal life should be sufficient motivation for any who genuinely believe Jesus' claims-it doesn't take a math major to recognize that the greatest mortal longevity pales in comparison with eternity-but we sometimes prove less committed than we suppose (26:41). That even the first disciples were not initially prepared for such a demand (26:56) does not mitigate the level of commitment our Lord seeks from us: if we want to be followers of Jesus, we must be ready to die. If I value my life in this world more than I value Jesus and the life of the next world, I cannot be his disciple.



P255>Embracing Christ's Agents (10:40-42)
!
1ST PAR = The person who relinquishes the right to his or her own life (10:38-39) becomes a representative of Jesus (10:40-42; compare 18:5; Mk 9:37; Lk 10:16; Jn 13:20), and one must receive a herald or ambassador in the same way one would receive the one who sent him (for the principle applied to an apostle, compare 2 Cor 5:20-6:2, 11-13; 7:2-4). Some in Jesus' day seem to have advocated receiving the sages as God's representatives, but for Jesus it was those who became like children-the epitome of dependence and powerlessness in antiquity-who were his representatives (Mt 10:42; 11:25; 18:5-6).

As people treat God's prophet, so they treat the God who sent the prophet (1 Sam 8:7). Matthew repeatedly emphasizes that disciples as Jesus' agents are his righteous ones and prophets, even greater than the prophets of old (Mt 5:11-12; 11:9; 13:17). Disciples were also little ones (10:42), the easily oppressed and powerless who could not or would not defend themselves, hence depended solely on God (18:3-6, 10; compare Mk 9:37; 10:14-15).


Receiving Jesus' representatives with a cup of cold water (Mt 10:42; Mk 9:41) probably refers to accepting into one's home missionaries who have abandoned their own homes and security to bring Christ's message (Mt 10:11; see also 25:35-40). A cup of cold water might have been all that a peasant could offer, but hospitality given in faith to a prophet who requested it would be rewarded (compare 1 Kings 17:12-16; 2 Kings 4:8-17).

The following narrative may illustrate the point twice: some would not receive a prophet who came in a prophet's name (Mt 11:7-19; compare 10:41); John the Baptist himself had to continue to receive Jesus, to embrace his identity in the midst of challenges to his faith (11:3-6).