5 Jesus sent these 12 out with the following orders. “Do not go among the Gentiles,” he said. “Do not enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Instead, go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that have become lost. 7 As you go, preach this message, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ 8 Heal those who are sick. Bring those who are dead back to life. Make those who have skin diseases ‘clean’ again. Drive out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.
9 “Do not get any gold, silver or copper to take with you in your belts. 10 Do not take a bag for the journey. Do not take extra clothes or sandals or walking sticks. A worker should be given what he needs. 11 When you enter a town or village, look for someone who is willing to welcome you. Stay at their house until you leave. 12 As you enter the home, greet those who live there. 13 If that home welcomes you, give it your blessing of peace. If it does not, don’t bless it. 14 Some people may not welcome you or listen to your words. If they don’t, leave that home or town, and shake the dust off your feet. 15 What I’m about to tell you is true. On judgment day it will be easier for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town.
Read Matthew 10:5-15 in context and/or in other translations on BibleGateway.com!
In one of His challenges to the disciples, Matthew records Jesus sharing an interesting description of the spiritual state of the people of Israel. In this description is also a direction for their upcoming task.
Matthew tells us that Jesus commissioned His 12 closest followers somewhere in the middle of His ministry with a mission: “Jesus sent these 12 out with the following orders. ‘Do not go among the Gentiles,’ he said. ‘Do not enter any town of the Samaritans. Instead, go to the people of Israel. They are like sheep that have become lost. As you go, preach this message, “The kingdom of heaven has come near.”’” (v. 5-7)
This commission from Jesus is amazing in my mind. Jesus describes God’s people “like sheep that have become lost”. (v. 6)
Jesus was describing the Jewish nation with these words, but part of me wonders if Jesus could use the same phrase to describe the Church (i.e. the broad banner of everyone who claims the name of Christ). With the hundreds of different denominations, and a growing number of churches who act like denominations while claiming to exclude themselves from that label, it is not hard to conclude that there is just a little bit of confusion within the umbrella of Christianity. With each group believing themselves to be the closest to the truth, Jesus’ description of Israel may be even more applicable to us today as members of the Christian Movement.
This is why Jesus’ commission to the disciples is amazing in my mind: Jesus sends the disciples to the people of Israel. This would be like Jesus sending missionaries to His Church. If God sent an evangelist or a messenger to His people living today, would we pay attention? Would God’s people pay attention to a message from Him specifically for us living after the 20th century, or would we ignore His words and simply refer back to our own interpretation of what the Bible says.
God has given us everything we need for salvation through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. God has given us the Bible, and He has kept its message safe throughout history. But what would happen if God realized that His people had become lost, even with salvation being accomplished and the Bible’s message being preserved? Would God send a prophet like He did in the Old Testament or would He send a disciple like He did in the New Testament?
God’s church has not been perfected enough to no longer need His guidance. This will never happen. Instead, God sends messengers, like He sent the disciples, to those in His churches to draw His people back to focusing on Him.
This thought was inspired by studying the Walking With Jesus “Reflective Bible Study” package. To discover insights like this in your own study time, click here and give Reflective Bible Study a try today!
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