LXI.
THIRD CIRCUIT OF GALILEE. THE TWELVE
INSTRUCTED AND SENT FORTH.
aMATT. IX. 35-38; X.
1, 5-42; XI. 1; bMARK VI.
6-13; cLUKE IX. 1-6.
b6 And he aJesus
bwent about aall the cities and villages, teaching
in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing
all manner sickness and all manner of sickness. [In the first circuit
of Galilee some of the twelve accompanied Jesus as disciples (see Section
XXXIII.); in the second the twelve were with him as apostles; in the
third they, too, are sent forth as evangelists to supplement his work.]
36 But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them,
because they were distressed and scattered, as sheep not having a shepherd.
37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest indeed is plenteous, but
the [362] laborers are few.
38 Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers
into his harvest. [These verses contain the reasons why Jesus separated
his apostles from himself, and scattered them among the people. The masses
of the people of Galilee had been deeply stirred by the teaching and miracles
of Jesus, but they knew not as yet what direction was to be given to this
popular movement. They were in a bewildered state, like shepherdless sheep,
scattered over the hills and faint from running. The twelve were to assist
him as undershepherds in gathering these sheep. In the second figure Jesus
likens the people to a ripened harvest, and he sends the apostles among
them as reapers who shall garner them.]
1 And he called {bcalleth} ctogether aunto
him his {bthe} atwelve disciples, band
he gave them cpower and authority over all demons, aover
the unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of disease
{cto cure diseases.} aand all manner of sickness.
[At this point Matthew gives the names of the apostles, a complete list
of which will be found at page
222.] 5 These twelve Jesus sent
forth band he began to send them forth by two and two [He
sent them in pairs because: 1. Under the law it required two witnesses
to establish the truth. 2. They could supplement each other's work. Different
men reach different minds, and where one fails another may succeed. 3.
They would encourage one another. When one grew despondent the zeal and
enthusiasm of the other would quicken his activities];
c2 And he sent them forth to preach the kingdom of God, and
to heal the sick. b8 and he
charged them that they should take nothing for their journey, save
a staff only; no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse;
9 but to go shod with sandals; and, said he, put not on two
coats. aand charged them, saying, Go not into any way
of the Gentiles, and enter not into any city of the Samaritans:
6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. [This first
commission restricted Christ's messengers to the Jewish people,
and the parts of Palestine which they [363] inhabited,
but his second commission impelled them to go everywhere and to
preach to every creature (Mark xvi. 15). As Jesus himself was sent only
to the Jews, so during his days on earth he sent his disciples only to
them.] 7 As ye go, preach, saying,
The kingdom of heaven is at hand. [It was set up about a year later,
on the day of Pentecost, under the direction of the Holy Spirit--Acts ii.]
8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons: freely
ye received, freely give. [Here is the true rule of giving. Paul repeats
it at I. Cor. xvi. 2. If we would obey this rule, we would make this a
happy world.] c3 And he said
unto them, Take nothing for your journey,
a9 Get you no gold, nor silver, cnor money; anor
brass in your purses; cneither staff, nor wallet, afor
your journey, cnor bread, neither have two coats. anor
shoes, nor staff: for the workman is worthy of his food. [The prohibition
is against securing these things before starting, and at their own expense.
It is not that they would have no need for the articles mentioned, but
that "the laborer is worthy of his food," and they were to depend on the
people for whose benefit they labored, to furnish what they might need.
This passage is alluded to by Paul (I. Cor. ix. 14). To rightly understand
this prohibition we must remember that the apostles were to make but a
brief tour of a few weeks, and that it was among their own countrymen,
among a people habitually given to hospitality; moreover, that the apostles
were imbued with powers which would win for them the respect of the religious
and the gratitude of the well-to-do. The special and temporary commission
was, therefore, never intended as a rule under which we are to act in preaching
the gospel in other ages and in other lands.]
b10 And he said unto them
a11 And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search
out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth. [The customs
of the East gave rise to this rule. The ceremonies and forms with which
a guest was received were tedious and time-consuming vanities, while the
mission of the apostles required haste.]
12 And as ye enter [364] come into an
house, salute it. 13 And if the house
be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your
peace return to you. [The form of salutation on entering a house was,
"Peace to this house." The apostles are told to salute each house, and
are assured that the peace prayed for shall return to them if the house
is not worthy; that is, they shall receive, in this case, the blessing
pronounced on the house.] bWheresoever ye enter into a house,
there abide till ye depart thence. {c4
And into whatsoever house ye enter, there abide, and thence depart.}
b11 And whatsoever place shall not receive you, and they hear
you not [Jesus here warns them that their experiences would not always
be pleasant], a14
And whosoever cas many as ashall creceive
you not, anor hear your words, bas ye go forth thence,
aout of that house or that city [The word "house" indicates
a partial and the word "city" a complete rejection], {cwhen
you depart from that city,} bshake off the dust that is under
your feet {aof your feet.} cfrom your feet bfor
a testimony unto them. cagainst them. [The dust of heathen
lands as compared with the land of Israel was regarded as polluted and
unholy (Amos ii. 7; Ezek. xxvii. 30). The Jew, therefore, considered himself
defiled by such dust. For the apostles, therefore, to shake off the dust
of any city of Israel from their clothes or feet was to place that city
on a level with the cities of the heathen, and to renounce all further
intercourse with it.] a15
Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom
and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city. [For comment
on similar remarks, see page 287.
God judges all men with reference to their opportunities.]
16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore
wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. [At this point Jesus passes
from the first, or temporary, to the second, or final, commission of the
apostles, for all the persecutions enumerated were encountered under the
latter.] 17 But beware of men: for
they will deliver you up to [365] the
councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you [Councils and
synagogues were both Jewish powers.]
18 yea and before governors and kings shall ye be brought for my sake,
for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. [The phrase "governors
and kings" indicates Gentile powers, for most all governors and kings were
then appointed by Rome.] 19 But when
they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it
shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh
in you. [For comment on similar words, see page
318.] 21 And brother shall deliver
up brother to death, and the father his child: and children shall rise
up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. [Jesus here
foretells the intense religious bigotry with which his ministers should
be opposed. Having foretold persecution, he here predicts actual martyrdom.]
22 And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake [The term "all"
is used in its general and not in its absolute sense. The apostles had
some few friends among the unbelievers. Jesus gives the exact cause of
the hatred. It would not be because of any personal faults or peculiarities,
but simply because of adherence to Christ]: but he that endureth
to the end, the same shall be saved. [Since the persecution was unto
death, the endurance which should meet it must be to the end of life.]
23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next: for verily
I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone through the cities of Israel, till
the Son of man be come.[The apostles were not to meet obduracy with
obduracy. Moving as swiftly as they could along the line of least resistance,
they would not be able to evangelize all the Jewish cities before the time
set for their desolation--before the Son of man should come in the demonstration
of his judicial power and destroy the Jewish nationality.]
24 A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord.
25 It is enough for the disciple that he should be as his teacher, and
the servant as his lord. [Jesus applied [366] similar
words to the Jewish teachers. See page
262.] If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how
much more them of his household! [Jesus here warns the apostles that
they can not expect better treatment than he himself received--no, not
so good. Nor should they ask exemption from what he himself suffered.]
26 Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not
be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, speak ye in the light: and what ye hear
in the ear, proclaim upon the house-tops.
28 And be not afraid of them that kill the body, but are not able to kill
the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body
in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold
for a penny? and not one of them shall not fall on the ground without your
Father: 30 but the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. 31 Fear not therefore:
ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32 Every one therefore who shall confess me before men, him will I also
confess before my Father who is in heaven.
33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before
my Father who is in heaven. [For comment on similar remarks see page
317.] 34 Think not that I am come
to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35 For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter
against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36 and a man's foes shall be they of his own household. [For
comment on similar language see page
324.] 37 He that loveth father
or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter
more than me is not worthy of me. [Love for the old religion would
make the members of the Jewish and pagan families persecute those who apostasized
from it to give their hearts to Christ. But if the Jew and the pagan thus
held their religions at a higher value than the ties of kindred,
much more should the Christian value his religion above these ties.] [367]
38 And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy
of me. [This is doubtless an allusion to the manner of his death, and
being the first of the kind it must have been very puzzling to his disciples,
unless explained by prior words of Jesus, of which we have no record. As
such allusion its full meaning is this: "If I bear for each the vicarious
cross and suffer for each the full measure of the divine displeasure, then
each should be willing cheerfully to follow me that he may obtain the benefits
of my sacrifice, and if the light cross of human displeasure deter him
from this, he is not worthy of me."]
39 He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life
for my sake shall find it. [Jesus declares that all self-seeking is
self-losing. He that makes his own life the chief object of his endeavor
really fails the more he seems to succeed. He who saves and husbands his
powers to expend them on those lower carnal joys which a sinner calls "life"
shall lose those higher spiritual joys which God calls "life," and vice
versa. 40 He that receiveth you receiveth
me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me. [Having depicted
in all their darkness the persecutions which awaited the apostles, Jesus
here, by an easy transition, proceeds to declare the honor of their apostleship
in that they were representatives directly of Christ, and indirectly of
the Father.] 41 He that receiveth
a prophet in the name of [that is, because he is] a prophet shall
receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the
name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup
of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you he
shall in no wise lose his reward. [Whoever honors a prophet, a righteous
man, or a disciple, as such recognizes that person's relation to God as
the ground of that act; and to that extent honors God in the act, just
as he who performs a similar act in the name of a friend thereby honors
that friend. A prophet's reward is not synonymous, however, with final
salvation, for salvation is a matter of grace [368] and
not of reward.] c6 And they
departed, b12 And they went
out, cand went throughout the villages, band preached
that men should repent. cpreaching the gospel,
b13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many
that were sick, and healed them. chealing everywhere.
a1 And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his
twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities.
[Oil was not used as a medicine. The Jews anointed their hair and their
faces every day, especially when about to depart from the house to move
among their fellows. This anointing was omitted when they were sick and
when they fasted (II. Sam. xii. 20; Matt. vi. 16, 17). When an apostle
stood over a sick man to heal him by a touch or a word, he was about to
send him out of his sick chamber, and just before the word was spoken,
the oil was applied. It was, therefore, no more than a token or symbol
that the man was restored to his liberty, and was from that moment to be
confined to his chamber no longer. Comp. Jas. v. 14. This practice bears
about the same relation to the Romish practice of extreme unction as the
Lord's Supper does to the mass, or as a true baptism does to the sprinkling
of an infant.]
[FFG 362-369]
