The disciples are sent out for ministry on Jesus' behalf in Matthew 10. The text says that they were given authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness. Matthew then identifies the twelve disciples who were sent out to do this ministry. The author of this gospel was one of the twelve whom Jesus sent out. It is interesting that Matthew mentions that Judas Iscariot, identified in the text as the one who betrayed Jesus, was also sent out with authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal illnesses. Jesus offered Judas the chance to advance God's kingdom even though he knew that Judas would later betray him. The Expositor's Bible Commentary points out that in lists of the disciples' names, Peter is always listed first and Judas Iscariot is always listed last. It also points out that in each list there are three groups of four. *Each group is headed by Peter, Philip and James the son of Alphaeus respectively. This suggests that the twelve were divided into three smaller groups of four, each with its own leader.

Verse 3 says that the disciples were told not to go among the Gentiles or Samaritans. Their ministry was to be restricted to Israel. The Jews and Samaritans looked down upon each other, so there would have been some concern for the disciples' safety if they were allowed to go into Samaritan territory. The reason that they were not allowed to go to the Gentiles is much the same. Jews simply didn't associate with Samaritans or Gentiles, which could clearly have hurt the success of their ministry. Since Jesus was still present with them, the Holy Spirit had not yet been poured out to empower them to minister among the Samaritans and Gentiles. That was the big difference between the disciples' ministry in this passage and their ministry after Jesus ascended into heaven.

There is clearly an evangelistic element to their mission, because Jesus specified they were to go to the "lost sheep of Israel." They were told to preach that the kingdom of heaven is near, to heal the sick, to raise the dead, to cleanse those afflicted with leprosy, and to drive out demons. This is very similar to the commission that the disciples would receive after Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into heaven. In some ways, Jesus sending out the disciples to minister to the lost ones of Israel can be seen as training for the ministry that they would have later.

The disciples were told not to take any gold, silver, or copper. They were not to take any bag with them for their journey, nor were they to take an extra tunic, or sandals, or staff. They would be completely dependent upon the hospitality of those who lived in the towns they would visit. Families in the Middle East have a long tradition of showing hospitality to strangers, and it was considered shameful if a family were to refuse hospitality to travelers. This tradition continues to this day.

Jesus' instructions to the disciples that they were not to take provisions with them stands in contrast to later instructions. The disciples were later told to take a tunic, money, a staff, and even a sword. There is no hint in Matthew 10 that the disciples would need to take anything with them for self defense, but it is apparent that this later became necessary. It is unclear why this would have been necessary, but it could have been due to increased hostility from the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The disciples were told to search for someone who would be supportive of their ministry and to stay with that person until they left town. They were not to accept any money for their ministry and were entirely dependent on whatever was offered to them by their hosts. They were to give a greeting as they entered the homes of their hosts. *A "worthy" person does not necessarily mean a morally upright, honorable or religious person but one who would receive a disciple of Jesus and the gospel of the kingdom. *Luke 10:5 gives the actual words that the disciples used: "Peace to this house." Jesus said if they found the house to be unworthy, their peace would return to them, which meant that they should not stay there.

The disciples were told to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against any town that would not receive them. This would be a comparable gesture to Pilate washing his hands of Jesus' blood just before Jesus was crucified. Shaking the dust off would have been a symbol that the disciples had done as Jesus had commanded by telling that they should repent and that the kingdom of heaven is at hand. It showed that the disciples had fulfilled their responsibility and they would not bear any consequences for the townspeople's refusal to believe their message. Jesus made a very strong statement by saying that on the day of judgment it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. Sodom and Gomorrah were completely destroyed along with every resident of those towns, and those who reject Jesus can expect equal or worse punishment.

In verse 17, Jesus warned the disciples of persecution that was to come. The disciples would go before local councils and be flogged in synagogues. They would be brought before governors and kings so the disciples could testify to them about Jesus. This did not happen during this mission described in Matthew 10, but it did happen after Jesus' death and resurrection. In fact, out of the apostles present after Jesus' resurrection, the apostle John (who wrote the gospel of John, 1-3 John, and Revelation) was the only one who was not martyred. The apostle John was exiled to the island of Patmos, off the coast of Greece.

Jesus said that the disciples were not to worry about what they would say or how they would say it. That is something that most of us would worry a lot about. One of the most common reasons that people don't share their faith in Christ more often is that they often feel they don't know what to say. They feel like they aren't "doing it right." The fact that we don't have all the answers shouldn't stop us from telling others what we do know. Jesus told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would give them the words to speak at the proper time, and the same promise applies to us today. We need to make ourselves available for God to use and be sensitive to his leading when God prompts us to speak to someone about him. Be attentive to God's gentle prompting to speak to that person and to the words that come to you to speak about your faith in Christ. Don't worry if you don't have all the answers. None of us have all of the answers, so we should tell them what we do know about Christ and be willing to admit when we don't know the answer to something. There isn't anything wrong with not having all the answers. That's just being honest and authentic.

Jesus warned that they would face persecution because of their stand for Christ. People may make fun of us, ridicule us, or refuse to associate with us because of our faith in Christ. Every generation of Christians has faced some form of persecution. The severity of the persecution varies from one time and place to another, but Jesus also assures us that our endurance will be rewarded. It will be more than worth it in the end. Enduring opposition for our faith has the side effect of strengthening our faith in Christ and can make us bolder in our witness.

Until the time of the Roman emperor Constantine, Christianity was illegal. Christians faced jail and even death for their faith, but this ironically led to many people coming to faith in Christ. It also strengthened the faith of individual believers. Churches generally met in people's homes, rather than in buildings set up especially for the purpose of worship. Even though the Roman government tried to wipe out the church, the church instead turned the Roman empire upside down and contributed to the downfall of the Roman empire.

Jesus said whoever receives us receives him and whoever receives Jesus also accepts the One who sent Jesus. Those who receive someone in Christ's name will share in the reward that God promises to the person who is doing the preaching. Anyone who receives a righteous person because he is a righteous person will also receive a righteous person's reward from God. The NIV Archeological Study Bible points out that in time of persecution, hospitality was especially important and could entail danger for the host.

No act done to advance God's kingdom is too small. Jesus said if anyone gives even a cup of cold water because that person is Jesus' disciple, that person will by no means lose his or her reward. This means that our prayers for each other, words of encouragement, sharing of our faith, leading others to Christ, and teaching each other about Christ will also be rewarded. It is important to remember, however, that Jesus' atoning death on the cross remains the basis for our salvation. He is the one who paid the price for our sin. We can't earn our salvation (see Ephesians 2:8,9). Our obedience to God and our service to him are an outgrowth of the fact that we already have salvation in Christ. Our obedience and service to God are proof that our faith is genuine, but we can never earn our salvation. That is a gift from God, and it is only fitting that we respond by loving and serving both him and other people.

*= Denotes taken from Expositor's Bible Commentary