Matthew 9:35-10:20

Matthew 9:35-10:20 (NRSV)

The Harvest Is Great, the Laborers Few

(Lk 10.2—3)

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and every sickness. ³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

The Twelve Apostles

(Mk 3.13—19a; Lk 6.12—16)

 Then Jesus summoned his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon, also known as Peter, and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him.

The Mission of the Twelve

(Mk 6.6b—13; Lk 9.1—6)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. ⁷ As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ ⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. You received without payment; give without payment. ⁹ Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³ If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.

Coming Persecutions

(Mk 13.9—13; Lk 21.12—17)

¹⁶ “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves; so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. ¹⁷ Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. ¹⁹ When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

 

Matthew 9:35-10:20 offers a summary of the preaching mission of Jesus and the summons by Jesus of the Twelve to continue his mission to Israel.

Matthew 9:35-38 is a summary passage on the preaching mission of Jesus. The source is the material common to Matthew and Luke. The verses are transitional. They offer a final summing up of the healing ministry of Jesus, while opening a new line of discussion in the mission and message of Jesus that must continue to spread throughout the land. The focus is on the disciples as missionaries. Yet, the text has in view the missionary of the time of Matthew as well. The important point to Matthew is that the power and authority of Jesus illustrated in Chapter 5-9 continue in his community.  Those who followed Jesus came from a large area around Galilee. He taught in the synagogues of the Pharisees. Jesus seems to directly challenge his opponents. Typical of such services would be an exposition of a passage from the Hebrew Bible. The synagogue became the natural locus for his proclamation of the rule of God. He united teaching and proclamation of the good news of the rule of God. His word combined with his actions of bringing healing from disease and sickness. He did so as he saw the crowds and had compassion upon them. He internalized their suffering by seeing what truly harassed them. They had no good shepherd or leader. The crowds are damaged goods. They have broken lives. It is time to harvest them for the rule of God. Yet, he invites his disciples to pray for laborers. The Father will send them into the field. Jeremiah 2:3 says that Israel itself is the first fruit of the harvest. Paul wants to go to Rome to reap a harvest among them as he has among the Gentiles (Romans 1:13). John 4:34-38 refers to fields ripe for harvesting fruit for eternal life. The image suggests the final harvest will soon take place. Missionaries are to call people to repentance and prepare them for the final judgment. Praying for more laborers will mean that more people will receive the blessing of the approaching rule of God. The call of Jesus to “fish for people” finds its fulfillment in the disciples becoming laborers within a field ripe for harvesting. 

³⁵ Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, Galilee being the site of Jesus' most extensive and successful teaching and healing ministry. We have an indication here that his followers came from a much larger region than Jesus himself apparently visited. He refers to The Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea and from beyond the Jordan (i.e., east of the Jordan), teaching (διδάσκων) in their synagogues probably refers specifically to the Pharisees, who formed the dominant leadership bloc of the synagogues during this period, and who also formed (along with the Sadducees, occasionally) Jesus' main religio-political opponents (e.g., Matthew 4:23; 10:17; 12:9; 13:54). The Sadducees, though less frequently mentioned as being opposed to Jesus' message, are nonetheless linked with the Pharisees, especially in Matthew's gospel (e.g., 16:1-12). A customary feature of synagogue worship being teaching in the form of exposition of a passage from the Hebrew Bible (see Luke 4:16-20), which would have included, as a matter of course, hortatory preaching. It was customary for Jesus to teach in the synagogue, as well as to worship there (Matthew 12:9; 13:54; Mark 1:21, 23, 29; 3:1; and especially Luke 4:16), so the synagogue would be the natural locus for his proclamation of the rule of God. By the time of the New Testament, synagogue worship was well-established throughout the Mediterranean area, with synagogue buildings, based on simple Hellenistic assembly halls, serving multiple functions. Jesus was teaching and proclaiming (κηρύσσων 11:1 as well) the good news (εὐαγγέλιον or gospel)of the kingdom. The indisputable core of Jesus' hortatory preaching was the proclamation of the rule of God, building on (and including, but not emphasizing as strongly) the call for repentance that formed the basis of the preaching of John the Baptist. In addition to teaching and proclaiming, Jesus was curing every disease and every sickness. Similar to Matthew 4:23 as a summary, expanding upon Mark 1:39.

³⁶ When he saw the crowds, he had compassion (ἐσπλαγχνίσθη “to be moved with compassion.” The root means “vital organs” or “bowels” something that happens to him, way down in the pit of his stomach. Etymologically, the Greek word denotes to have something move someone in one’s viscera, which they regarded as the seat of the emotions and affections. The reaction is spontaneous and emotional, as distinct from a rational and calculating response. A further connotation emerges from the correspondence of the word to the Hebrew for compassion, which literally means “love from the womb.” However, there is even more possibilities for reflection in the Hebrew and secular Greek roots from which “compassion” draws. The Hebrew for compassion, rachamim, refers to the womb of God. Compassion is something that emanates out from deep within us. The Greek word has connections to one’s guts. From it, we get the English medical term splanchnic, referring to the internal vital organs: heart, liver, kidney. In the worship of first-century pagan gods and goddesses, one could offer a sacrifice to a deity. Worshippers would bring the animal sacrifice to that god’s temple, kill it, cut it open and pull out the vital organs. The worshipper sacrificed the animal carcass. However, the priest would take out the vital organs so that the worshippers could cook it as a meal.  Those vital organs were the splanchna — the New Testament noun for “compassion.” When people ate a worship meal of those cooked organs, they “had compassion.” The Latin cum means “with,” and passio means, “to suffer.” Compassion is “suffering with” another. It seeks to bring action into our affection). This is the word used for Jesus’ reaction to the crowds. Compassion is to enter people’s lives when they open their lives to us. It is to internalize their condition. It is to suffer with someone by taking on his or her burden. Even as he had shown tender concern for the physical welfare of his disciples, so great compassion now moves Jesus to offer help and healing to the pressing crowd. The gospels commonly use the expression to describe Jesus’ attitude toward groups of people (e.g., Matthew 9:36; 14:14; 15:32; Mark 8:2). Occasionally, the gospels use the expression for small groups of people or individuals for whom Jesus has compassion (e.g., Mark 1:41, a leper; Matthew 20:34, two blind men; Luke 7:13, a widow), and the word appears in some of Jesus’ parables (e.g., Matthew 18:27, translated “pity,” and Luke 15:20, the father of the prodigal). Much more than intellectually acknowledging or emotionally feeling the suffering of the crowds, Jesus is described in terms of having a somatic connection to what these people are going through. He undergoes the inter-subjective internalization of their suffering and is compelled to alleviate it. “Empathy,” “pity” and “sympathy” simply do not carry the freight of conveying the meaning of this word. The only accurate English translation here is “compassion” (literally, to “suffer” or “bear with”). Other important examples of the word throughout the gospels can be found in the four feeding narratives to which 9:36 is related (Matthew 14:14; 15:32 and Mark 6:34; 8:2) as well as the parables of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:33) and the prodigal son (Luke 15:20). The fact that compassion motivated Jesus means that he would not close his mind to the existence and situation of the multitude. He did not isolate himself from it. rather, he allowed the multitude to affect him. It went to his heart. He made their situation his own. He identified himself with them. his followers must follow him in this. Solidarity with the world means that those who are genuinely pious approach the children of the world in this way. Those who are genuinely righteous are not ashamed to sit down with unrighteous friends. Those who are genuinely wise do not hesitate to seem to be fools among fools. Those who are genuinely hold are not too good or irreproachable to go down into hell in a very secular fashion.[1]

Jesus had compassion for them, because they were harassed (ἐσκυλμένοι or wearied) more graphically means that the crowds have been “flayed” or “skinned,” and helpless (ἐρριμμένοι or cast away, cast down or prostrated from a wound) more literally means they have been “cast down”. They are like sheep without a shepherd. The image suggests a flock that is tormented and almost totally exhausted or is at least being led astray and neglected by careless shepherds. The crowds are in such dire condition because they have no leadership. They are like a body without a head. All of this recalls numerous Old Testament instances of prophetic admonitions against shepherds (the leaders of Israel) who are not properly shepherding their sheep (the people of Israel), perhaps most pointedly in Ezekiel, wherein God warns that God will do the shepherding if the leaders continue to fail their people.

Jesus did not live in a compassionate world. The temple was a bloody place with its sacrificial animals. The conquering Romans were brutal. To read the last part of Daniel and the books of the Maccabees in the apocrypha is to read of the barbarity of the Hellenistic empire against the Jewish people. Raiders from the east would occasionally try to invade the Roman empire. Many religions in the world still offered the brutality of human sacrifice to the gods. Hundreds of years later, Muslim armies strode across north Africa and into Spain and parts of France and east Europe before being turned back. Their approach was often to convert or perish. The Viking raids of the British Isles and Europe were done in the name of their gods, which required human sacrifice. Their vision of Valhalla, the palace of Oden, was to fight and kill during the day and feast with the enemy at night. Such was their version of heaven. It was a cult of death, as they bravely, courageously, and without fear marched toward it. I wish I could say that our modern world, with its democracy, scientific advances, and value for individuality, had somehow become more compassionate. The 1700s saw wars for independence. The 1800s saw the 30 years war between Catholic and Protestant. The 1900s saw massive deaths fighting colonialism (WWI), fascism (WWII), and Communism (Korea, Vietnam, Cold War). Stalin would kill millions of his own people to maintain power. The Communist Party of China becomes increasingly ready to use its economic power in an aggressive way and its military power to nations close to it. The bloody borders of Islam are known well, as those of Islamic belief keep pushing their religion through violence. Terrorism funded by the wealth of Islamic nations remains a serious threat to the freedoms so many of us come to enjoy. 

The brutality of the modern world is not new. One morning a Russian nobleman — visiting British poet Alfred Tennyson (1808-1892) at his home on the Isle of Wight — set out on a hunting expedition.  Later that day, he returned with the proud news that he had shot two peasants. “You mean two ‘pheasants,’” Tennyson politely corrected. “No,” the Russian emphatically replied, “two peasants. They were insolent, so I shot them.”

It will not be an easy to become compassionate in a world so brutal. Our tendency is to meet brutality with force. Indeed, it may well be a certain type of compassion that strongly resists brutality. It will not be easy an easy action to allow oneself to look upon humanity with compassion. It almost seems to be against our nature. Yet, I think the calling of the people of God includes looking upon our world with the compassion Jesus had toward the crowds.

Dr. James Wilkes, a Toronto psychiatrist, taught a seminary course. One student lamented that in this age of agnosticism and secularism we were no longer sure of the church’s vocation. Wilkes stared at the student for the longest time as if the student were half-deranged and then remarked, “Are you telling me that you can have a suffering human being in front of you and you don’t know what the church’s vocation is?”

There is a low-grade suffering that is simply part of the human condition; it never goes away. There is also high-grade suffering, intense pain, that can come upon us at any time for any reason and remain with us for any length of time. To be sure, professional expertise is often needed for people unwell in both respects; but even as professional expertise is called for, we should never think our ministry isn’t.[2]

What do you see when you look upon the crowds? Think of how often we have judged the crowds.  We judge the crowds in their sin, drunkenness, violence, drug abuse, hatred, and war.  Maybe one of the greatest proofs of the divinity of Jesus is that he looked upon the multitudes and had compassion. For some of us, the decisions America is making may make us feel like strangers in a strange land. There are many in our society who are in pain, not because of some psychological malady or something bad that happened to them when they were five. They are hurting because they are wandering like lost sheep in the desert. They are confused. It is not that they are sick; rather, they are ignorant. They simply have not taken the trouble, or not had the opportunity, to think through the faith. They confront the complexity of life with bits and pieces of insight cobbled together from here or there. They try to live in an adult world with the faith that they received as a 10-year-old or rejected as a 14-year-old. Sociologist Peter Berger has described us Christians as a “cognitive minority.” Christian modes of thought deviate from the officially sanctioned, socially enforced systems of knowledge. The world’s “plausibility structures” by which it knows what is possible and permissible, tell the world that the Christian faith is implausible. “It is, of course, possible to go against the social consensus that surrounds us, but there are powerful pressures (which manifest themselves as psychological pressures within our own consciousness) to conform to the views and beliefs of our” fellow citizens. A subtle yet powerful policing keeps us from uttering and affirming certain Christian convictions within conventional society. Christian education, teaching in the name of Jesus, is one of the ways that the church enables us to avoid the danger of the world conforming us to itself, but rather, allow the Spirit to transform us by the renewal of our minds (Rom 12:1-2).

The church does not simply reach out to and speak to the culture in which it lives and on which it depends. At some level, the churches seek to disrupt that culture by rescuing some people from its value system and to inculcate people into a new culture called the church. Followers of Jesus need to stay focused on what they believe and value. Practice compassion, because people will be hurting, as they choose paths that lead to lack of meaning, emptiness, and guilt. Such compassion and love followers of Jesus need to spread wherever they go. Such followers might begin in their homes. People who meet a follower of Jesus should leave better and happier. They need to be the living expression of the kindness and compassion of Jesus. Yes, others can see it our eyes, smile, and the warmth of our greeting. Such kindness and compassion have great power.[3]

 ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; ³⁸ therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” This desperate situation is the time of God's harvest.  When people reach the limit of their abilities, God will intervene and perform great deeds.  People cannot create the new situation that is necessary; God alone will choose the messengers.  Therefore, prayer is needed.  The saying of Jesus, however, implies that people, who go out into the world and proclaim the name of Jesus, will begin this angelic harvest. It appears the "harvest" image is eschatological in nature but not necessarily of a moment of end-time judgment. First, the harvest is plentiful - a good sign, a positive image, which suggests that this harvest may be the good things of the kingdom about which Jesus has been preaching and teaching. These "good things" include all the healings and other miracles Jesus has been performing as evidence of the approaching kingdom. Second, this verse points up the problem "the laborers are few." This admission opens the door for selecting and commissioning disciples. More laborers are needed, not to "rescue" a few before judgment descends, but so that more can be exposed to the blessings of the approaching kingdom which Jesus - and now the other "laborers" he will commission to serve alongside him - demonstrates through his ministry.

Jesus has a visceral response to people who are portrayed as damaged goods. Confronting the consequences of failed leadership, he declares it is time to gather up the broken lives of these people — the harvest — and that there is a great need for those who do such gathering — the laborers. This sets the stage for Matthew 10:1-8, (9-23), where Jesus calls and prepares his twelve disciples for the task of being the laborers who go out into the harvest. Several details highlight this.

            The image of the harvest is common in biblical lore. 

 

            Jeremiah 2:3 

Israel was holy to the LORD, the first fruits of his harvest. All who ate of it were held guilty; disaster came upon them, says the LORD.

            Joel 2:3 

Fire devours in front of them, and behind them a flame burns. Before them the land is like the garden of Eden, but after them a desolate wilderness, and nothing escapes them.

            Joel 3:13 

Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe. Go in, tread, for the wine press is full. The vats overflow, for their wickedness is great.

            Romans 1:13 

I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as I have among the rest of the Gentiles.

            John 4:34-38

34 Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to complete his work. 35 Do you not say, 'Four months more, then comes the harvest'? But I tell you, look around you, and see how the fields are ripe for harvesting. 36 The reaper is already receiving wages and is gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. 37 For here the saying holds true, 'One sows and another reaps.' 38 I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.  

 

The image of the harvest often carries the threat of eschatological judgment. The dispatch of workers, in Christian parlance, meant sending out missionaries to call people to repentance and prepare them for the last judgment. Yet, the image also expresses the notion that masses will gladly hear the good news of the gospel and were ripe for gathering into the burgeoning church. The sending and gathering are both under the aegis of the "Lord of the harvest," who is God. In other words, here is a saying could have been said by a Jew around 30 AD.[4]

In the case of Matthew 9:37-38, it appears the "harvest" image is eschatological in nature but not necessarily of a moment of end-time judgment. First, the harvest is plentiful - a good sign, a positive image, which suggests that this harvest may be the good things of the kingdom Jesus has been preaching and teaching about. These "good things" include all the healings and other miracles Jesus has been performing as evidence of the approaching kingdom. Second, this verse points up the problem that makes the next section a necessity - "the laborers are few." This admission opens the door for all the commissioning activity that is to follow. More laborers are needed, not to "rescue" a few before judgment descends, but so that more can be exposed to the blessings of the approaching kingdom which Jesus - and now the other "laborers" he will commission to serve alongside him - demonstrates through his ministry.

There are scholarly disputes over the tone and tenor of this “harvest” imagery.  There are biblical precedents for interpreting “harvest” language in at least two distinct ways.  A harvest is traditionally seen as an occasion for joy.  However, harvest language has also been employed to discuss the picture of the Day of Judgment.  Secondly, this verse points up the problem that makes the next section a necessity - the laborers are few. Jesus turns to the image of harvest.  It can refer to the blessing of God, or it can refer to divine judgment.  It is the context of the missionary call which gives the image its meaning here.  The harvest here should be viewed as an eschatological blessing, not a judgment. The image of shepherd and harvest reflect the image of the dawning age of salvation.  The harvest Jesus calls for in 9:37-38 is not a harvest of the people, but a harvest of blessing for the people.  To distribute this harvest, Jesus first urges his disciples to pray for additional "laborers." The calling of the disciples at this point lifts them to a new stature, investing them with power and authority.  Their calling stated in 4:19 will be fulfilled, that they would fish for people.  The use of 12 connects the mission of the disciples with the mission to Israel.  In giving directions for their mission, Jesus directs them to do precisely what he himself had been doing in chapters 8 and 9.[5]

This text marks a turning point in the establishment of the Christian church, as presented in the gospels. Up to this point in the story of the life of Jesus, Jesus himself has remained the focus of healing, teaching and controversy; with this passage, the first commissioning of his disciples, others begin to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralds the kingdom of God. That new movement will grow, with increasing diversity, as it extends beyond the borders of Galilee, into the Christian church.

Stories abound throughout history of those who have fully embraced this divine mission that Jesus gave to the Twelve he sent out to show compassion.

For example, around A.D. 369, Basil of Caesarea inherited a ton of money. He decided that the best use of this windfall was to glorify God by creating a place where the sick and the dying could receive care. He built what many call the predecessor to the modern hospital. Basiliad, as it was called, turned into something that looked more like a small city than a building dedicated to curing illness. The complex included facilities that could be compared to modern hospice houses, soup kitchens or infirmaries.

When Charlemagne became emperor of what would be called the Holy Roman Empire, he also made a compelling decree that all cathedrals and monasteries have an infirmary attached to the building. These small hospitals were dedicated to caring for the poor and sick. All of these acts contributed to modern hospitals, many of which continue to be religiously affiliated.

Prayer 

Merciful God, you have said to us through your Son, “the harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” Upon this divine command, we pray heartily that you would grant your Holy Spirit richly to your servants, to us, and to all who are called to serve your Word, so that the company of us who publish glad tidings may be great, and that we may stand faithful and firm against the devil, the world, and the flesh, to the end, that your name may be hallowed, your kingdom grow, and your will be done. Graciously hear this our prayer, since you have so commanded, taught, and promised, even as we believe and trust through your dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, world without end. Amen.[6]

 

Matthew 10:1-15 contains sayings for instructions for disciples on the road.   Think of it this way. The young riders had three basic tasks to complete in the course of their labor: 1) travel light, 2) do not stop for conversation on the way, and 3) get the word out.  From 1860 to 1862, the riders of the Pony Express dutifully carried mail and small freight parcels across present-day states of Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Nevada to California.  These faithful young men helped prepare the way for the coming of the transcontinental railroad and the Western Union Telegraph Co.

The early church rooted its own missionary activity in the mission charge of Jesus.  The only impediment to this is that they do eventually desert Jesus.  The mission charge suggests urgency and hostility.  Luke’s purpose seems to be that the mission is not restricted to the Twelve - others participate.  We receive an insight into the eschatology of Luke here in the coming visit of the Lord, the harvest from evangelical preaching, and judgment.

The source is a combination of sayings from Mark and from material Matthew has in common with Luke. The sayings are striking in what they prohibit: no food, no money, no extra clothes, and no luggage. They are to wear sandals and have a staff, showing concessions to the realities of the road. They are to exhibit the attitude of complete trust and reliance on the provisions of providence. They reflect the simple lifestyle Jesus advocated and lived. The first traveling missionaries of the community likely adopted a similar lifestyle. Jesus first calls them to himself, the only one who can equip these laborers. He will give them the authority he has shown in his ministry over unclean spirits and bring healing of disease and sickness. The list of the Twelve gives priority to Peter. The number would also have the theological significance of connection to the twelve tribes of Israel. Jesus summons people to him who are not naturally friendly toward each other. If anything, it would be a challenge to form a team out of such a diverse group. The naming of the disciples precedes the second of the five discourses Matthew provides, suggesting Jesus is the new Moses or instructor of the rule of God. At this point, Jesus sends them to the lost sheep of Israel, rather than Gentiles or Samaritans. Jesus did not view himself as setting up a people of God separate from Israel. The proclamation of good news of the rule of God also connects the message of the disciples with Jesus and John the Baptist. They are to cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and cast out demons. They did not pay to receive this authority, so they are to offer this gift to others without payment. We find this saying reflected in II Corinthians 11:7 and I Corinthians 9:3-18. Paul will point out that he refused payment from Corinth. The Didache states that anyone who asks for payment is a phony. They are to take no money or extra tunics or sandals or even a staff. They would depend upon the hospitality of the people to whom they offered their service. Within just a few generations, Paul still had an itinerant ministry among resident communities and resident leaders. We also find recognition that some will not offer basic hospitality, in which case they are to move on to the next community. They are to offer blessing to all but allow the blessing to return to them if not received. They are to leave judgment to God. 

Mark advises the disciples to wear sandals and have a staff, showing concessions to the realities of the road.  The material Matthew has in common with Luke did not permit even this.  However, both Mark and material Matthew has in common with Luke exhibit the attitude of complete trust and reliance on the provisions of providence.  Did these sayings reflect the simple lifestyle Jesus generally advocated?  Alternatively, did the first traveling missionaries adopt them?  Some take these sayings as meaning Jesus and his disciples were wandering beggars.  Others believe they were given for the specific mission to nearby villages in Galilee.  Still others believe they grew out of early Christian practice. 

¹Then Jesus summoned (προσκαλεσάμενος or call to oneself), thus emphasizing that Jesus does not initially call them to a task, but to himself. The dynamic here is that the disciples cannot go out into the harvest without first presenting themselves to Jesus, the only one who has the power to equip the Twelve for the harvest into which they are sent. Jesus gives them authority (10:1b) and their sending forth is emphasized in 10:2 when the disciples are now described as apostles. Jesus summoned his twelve disciples (μαθητὰς) and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to cure every disease and every sickness. In context, this suggests the nature of the abundant crop awaiting harvesting. They go in the name of Jesus, doing what Jesus commands them to do, not what they think their mission is. They do not possess independent authority but go only with the authority Jesus gives them. This story reasserts the authority of Jesus with a strong surge of decisive action.  This commissioning clearly demonstrates the growing power of Jesus’ ministry. He gives them definitive orders.  He proclaims a standard of judgment for them to follow.  He sends them out to do precisely what he has been doing in preaching, healing and exorcism. Matthew never recounts the appointment of the Twelve.  He presupposes this inner circle. Verses 2-4 are the traditional list of the Twelve. Matthew probably thinks of the Twelve as prototypes of all the wandering apostles of his own period. ² These are the names of the twelve apostles (ἀποστόλων).

We often use the terms disciples and apostles interchangeably, but there is a difference. One way to see the difference is to think about your own commitment to follow Jesus. Probably you would not resist being called a disciple of Jesus Christ. That term simply means “somebody who believes in and follows the teachings of a leader,” and when we identify that leader as Jesus, that definition is one description of what it means to be a Christian. The Greek word Matthew uses for “disciple” in this passage means “learner” or “pupil,” and to the extent that we remain open to learning from the life and teachings of Jesus, “discipleship” can be another term for the Christian life.

To be an apostle is another thing. Not many of us would call ourselves apostles. Whether or not we know the definition of that word, we’ve seldom heard it used as a synonym for the everyday Christian. Somehow, we attach a sense of special-ness to the term, so that we might say that all Christians are disciples of Jesus but not all disciples are apostles. And that’s essentially correct, for Matthew uses an entirely different Greek word when he speaks of apostles. That word means a “delegate,” “ambassador” or “messenger” — one sent out on a specific mission on behalf of another. When we know that, it begins to make sense why Matthew used “apostle” only in this passage in his gospel. In other places in Matthew’s book, the Twelve are in the supporting cast, men walking with Jesus and learning from him. But in this segment, immediately after Matthew identifies the Twelve by name, he tells us that Jesus sent them out with specific instructions to “proclaim the good news ... cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.” They were given apostle-work, something that went well beyond disciple-ness.

Matthew then names the Twelve. First, Simon, also known as Peter, not meaning a special position in Matthew’s community, but first on the list.  However, Matthew’s community does give a special place to Peter.  And his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; ³ Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; ⁴ Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed him. The variety means one cannot fit Jesus into any preconceived schema. The twelve, except for Judas, were incredibly loyal to Jesus, walking an estimated 3,125 miles with him over the course of his ministry. That is equivalent to walking across America, coast to coast. And for sure, with the help of Paul and his team of missionaries, they changed the world. We could spell out what we know about the individual apostles. For some, like Peter, it is quite a bit; for others, like Thaddaeus, it’s almost nothing. The New Testament reports the deaths of only two of the Twelve: Judas, by suicide, and James, by execution at King Herod’s command. Other sources, however, report traditions that only one of the remaining 10 died of old age. The rest died martyrs’ deaths, and even the one who died naturally did so while spreading the gospel.

Here is the formal commissioning of the Twelve.  The basic authority Jesus gives the Twelve mirrors the scope of his own ministry activities.  Although the mission certainly is expanded to include all nations by Mt 28:19, Israel’s historical and theological priority circumscribes Jesus’ directives at this time.  “All” the healing abilities Jesus possessed are to become part of his disciples’ repertoire.  Both the power to preach and the power to heal, the two definitive signs of the approaching kingdom, are given to Jesus’ disciples.  Their commission invests them fully with Jesus’ own authority.

Chapter 10 begins the formal commissioning of the Twelve. Thankfully, Matthew's text spares no detail. Whereas Mark and Luke expend only about a dozen lines on this commissioning scene, Matthew's text devotes over 100 lines to describe the particulars of this new mission. The basic "authority" Jesus gives the Twelve mirrors the scope of his own ministry activities - the disciples will be able to cure all disease, all sickness. Before continuing with the content of the mission, however, Matthew takes time to list the names of all 12 of the officially commissioned disciples. Since Matthew's text has said virtually nothing about these disciples - except for the call of the anglers in 4:18-22 - perhaps the gospel writer feels he must define who the commissioned ones are before detailing what they will do. While Matthew's text does not stipulate that these disciples go out "two by two" (as in Mark 6:7), he does organize his list into pairs of disciples.

In context, the naming of the disciples precedes the second of Matthew's five great discourses, this one commonly known as the "Missionary Discourse" (10:1-11:1; the others are at 5:1-7:29; 13:1-52; 18:1-35; 24:1-25:46). These five large blocks of discursive material derived mainly from the source drawn on by both Matthew and Luke (Q), structure Matthew's gospel to draw a strong parallel between Jesus, as the new giver of instruction, and Moses, the original giver of instruction. (Matthew probably intends the five discourses to correspond to the five books of Moses, the Torah.)

⁵ These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions:

Verses 5b-6 is a saying found only in Matthew, focusing upon the scope of their mission in this moment, telling them where they are to go. “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, ⁶ but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. We need to deal with the fact that Jesus did have ministry in non-Jewish lands and among foreigners. The saying seemingly contradicts Acts 8:5, 26, as well as Mt 28:18-20.  The saying is hard to reconcile with Jesus’ openness to Samaritans and gentiles and would apply at most to a single mission during the time of Jesus.  The original commissioning of the 12 disciples (repeated, in a more universal framework, and again with unique material, at the end of Matthew's gospel, 28:16-20) is limited to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel." In this context, we need to understand that Jesus did not found the church as a community distinct from Israel. He was conscious instead of being sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Thus, in contrast to the Jewish movements of his day, Jesus did not gather a remnant of the truly righteous. He held himself and his disciples open to the people to whom he directed his message.[7]The early church has not yet launched the Gentile mission.

Taking seriously this apostolic mission helps us understand Jesus' limiting instructions in 10:5-6. The disciples are assistants to Jesus, the messianic shepherd of Israel. They are part of that Old Testament eschatological tradition. Furthermore, the significance of 12 disciples - highlighted by Matthew's naming of them all only in 10:2-4 - is also part of their intimate connection to Israel. In the eschaton, each of the Twelve will stand in judgment before each of the 12 tribes of Israel. Thus, the matchup at this point between the mission of the Twelve and the Israelites is intentional and exclusive. Matthew's emphasis of this witness, however, in no way diminishes the universal mission later proclaimed by Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection (28:16-20).

We find a list of things the Twelve are to accomplish. Jesus stipulates exactly what the disciples are to accomplish during their missionary excursion. Not surprisingly, since the Twelve are to be extensions of Jesus' own mission, he directs them in 10:7-8 to do the same things he himself had been shown doing in Matthew 8-9. Completely empowered by his authority, the disciples are called to do no less than Jesus. Both the power to preach and the power to heal, the two definitive signs of the approaching kingdom, are given to Jesus' disciples. Their commission invests them fully with Jesus' own authority.

Verse 7 is a saying found in the material common to Matthew and Luke (9:2), offering a summary of what they are to proclaim in a way that has an apocalyptic emphasis. ⁷ As you go, proclaim the good news, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ We find a similar summary in Mt 4:17 and Mt 3:2. It seems to be an inherited summary from the proclamation of John the Baptist adopted by the early Christian movement.

Verse 8a is a saying found only in Matthew focusing on the healing, miracle, and exorcism of their mission. ⁸ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.

Verse 8b is unique to Matthew dealing with payment, showing how they are to conduct themselves while on this mission. You received without payment; give without payment. It is an injunction against receiving pay for curing the sick and exorcising demons.  Note that Paul refused support from Corinth and the Didache states that if an apostle asks for money, he is a phony.  This admonition protected the early Christian community from charlatans and con artists.  The command freely to give the gift that they have freely received from God has an important place in primitive Christianity, as in II Cor. 11:7 and I Cor. 9:3-18.  Hospitality is implicit here, as in Rm 12:13, I Tim 3:2, Tit. 1:8, Hb. 13:2, I Pt. 4:9.

Verse 9-10 has a source in Mark (6:9) and in the material common to Matthew and Luke (10:4) that focuses upon how they are to conduct themselves as they fulfill this specific mission. They are to conduct themselves in a way that shows their trust that God will provide for their journey. ⁹ Take no gold, or silver, or copper in your belts, ¹⁰ no bag for your journey, or two tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for laborers deserve their food. Poverty gives the disciple the freedom to accept help.  They are to be utterly dependent upon the hospitality of others. He gives them a mandate to travel light. Poverty gives the disciple the freedom to accept help.  The sayings are reminiscent of Matthew 6:25-37, where God will supply the followers of Jesus under God’s providential care. Yet, are the instructions in line with the simple lifestyle of Jesus?  Are they incompatible with the Jesus who came eating and drinking?  Similarities with the Cynic pattern here is one of similar social manners, not just rhetoric. Let us consider their prohibition of the use of money.  Diogenes Laeterius: "Diocles relates how Diogenes persuaded Crates to give up his property to sheep-pasture, and throw into the sea any money he had." Similarly Monimus, after deciding to follow Diogenes: "straight off pretended to be mad and easy flinging away the small change and all the money on the banker's table, until his master dismissed him; and he immediately devoted himself to Diogenes." Julian described Diogenes as "Cityless, homeless, a man without a country, owning not an obol, not a drachma, not even a household slave." Other statements: "if all the gold, all the silver, all the copper should give but, I would not be injured in the least." "... are you not afraid of the money? ... For by no means does money always profit those who have gotten it; but people have suffered many more injuries and more evils from money than from poverty, particularly when they lacked sense." Cynic teachers could also prohibit the use of the beggars’ bag under certain circumstances, even though usually, it was part of their property. The dress code, and what they are to take or not to take, is not an issue of asceticism. Rather, Jesus is instructing the disciples to learn to be at home among strangers. Paul’s refusal to accept compensation shows how concerned he was that his message remains credible. This was undoubtedly a common proverb, based on the laws of hospitality in the ancient Near East. They are like Mt 6:25-37. The itinerant ministry to which Jesus commissions his disciples bears little resemblance to the settled ministries that arose in Christian centers within a generation or two after Jesus' death. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Paul's ministry, in fact, was its itinerant nature, and the establishment of settled Christian communities with resident leaders is already clearly visible in Paul's correspondence (e.g., Romans 16; 1 Corinthians 16). Indeed, the nucleus of such settled Christian communities may perhaps be discerned in the households of Peter (Matthew 8:14-15), Mary, Martha and Lazarus (John 11-12), and perhaps Jairus (whose daughter is raised just before the sending out of the disciples, Matthew 9:18-26). Those most directly affected by Jesus' ministry would be most likely to preserve and spread the account of that ministry.

There are times when Jesus' instruction to take nothing with us is one we ought to obey almost literally. It is an opportunity to leave our baggage behind. The song, “I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now,” has some sage advice. The Devil offered wealth and fame. He admits that traveling with the Lord has included heartache, grief, and woe. Nothing in the world can take the place of the love of God. Silver and gold will not buy the healing he needs in his soul.[8]

Verses 11-13 have a source in Mark (6:10) and material common to Matthew and Luke (10:7) that focuses on what they are to expect in the reception or rejection of these traveling missionaries and how they are to respond. They can fully expect to face challenges and suffering. ¹¹ Whatever town or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy, and stay there until you leave. ¹² As you enter the house, greet it. ¹³ If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. Matthew is concerned about the house that is worthy, which means, for him, the house that is receptive to the gospel.  The term "worthy" echoes the proverb quoted in v. 10.  Disciples are warned not to move around; they are not to shop around for good quarters, but to be content with the deserving host. The blessing promised to those who believe in the preaching of the disciples is a very real quantity: in the disciples’ words God himself visits people, comes to them, or departs from them. The content of their message is summarized in the word “peace.”

Verses 14-15 have a source in Mark (6:11) and material common to Matthew and Luke (9:5) that continues to focus on what they are to expect from their efforts and the response of the apostles to the welcome or rejection they will receive as they fulfill the mission Jesus gave them. They can expect to face challenge and suffering. ¹⁴ If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet (a ritual act signifying severance of relations). Rabbis said the dust of the heathen was polluting.  However, this view seems far removed from Jesus, who rejected the concept that ritual impurity could result from contact with lepers, or the dead, or gentiles. You are to shake the dust from their feet as you leave that house or town. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town. Sodom and Gomorrah become an allusion to an eschatological threat directed against those towns that rejected the gospel.

They can expect to have a similar reception to the one Jesus just received. Where people receive and embrace the gospel, disciples are to remain; where people reject the gospel, they are to move on. He orders his traveling disciples to create quickly a home base while they are staying in one locale.  He prepares them for the inevitable moments of frustration and failure they will encounter.  The disciples’ foot-shaking would communicate official separation from a relationship between the household or village and the disciples.  By leaving a place with such a symbolic finality, the disciples were proclaiming threat the inhabitants and leaving them to the judgment of God. The symbolic gesture depicted here responds negatively to an entire community's unwillingness to receive the missionaries. When faced with civic rejection, the act suggests an “I will show you how foolish all this is” disparagement of those who refused to receive them. Some scholars think of this as an example of humor. Rabbis said the dust of the heathen was polluting.  However, this view seems far removed from Jesus, who rejected the concept that ritual impurity could result from contact with lepers, or the dead, or gentiles.  However, Jesus’ inauguration of a “sacrament of failure” does not send the disciples out to fail.  His order includes instructions for how to carry on in the face of failure.  Hospitality was important in missionary preaching.  Shaking the dust off implies they are heathen.  It is not a curse.  It is a testimony intended to provoke thought.  This text concludes by offering a sharp contrast between the environment of faith and the environment of skepticism and rejection. The text is obviously saying something to contemporary disciples, sent out by Jesus into an often-rejecting world.  Even though he gave them authority, he does not promise his apostles success or enthusiastic reception.  The evangelist is to be so committed to the story that the listeners’ response is not the sole validation for the telling of the story.  There is a time to reach out and intrude, relentlessly pursuing and persuading.  Then there is a time to shake the dust off our feet and move on. Even as Jesus was amazed at the unbelief and rejection by his own people, he moved on to other villages. He encourages his disciples not to linger among those who do not believe, but to move on as well. 

As much as the Christian tradition values the virtue of perseverance, is there also faithfulness in letting go?  Could there ever be a time when the loving thing, the faithful thing is to shake the dust off your feet and move on?  There is grace in going the second mile with someone.  Nevertheless, there is also grace in knowing when to let go.  Parents worry about children in their thirties.  Teachers work with their students.  Sometimes, we let go so that God can come.  In other words, Jesus means that the grace of letting go comes after all other reasonable efforts have failed.  Disciples do not give up lightly.  Rather we say, "There, I've done all I can do.  Now, let God take you."  

Is there anything, anyone, some situation in my life, some problem for which I need to shake the dust off my feet and let go?

Christians can learn to forgive themselves and others, and not be afraid to lead "error embracing" lives.  We must discern when it is time to blow the dust off, roll up our sleeves and start working; and when it is time to shake the dust off, redirect our energies and go on our way.  Jesus knew there was a time to get down to work and time to get out and get on.

We need a sacrament of failure.  Just as there are ways to live that teach the world about Christ, there are also ways to fail that are uniquely Christian.  People do not like to hear they are going to have to face failure in life.  There is nothing like momentary successes to make anyone’s fear of failure grow exponentially.  As servants of our calling, we must fight against the almost pathological desire and expectation to have everyone like us. 

We need to learn to handle failure and defeat gracefully. We can get back on our feet. We can take a break, put our lives and hold, and do something fun. Defeat or failure is not the end of the world. We can find a friend with whom to talk. We need to remember that we have this one life to lead. It will be better for us to dare mighty and glorious things, even though it will mean failure will be part of our lives. It will be a poor life if we neither enjoy nor suffer much because we have known neither victory nor defeat.[9] Our lives will end. We ought to fear far more that our lives will never truly begin because of our fear to fail.[10]

The thrust of this passage for all who would follow Jesus and be sent forth by him is this — being laborers in the harvest is not about what they do for Jesus, but what Jesus does for and through them. Jesus authors the capacity for laborers to be faithful in carrying out the tasks he sets before them. Jesus does not empower those he sends forth to avoid, but rather to face head-on the challenges and even suffering that accompany laboring in the harvest. Laborers are called and prepared for the harvest by the one who has compassion for the flayed and wounded. Thus, laborers are empowered to endure suffering through the harvest.

This may seem daunting. Who really wants to take this kind of call?

However, how can it be any other way? The time is full of the coming of the reign of heaven, and the harvest is at hand. This is good news, but not necessarily easy news. For the imagery of the harvest concerns the unsettling reality of old dispensations being undercut and uprooted on the way to being transformed according to God’s purposes for a new heaven and new earth.

Laboring in such a harvest is not for the timid. It takes guts. The glory comes only when we are called and prepared by the grace of God in Christ to be laborers with enduring courage to be compassionate all along the way of gathering in the harvest.

Here is a mission from which there is no return. Shakespeare's Hamlet muses about death: 

For who would bear fardels bear, to grunt and sweat under a weary life, 

but that the fear of something after death, 

that country from whose bourn

no traveler ever returns, puzzles the will 

and makes us rather bear the ills we have 

than to fly to others we know not of. 

Thus conscience doth make cowards of us all.[11]

 

William Carey (1761-1834) went seven years before he had his first convert in India. Adoniram Judson (1788-1850) worked in Burma for almost the same period of time before he had his first convert.

What about Robert Morrison (1788-1834), first Protestant missionary to China, who labored for 25 years and had fewer than a dozen converts?

Or what about Ansgar (801-865), the Apostle of the North, who gave his life to preaching the gospel to the Vikings without any long-lasting results?

What about missionaries to East Africa who in the early 1800s shipped their goods to Africa in coffins because most of them knew they most likely would be struck down during their first term by disease or unfriendly natives?

What about Jim Eliot, Nate Saint and others who were martyred on a sandy beach in South America as they made the first attempts to reach the Auca Indians with the gospel? 

 I stand in awe of these pioneer missionaries. Many of them died without seeing great results. Yet, many of the outposts they planted eventually flourished as the gospel took root in culture after culture.[12]

Sudan Interior Mission (SIM) began in 1893. Canadians Walter Gowans and Roland Bingham and American Thomas Kent had a vision to evangelize the 60 million unreached people of sub-Saharan Africa. Unable to interest established missions -- most of which said reaching the Soudan was impossible -- the three set out alone. Malaria overtook all three. Gowans and Kent died of the fever in 1894, and Bingham returned to Canada. On his second attempt, he caught malaria again and was forced to go back home. Unable to return to Africa, Bingham sent out a third team. They successfully established a base 500 miles inland at Patigi in 1902. From there, the work of SIM began in Africa.

Many people in their day dubbed the Soudan (specifically, Nigeria) "The White Man's Graveyard" because of the high mortality rate of Western missionaries trying to evangelize this remote part of the world. Diseases like malaria, yellow fever and typhoid claimed so many victims that most missionaries headed to this part of the world would typically pack their possessions in their own coffin. They would say goodbyes to loved ones to board a ship with the realization that they most likely would come home horizontally and not vertically. Still they pressed on with a God-given sense of urgency.[13]

The risen Lord still summons people to himself and gives them a message to proclaim, a power to heal and liberate, a way in which they are to conduct themselves, a trust in God to provide for the journey, and a recognition of the challenges and suffering that will come. The theme of Matthew 10:16-20 is sayings on the coming persecution. It continues the missionary discourse that began in Matthew 10:1.

The theme of Matthew 10:16-20, part of a segment that extends to verse 25, is sayings on the coming persecution. 

Fear is not a bad place to start a spiritual journey. If you know what makes you afraid, you can see more clearly that the way out is through the fear.^[14]

 

This passage continues the missionary discourse that began in Matthew 10:1. Jesus wants them to see the situation into which he is sending them. They are like sheep amid wolves. The band of disciples is not a haven from the threats in the world. One could imagine Jesus, with a twinkle in his eye, telling them to be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. It would be paradox to be like both serpent and dove. Their opponents will bring them before governors and kings due to their testimony concerning him. The Spirit of their Father will speak through them at the appropriate time. The disciples of Jesus will receive hatred because of their faithfulness to Jesus. We do have the puzzling statement in verse 23 that the Son of Man will come before they have gone through the towns of Israel. It reflects the eschatological tension in the ministry of Jesus. Albert Schweitzer thought Jesus experienced his first disappointment regarding his proclamation of the nearness of the rule of God. Most instructive, however, is that the failure of the expectation was not a problem for early followers. It may well be that from the standpoint of Easter, the rule of God did “come,” even if its fulfillment remains in the future. We are also in danger of missing the primary point of the passage. 

Verse 16a is from material common to Matthew and Luke (10:3), stressing the vulnerable and defenseless position of the apostles as they fulfill their mission. ¹⁶ “See, I am sending you out like sheep into the midst of wolves. A common pastoral scene suggested the image of wolves threatening lambs.  It suggests the image of the shepherd taking lambs out to pasture among wolves or wolves invading a herd of sheep.  The image was extremely common in biblical and rabbinic lore.  

II Esdras 5: ¹⁸ Arise then, and take some food so that you may not abandon us like a shepherd who leaves his flock in the power of cruel wolves.”

 

The band of disciples is not a haven for sheep.  They must venture out not only into insecurity but even into defenselessness.  Suffering becomes an important function of Jesus’ band of disciples.  "Sending" was the main way of getting one's message out to others.  We should not quickly relate this to the missionary activity of Protestants in the 1700's and 1800's as a missionary enterprise.  What kind of a sending is it, by whom to whom for what?  Cynics described themselves as being sent.  Diogenes said that the Cynic is both messenger and scout of God.  Epictetus: "Behold, God has sent me to you as an example, that you may see 0 Humans, that you are seeking happiness and serenity not where it is, but where it is not." TDNT refers to such references, but then tries to make a strong difference between the sending in this text and that of the Cynic.  Why was it important to have this vision of being sent?  Dio Chrysostom says he hoped it would gain him a hearing.  To say one was sent responded to concerns about authority and authorization.  It answered the implied question: And what gives you the right to say that?  How is it that you can do this? The early Christians in Israel viewed itself as messenger-scouts, heralds of a better path to happiness.  In this capacity, Jesus tells them to expect to have to face certain wolves along the way.

Verse 16b is from Matthew, offering a paradoxical twist on how the apostles are to be in the world. So be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. This saying may have been a proverb in common use. One could say it with a twinkle in the eye, which hints at a humorous twist; it also involves a paradox -- adopting the posture of both the snake and the dove at the same time.  

Verses 17-20, a segment that extends to verse 22, have their source in Mark (13:9-13), focusing on the official nature of the persecution the apostles from governing authorities.[15] Matthew borrowed the passage from the "little apocalypse" of Mark and attached to the mission charge of this chapter.   Matthew will use the sayings again at 24:9-13. ¹⁷ Beware of them, for they will hand you over to councils and flog you in their synagogues; ¹⁸ and you will be dragged before governors and kings because of me, as a testimony to them and the Gentiles. As far as we can tell from historical evidence, actual persecutions appear to have taken place only in the Diaspora.  Their opponents will drag them before governors and kings due to their testimony concerning him. ¹⁹ When they hand you over, do not worry about how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you at that time; ²⁰ for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

---

[1] (Karl Barth, The Doctrine of Reconciliation, IV.3.2., G. W. Bromiley, trans. [Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1962], p. 774.)

[2] Victor Shepherd, “Mandate for a congregation,” January 1998, Victor Shepherd Web Site, victorshepherd.on.ca.

[3] Mother Teresa was aware of the power that kindness and compassion can have. She said,

 “Spread love everywhere you go: First of all in your own house … let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting.”

[4] Some scholars would disagree with my assessment. The saying appears to reflect a time when the Christian community revived the notion that the age was about to come to a close and the "final harvest" soon to take place.  The "harvest boss" here refers to God.  Such an appeal to God to send workers to the harvest is more characteristic of Christian writers than of Jesus.  The dispatch of workers, in Christian parlance, meant sending out missionaries to call people to repentance and prepare them for the last judgment.

[5] In the opinion of Blaine Charette, "A Harvest for the People," Journal of the Study of the New Testament, 38, 1990, 29-35.  

[6] – From Luther’s Works, vol. 53, Liturgy and Hymns, Ulrich Leupold, ed., Philadelphia: Fortress, 1965, p. 126

[7] Pannenberg, Systematic Theology Volume 2, 310.

[8] "I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now"

by Charles Goodman and Jimmie Davis

 

Well, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now

Gotta make it to heaven somehow

Though the devil tempt me and he tried to turn me around

 

He's offered everything that's got a name

All the wealth I want and worldly fame

If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now

 

Well, I started out travellin' for the Lord many years ago

I've had a lot of heartache and I met a lot of grief and woe

But when I would stumble then I would humble down

And there I'd say, I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now

 

He's offered everything that's got a name

All the wealth I want and worldly fame

If I could still I wouldn't take nothin' for my journey now

 

Oh, there's nothin' in this world that'll ever take the place of God's love

All the silver and gold wouldn't buy a touch from above

When the soul needs healin' and I begin to feelin' his power 

Then I can say, thank the Lord, I wouldn't take nothing for my journey now.

 

[9] Theodore Roosevelt: "Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."

[10] Cardinal Newman, in the last year of his life, wrote in his journal: "Fear not that thy life shall come to an end, but rather fear that it shall never have a beginning.

[11] Hamlet, Act III.1.78-85.

[12]  Southern Nazarene University Website, snu.edu. Retrieved December 14, 2016.

[13]  --Lenny Miles, "Pack your coffins ... Let's go!" milesinmissions.wordpress.com. April 10, 2013. Retrieved December 14, 2016.

[14] -Kathleen Norris in Dakota: A Spiritual Geography, cited in Christianity Today, June 15, 1998, 59.

[15] The Jesus Seminar notes that these sayings reflect detailed knowledge of events that took place after Jesus’ death. They refer to the trials and persecutions of Jesus’ followers, the call to preach the gospel to all nations, advice to offer spontaneous testimony, and the prediction that families would turn against one another are features of later Christian existence. They do not refer to events in Galilee or Jerusalem during Jesus’ lifetime.