Matthew 10: The First Sending (3)
Pray Psalm 22.23
You who fear the LORD, praise Him!
All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,
And fear Him, all you offspring of Israel!
Sing Psalm 22.23-25.
Darwall: Rejoice, the Lord is King
All you who fear the LORD, now praise His holy Name!
You children of His glorious Word, declare His fame!
We stand in awe of our eternal God, and on His mercy call.
Read Matthew 10.1-26; meditate on verses 16-26.Meditate on the phrase “a servant is not above his master”.
Prepare.
1. Of what did Jesus warn His disciples?
2. What did He promise them?
Meditate.
Don’t you love the way Jesus uses metaphors? He piles them on here: “sheep in the midst of wolves”; “wise as serpents”; “harmless as doves”. This is how the disciples were to think about their mission. They would be the objects of hatred on the part of some. So they needed to know what to prepare for and what to expect. Despite their best efforts to be meek, peaceable, quiet, and wise, people would dislike them and seek to do them harm (v. 17).
The disciples may have looked a bit hesitant at this point. But Jesus pressed on: “When push comes to shove, and you need to have the right words to say, I’ll provide them. And when I do, then the words you hear coming out of your mouth won’t be your words, but those of the Spirit of God” (vv. 19, 20).
Think about that for a few minutes! What a tremendous fear-dispeller! It’s not that they didn’t need to prepare. Jesus had been preparing them for some time now. They knew what the Good News of the Kingdom entailed, and what they were to say. But you can’t prepare for every objection, threat, or tirade by unbelieving folks. So just keep to the main points, and God will give you the words you need.
But being a witness for Christ can be a hard road. Someone will always be looking to do you in (vv. 21-23). When you encounter such people, there’s no need to keep provoking them. Just move on, looking for the next “worthy household” where people will welcome what you have to share.
Jesus promised them also that He’d be right behind them (v. 23). He would walk the same path they did. What they had seen in Him, they should follow, teach, and do (vv. 24, 25). They should strive to be like Jesus, and so should we. And if that means people will say bad things about us or threaten us or wish us ill, well, it’s nothing more than what Jesus endured, and look where it got Him (Ps. 110)!
Don’t be afraid, witness for Christ. Don’t cover the light Jesus has lit in your soul. Let it shine! Make His Good News known! He is right behind, right there within you, and His Word will never return to Him without accomplishing what He sends it out through you to do.
Treasure Old and New: Matthew 13.52; Psalm 119.162
Jesus used safe animal metaphors to prepare us for unsafe human truths.
Sheep, wolves, serpents and doves devolve into men we must beware of.
But God. He is always with us—leading, guarding, protecting, guiding, and giving words.
When God sent Moses back to Egypt to bring His people out of bondage, He said to Moses,
“When you go back to Egypt, see that you do all those wonders before Pharoah which I have put in your hand. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go” (Ex. 4.21). Of course, eventually Pharaoh did send the people away, but the road to that ending was full of woe and travail.
Nevertheless, the point was: Moses was to do all that God had given him the power and authority to do.
For God’s glory and the betterment of His people.
David called on the LORD to help him in these predicaments, wherein we all find ourselves, as we live amidst others who would be pleased to deliver us up to be scourged and tormented for our faith—those men of whom we are to beware.
“Help me, O LORD my God!
Oh, save me according to Your mercy,
That I may know that this is Your hand—
that You, LORD, have done it!
Let them curse, but You bless;
when they arise, let them be ashamed,
but let Your servant rejoice…
I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth;
yes, I will praise Him among the multitude.
For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
to save him from those who condemn him” (Ps. 109.26-28, 30, 31).
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace.
In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer,
I have overcome the world” (Jn. 16.33).
“Look among the nations and watch—be utterly astounded!
For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe,
though it were told you” (Hab. 1.5). Indeed. We have been told!
“Don’t be afraid, witness for Christ.
Don’t cover the light Jesus has lit in your soul. Let it shine!
Make His Good News known!
He is right behind, right there within you, and
His Word will never return to Him without accomplishing
what He sends it out through you to do.”
Reflect.
1. Why do you think Christians are sometimes afraid to talk about Jesus or bear witness to Him?
2. Is our responsibility to convert anyone to Christ? Explain.
3. How might you improve your ability to share Jesus with the people in your Personal Mission Field?
He tells them to exhibit the gentleness of sheep, even though they are going out among wolves, and not simply toward the wolves but trustfully moving right into the midst of the wolves. John Chrysostom (433-407), The Gospel of Matthew, Homily 33.1
Pray Psalm 22.26-28.
Jesus suffered and prevailed; if we have to suffer for the Gospel, we will prevail as well. Praise the Lord for His Presence with you as you go out into your Personal Mission Field today.
Sing Psalm 22.26-28.
Darwall, Rejoice, the Lord is King
Then all the poor shall eat and praise with us the LORD.
Forever we His praise repeat and trust His Word.
Praise God above, all you who keep His vows and who His mercies love!
All nations shall repent and hasten to the LORD.
All those to whom His truth is sent shall praise His Word.
The LORD is King! His sovereign rule on high now we His people sing!
T. M. and Susie Moore
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment to give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Cor. 4.15).
We invite you to join us in ReThinking Church. We explain further at our ReThinking Church page, here.
Other columns of interest: This week: The Read Moore podcast continues readings from our book, The Kingdom Turn. Our Crosfigell teaching letter presses ahead in a series on the state of the Church in Europe at the time of the Celtic Revival. The ReVision column addresses the question, “How to Church?” Click here to see all the other columns and writers available to you.
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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. All psalms for singing are from The Ailbe Psalter.
