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THIS MATERIAL HAS NOT BEEN EDITED FOR

SCRIPTURAL ACCURACY, SPELLING, OR GRAMMAR

MATTHEW

CHAPTER 10

Matthew 10:1-10

10:1 Yeshua called his twelve talmidim [disciples] and gave them authority to drive out unclean spirits and to heal every kind of disease and weakness. 2 These are the names of the twelve emissaries:

First, Shim‘on Simon, called Kefa Peter, and Andrew his brother,

Ya‘akov Ben-Zavdai James the son of Zebedee and Yochanan John his brother,

3 Philip and Bar-Talmai Bartholomew,

T’oma Thomas and Mattityahu Matthew the tax-collector,

Ya‘akov Bar-Halfai James the son of Alphaeus and Taddai, Lebbaeus surname was Thaddaeus

4 Shim‘on Simon the Zealot, and Y’hudah from K’riot Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.

5 These twelve Yeshua sent out with the following instructions: “Don’t go into the territory of the Goyim Gentiles, and don’t enter any town in Shomron Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Isra’el. 7 As you go, proclaim, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is near,’ 8 heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those afflicted with tzara’at leprosy, expel demons. You have received without paying, so give without asking payment. 9 Don’t take money in your belts, no gold, no silver, no copper; 10 and for the trip don’t take a pack, an extra shirt, shoes or a walking stick — a worker should be given what he needs. CJB

10:1-42 MISSION OF THE TWELVE

R 10:1-4 Mission.

S 10:5, 6 Injunctions.

T 10:7-13 Their reception.

U 10:14, 15 Their rejection.

R 10:16- Mission.

S 10:-16, 17- Injunctions.

U 10:-17-39 Their rejection

T 10:40-42 Their reception.

Matthew 10:1-4

10:1-4

Sending the Twelve

Israel had twelve tribes, and groups that chose twelve leaders (as in the *Dead Sea Scrolls) did so because they believed that their own group was the true, obedient remnant of Israel. The lists in Luke and Acts replace Mark and Matthew's "Thaddeus" with "Judas son of James" (cf. also John 14:22). Ancient documents show that it was common for people to go by more than one name, so the different lists of *apostles probably do refer to the same people. Nicknames were common, appearing even on tomb inscriptions. "Cananaean" is *Aramaic for "*zealot" (Luke 6:15); thus some translations simply read "Simon the Zealot" here. In Jesus' day, this word could just mean "zealous one," but it may mean that he had been involved in revolutionary activity before becoming Jesus' follower, as it would probably mean when the Gospels were written.

"Apostles" means "sent ones," or commissioned representatives. The analogous Hebrew term was used for business agents, although the general concept is broader than that; a "sent one" acted on the full authority of the sender to the extent that he accurately represented the sender's mission. Commissioning narratives appear in the *Old Testament, as when Moses commissions Joshua to carry on Moses' work and take the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 31:23). *Rabbis allowed their senior students to teach while they were still students, to prepare them for their own work as rabbis.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 10

10:2-4 Emissaries. Greek apostoloi, which means “those sent out,” is usually rendered “apostles,” a word with a distinctly “churchy” ring I wanted to avoid. I debated using the Hebrew equivalent, “shlichim” (singular “shaliach”), but decided that “shaliach” makes Diaspora Jews think of an Israeli sent to encourage aliyah (Jewish immigration to Israel)—not a bad image, in my view, but irrelevant to the New Testament.

Shim‘on (Simon), called Kefa—see 4:18 N. Andrew and Philip render Greek names. Ya‘akov Ben-Zavdai and...Yochanan—see 4:21 N. T’oma (Thomas) means “twin” in Hebrew—see John 11:16. Mattityahu, identified as L’vi (Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27-29), is believed to be the author of this Gospel. Bar-Chalfai, son of Alpheus. Taddai; some manuscripts have “Lebbai also known as Taddai” (Lebbeus also known as Thaddeus); he is supposed to be the same as Y’hudah the brother of Ya‘akov (Luke 6:16, John 14:22, Acts 1:13, John 1).

Zealot. The Zealots were the “Jewish Liberation Front” of their day, actively opposing Roman occupation. Their provocations led in 66 C. E. to open rebellion, which was crushed by the Romans with enormous loss of life, destruction of the Temple in 70, and mass suicide of the last holdouts at Matzada in 73 to avoid being captured and enslaved by the Roman army.

Y’hudah from K’riot is known to English-speakers as Judas Iscariot. “Iscariot” is probably not a surname but a rendering into Greek of Hebrew ish-K’riot, “a man of K’riot,” a town some twenty miles south of Jerusalem.

10:5 Goyim, “Gentiles” (see 5:47 N). In some Jewish circles today “Gentile” and “Christian” are regarded as interchangeable terms, but this is a mistake, confusing one's people with one's religion. The word “Gentile” means only “non-Jew”; it does not mean “Christian.” A member of the Jewish people, a Jew, can opt for a form of non-Messianic Judaism (e.g., Orthodox, Conservative, Reform), or for Messianic Judaism, or for some other religion or none. Likewise a Gentile can decide to follow a form of non-Messianic Judaism and become a proselyte; or he can become a Christian in the same way a Jew becomes Messianic, namely, by putting his trust in God and in his son Yeshua the Messiah; or he can follow another religion or none.

Because the religion of Judaism implies membership in the Jewish people, a Gentile who becomes a Jew by religion also becomes a member of the Jewish people, and his children will be Jews. Because Messianic faith—Gentile Christianity and Messianic Judaism—is trans-cultural and can be held by members of any people, a Jew who becomes a follower of Yeshua remains a member of the Jewish people and does not become a Gentile.

Homily 32 - Matthew 10:1

For if He sent them to reap, clearly it was not to reap what belongs to another, but what Himself had sown by the prophets. But not in this way only was He indirectly encouraging them, in calling their ministry a harvest; but also by making them able for the ministry.

10:1 "And when He had called unto Him," it saith, "His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease."

Still the Spirit was not yet given. For "there was not yet," it saith, "a Spirit, because that Jesus was not yet glorified." How then did they cast out the spirits? By His command, by His authority. And mark, I pray thee, also, how well timed was the mission. For not at the beginning did He send them;

1. But when they had enjoyed sufficiently the advantage of following Him,

2. And had seen a dead person raised,

3. And the sea rebuked,

MATTHEW CHAPTER 10

Homily 32 – Matthew 10:1

4. And devils expelled,

5. And a paralytic new-strung,

6. And sins remitted,

7. And a leper cleansed,

And had received a sufficient proof of His power, both by deeds and words, then He sends them forth: and not to dangerous acts, for as yet there was no danger in Palestine, but they had only to stand against evil speaking. However, even of this He forewarns them, I mean of their perils; preparing them even before the time, and making them feel as in conflict by His continual predictions of that sort.

Then, since He had mentioned to us two pairs of apostles, that of Peter, and that of John, and after those had pointed out the calling of Matthew, but had said nothing to us either of the calling or of the name of the other apostles; here of necessity He sets down the list of them, and their number, and makes known their names, saying thus:

10:2 "Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; first, Simon, who is called Peter."

Because there was also another Simon, the Canaanite; and there was Judas Iscariot, and Judas the brother of James; and James the son of Alphaeus, and James the son of Zebedee. Now Mark doth also put them according to their dignity; for after the two leaders, He then numbers Andrew; but our evangelist not so, but without distinction; or rather He sets before himself even Thomas who came far short of him. But let us look at the list of them from the beginning.

1. "First, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother."

Even this is no small praise. For the one he named from his virtue, the other from his high kindred, which was in conformity to his disposition.

2. Then, "James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother."

Seest thou how He arranges them not according to their dignity. For to me John seems to be greater, not only than the others, but even than his brother.

3. After this, when he had said, "Philip, and Bartholomew," he added, "Thomas, and Matthew the Publican."

But Matthew not so, but in the opposite order, and he puts him before Thomas [Luke 6:15]

4. Next, "James the son of Alphaeus." For there was, as I have already said, the son of Zebedee also. Then after having mentioned "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus," and "Simon" Zelotes, whom he calls also "the Canaanite," he comes to the traitor. And not as a sort of enemy or foe, but as one writing a history, so hath he described him. He saith not, "the unholy, the all unholy one," but hath named him from his city, "Judas Iscariot." Because there was also another Judas, "Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus," who, Luke saith, was the brother of James, saying, "Judas the brother of James." Therefore to distinguish him from this man, it saith, "Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him." And he is not ashamed to say, "who also betrayed Him." So far were they from ever disguising aught even of those things that seem to be matters of reproach.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 10

Homily 32 – Matthew 10:5

And first of all, and leader of the choir, is the "unlearned, the ignorant man."

But let us see whither, and to whom, He sends them.

10:5 "These twelve," it is said, "Jesus sent forth."

What manner of men were these? The fishermen, the publicans: for indeed four were fishermen and two publicans, Matthew and James, and one was even a traitor. And what saith He to them? He presently charges them, saying, (Archbishop John Chrysostom A.D. 400)

10:5-16

The Mission

10:5. "Way of the *Gentiles" probably means a road leading only to one of the pagan, Greek cities in Palestine; Jewish people normally avoided roads that led into such cities anyway. Galilee was surrounded by Gentile regions except in the south, where it shared borders with Samaria. (On *Samaritans, see comment on John 4:1-4.)

10:6. A common Jewish belief was that ten tribes of Israel had been lost and would be found in the time of the end. Here, however, Jesus uses "lost sheep of Israel" in the more common Old Testament sense: they have gone astray from the Lord (Isaiah 53:6; Jeremiah 50:6; cf. Ezekiel 34:5). The idea that a message was first to Israel did not preclude it later coming to others (Amos 3:2 and context; cf. the oracles against the nations by Isaiah, Jeremiah and others).

10:7-8. That the *apostles' mission is the same as Jesus' is appropriate for "sent ones" (see comment on 10:1-4): they acted within the limits of their authorization. "As I [God] [gave the *law] for free, so you should" was a later Jewish saying applied to teachers of the law; whether it was a proverb Jesus was citing this early we cannot be sure.

10:9-10. They are to travel light, like some other groups:

(1) peasants, who often had only one cloak;

(2) some traveling philosophers, called *Cynics (probably represented as nearby as Tyre and the Decapolis, *Gentile cities surrounding Galilee);

(3) some prophets, like Elijah and John the Baptist.

They are to be totally committed to their mission, not tied down with worldly concerns. The "bag" could have been used for begging (so the Cynics used it), though cf. 10:11; on "money belts," see comment on Luke 6:38. It is said that *Essenes received such hospitality from fellow Essenes in various cities that they did not need to take provisions when they traveled.

10:11-13. Showing hospitality by taking in travelers was one of the most important virtues in Mediterranean antiquity, especially in Judaism; Jesus could have drawn on Old Testament precedent for traveling ministers depending on such hospitality (2 Kings 4:8-11); cf. comment on Matt 10:41. (Indeed, Israelite tradition had required even most wicked kings to respect prophets and to spare them despite their criticisms, which other ancient kings would not have endured.)

MATTHEW CHAPTER 10

10:11-13

To whom and under what circumstances greetings should or should not be given were important issues of social protocol, especially because the common Jewish greeting, "Peace," was really a blessing or wish-prayer meant to communicate peace. Jesus cuts through such issues of protocol with new directives.