Chapter Text
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
And when he had called unto him 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.
2Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:
6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.
15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city.
Persecution Foretold
16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
24The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
Fear God, Not Man
26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Not Peace, but a Sword
34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36And a man's foes shall be they of his own household.
37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.
42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Summary
Jesus commissions the twelve apostles, giving them authority over unclean spirits and diseases. He sends them to the lost sheep of the house of Israel with the message that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
He prepares them for persecution, assuring them that the Spirit of their Father will speak through them. He warns that following Him will bring division, even within families, but encourages them not to fear those who can only kill the body. He promises reward for those who receive His messengers.
Meaning
The commissioning reveals that Jesus intends His ministry to extend through human agents. The authority given to the twelve is delegated, not inherent, reminding all ministers that their power comes solely from Christ. The instructions about persecution prepare the disciples for the reality that the gospel will provoke opposition.
Jesus' statement that He came not to send peace but a sword does not contradict His nature as Prince of Peace. Rather, it acknowledges that truth necessarily divides, and loyalty to Christ must surpass every human bond.
Background
The twelve apostles represented a reconstituted Israel, corresponding to the twelve tribes. Their initial mission was restricted to Israel, reflecting the principle that the gospel would go first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles.
The instruction to shake off the dust of their feet against rejecting towns echoed a Jewish custom performed when leaving Gentile territory, symbolizing complete separation.
Chapter Outline
- vv. 1-4The Twelve Apostles Named
- vv. 5-15Mission Instructions to Israel
- vv. 16-23Warnings of Coming Persecution
- vv. 24-25The Disciple and His Master
- vv. 26-31Fear God, Not Men
- vv. 32-39The Cost of Confessing Christ
- vv. 40-42Reward for Receiving Christ's Own
Key Verses
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.”— 10:16
A proverbial charge to disciples facing hostile mission fields, balancing prudence and innocence. Frequently quoted as a model for Christian engagement with a hostile world.
“And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”— 10:28
A foundational text on the fear of God versus the fear of man, affirming the soul's survival beyond bodily death and God's ultimate authority over judgment.
“Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.”— 10:34
A startling saying that qualifies popular notions of Jesus as merely peaceable, warning that allegiance to Christ will divide even households. Central to discussions of discipleship's cost.
“He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”— 10:39
The paradox of cruciform discipleship, repeated in all four Gospels. It defines self-denial as the paradoxical path to true life in Christ.
People & Places
People
- Simon Peter — Listed first among the Twelve, the lead apostle and spokesman of the disciples.
- Andrew — Peter's brother, one of the first called to follow Jesus.
- James son of Zebedee — Fisherman apostle, brother of John, part of Jesus' inner circle.
- John — Brother of James, beloved disciple and later Gospel writer.
- Philip — An apostle from Bethsaida named in the apostolic lists.
- Bartholomew — One of the Twelve, often identified with Nathanael.
- Thomas — An apostle later known for his doubt and confession of the risen Christ.
- Matthew — The former tax collector (publican) and traditional author of this Gospel.
- James son of Alphaeus — An apostle distinguished from James son of Zebedee, sometimes called James the Less.
- Lebbaeus Thaddaeus — An apostle also known as Judas son of James in other lists.
- Simon the Canaanite — An apostle identified elsewhere as Simon the Zealot.
- Judas Iscariot — The apostle who would ultimately betray Jesus to the authorities.
- Beelzebub — A name for Satan, hurled as slander against Jesus and, by extension, His followers.
Places
- Israel — The covenant land and people, the immediate target of this first apostolic mission.
- Samaria — Region between Judea and Galilee, excluded from this initial mission to Israel.
- Sodom and Gomorrha — Ancient cities destroyed for wickedness, invoked as a benchmark of judgment.
Prophecy & Fulfillment
Jesus speaks prophetically of coming persecution: disciples will be dragged before councils, governors, and kings (vv. 17-18), and households will be divided (vv. 21, 35-36), echoing Micah 7:6. He promises the Spirit's words in the moment of trial (vv. 19-20), a pattern fulfilled throughout Acts. His enigmatic word in verse 23 — that they 'shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come' — has been read as referring variously to the Transfiguration, the resurrection, Pentecost, or the AD 70 judgment on Jerusalem.
Devotional
Jesus does not send His followers out with illusions. He promises power for the work, but also opposition, misunderstanding, and even division at the dinner table. The honest weight of this chapter is its comfort: the God who counts sparrows knows the number of hairs on your head.
When following Christ costs something — a relationship strained, a reputation bruised, a comfort surrendered — remember that nothing offered for His sake is wasted. Even a cup of cold water, given in His name, is seen and remembered by the Father.
Literary Style
Narrative frame surrounding an extended discourse — the second of Matthew's five major teaching blocks. The mission charge unfolds in proverbial sayings, parallelism, and antithetical couplets, with vivid imagery (sheep among wolves, sparrows, the cross) typical of Jesus' wisdom speech.