Day 10: The Mission of the Twelve

10:1 He called to himself his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness. 10:2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these. The first, Simon, who is called Peter; Andrew, his brother; James the son of Zebedee; John, his brother; 10:3 Philip; Bartholomew; Thomas; Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus; Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; 10:4 Simon the Canaanite; and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

10:5 Jesus sent these twelve out, and commanded them, saying, “Don’t go among the Gentiles, and don’t enter into any city of the Samaritans. 10:6 Rather, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7 As you go, preach, saying, ‘The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!’ 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons. Freely you received, so freely give. 10:9 Don’t take any gold, nor silver, nor brass in your money belts. 10:10 Take no bag for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. 10:11 Into whatever city or village you enter, find out who in it is worthy; and stay there until you go on. 10:12 As you enter into the household, greet it. 10:13 If the household is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it isn’t worthy, let your peace return to you. 10:14 Whoever doesn’t receive you, nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake off the dust from your feet. 10:15 Most certainly I tell you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.

10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 10:17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will scourge you. 10:18 Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony to them and to the nations. 10:19 But when they deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given you in that hour what you will say. 10:20 For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 10:21 “Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to be put to death. 10:22 You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved. 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee into the next, for most certainly I tell you, you will not have gone through the cities of Israel, until the Son of Man has come. 10:24 “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his lord. 10:25 It is enough for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant like his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household! 10:26 Therefore don’t be afraid of them, for there is nothing covered that will not be revealed; and hidden that will not be known. 10:27 What I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light; and what you hear whispered in the ear, proclaim on the housetops. 10:28 Don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna. 10:29 “Aren’t two sparrows sold for an assarion coin? Not one of them falls on the ground apart from your Father’s will, 10:30 but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 10:31 Therefore don’t be afraid. You are of more value than many sparrows. 10:32 Everyone therefore who confesses me before men, him I will also confess before my Father who is in heaven. 10:33 But whoever denies me before men, him I will also deny before my Father who is in heaven.

10:34 “Don’t think that I came to send peace on the earth. I didn’t come to send peace, but a sword. 10:35 For I came to set a man at odds against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 10:36 A man’s foes will be those of his own household. 10:37 He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me isn’t worthy of me. 10:38 He who doesn’t take his cross and follow after me, isn’t worthy of me. 10:39 He who seeks his life will lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake will find it. 10:40 He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives him who sent me. 10:41 He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man’s reward. 10:42 Whoever gives one of these little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, most certainly I tell you he will in no way lose his reward.”

Chapter Summary:

• The Calling of the Twelve


• The Mission of the Twelve


• Sheep in the Midst of Wolves


• Take Up Your Cross

There are any number of ways the verses in this chapter might be grouped. I have tried to organize them in a way that makes sense; but perhaps some of the blocks should be broken down a bit more.

The Calling of the Twelve

Most of these names are familiar to us. One that may not be is “Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus.” Not every English translation of this chapter contains that information; instead, we are given the name, Thaddaeus. As far as I know, there are no lists of “major” and “minor” apostles, as there are for the prophetic books in the Old Testament; but beyond being named in the lists of the twelve in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, we hear nothing more about some of them. This particular phrase, giving the name “Lebbaeus,” points out something that will occur again in this chapter, and, indeed, throughout the Gospels: the manuscripts from which the Bibles are translated. There are some variations between these source texts; some, as we have noted, contain this phrase, while others do not. Another instance: Simon the Canaanite is given the title, Simon the Cananaean. The meaning is the same; and, indeed, while these variations do occur, there are, to my knowledge, none that are substantive – none that, if included, change the message the Gospels are meant to convey.

The Mission of the Twelve

Having been selected by our Lord to be a part of His “inner circle,” if you will, they are given a mission, and the power and the authority to accomplish it. What are they to do? Preach the coming of the kingdom of heaven; and to heal the sick and cast out demons. In verse 8, we encounter another textual variation. Some source texts read as it is given above; but some add, “raise the dead” as well to what the twelve are empowered to do.

They are also given other instructions. They are sent to the Jews, not to the Gentiles, nor to the Samaritans. They are to take no reward for what they do; and they are not to worry about any provisions for their journey: they are not to take any food, clothing, or baggage; and they are not to take anything of value that might be used by them to pay for food or lodging, or any another expense. They are to rely upon what people in the villages they visit will provide for them – ultimately, to trust that God will provide all their needs. When they come to a village, they are to stay with someone who was worthy. (I must admit to being intrigued by the concept of being “worthy.” St. John Chrysostom gives no more guidance on that than does the text itself. Does anyone have any ideas to offer on what this might mean?)

They were to give their greeting to the household when they entered, and, if the house was worthy, to allow their peace to remain; otherwise, their peace was to return to them when they left. (Remember that “house” means more than the building: it also means “family.”) As with “worthy,” this is intriguing: what is this “peace?” Fortunately, St. John Chrysostom does discuss this point. He says that the instructions our Lord is giving to those being sent out to proclaim the coming of the kingdom, rather than being greeted as teachers, are to greet others first – an act of humility on the part of the disciples. So they are not so much giving a greeting when they enter, but a blessing; which, if the house is worthy, will find the blessing will, indeed be given to them. If the house is not worthy, the first punishment it suffers is that it will lose the peace that would be found by the members of the household as a result of having the disciples stay with them and teaching them. They would also be at risk of being sentenced to destruction, as Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. This, of which we are told in the 19th chapter of the book of Genesis, was the result of the sinfulness of these cities, which were destroyed when fire and brimstone – burning sulfur – fell upon both cities, completely destroying them.

Sheep in the Midst of Wolves

The Lord tells the twelve that they are being sent out as sheep among wolves. As such, He advises them that they must be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. (In some versions, such as the King James, the phrase is, “as wise as serpents and as harmless as doves.”) What then, is the wisdom or shrewdness of the serpent? What is the innocence or harmlessness of the dove?

St. John Chrysostom (where would we be without his insights?) actually begins to decipher this for us by going back to the first phrase, of the sheep in the midst of wolves. As were the disciples being sent, so, too, are we to be sheep – who are generally gentle creatures not given to attack – rather than wolves, who attack and kill with their teeth. This is connected to the harmlessness of the dove. He further explains that, as the serpent will not vigorously defend its tail, but even allow it to be severed from the body so as to preserve its head – the tail will grow back – so are we to be willing to give up everything except our faith: houses, property, goods, even our limbs or our lives may all be lost to us, but if we preserve our faith, we shall not lose our reward in heaven; only those things on earth which are ultimately transitory, shadows. So to be as wise as a serpent means to preserve our faith; while to be as innocent as a dove is to cause no harm to any other person.

A warning is then given to the disciples: Be on guard. There will be acts of betrayal, even by those who are close to us, even members of our own families. The faithful may be arrested, questioned, imprisoned, tortured, even killed. We are not to worry about these things, not even what answer we shall give when questioned: the Spirit of the Lord will instruct us in what we are to say. We will be hated; but if we stand firm to the end, we shall be saved – perhaps in this world, but certainly in the world to come. (See chapters 2 and 3 of the book of the revelation to St. John for the promises given to those who endure until the end.)

One other little side trip before leaving this section. Our Lord says, “If they have called the master of the house Beelzebul, how much more those of his household!” Remember that, when the people of God who had made the exodus from Egypt came to the Promised Land, it was necessary for them to drive out the inhabitants of the land, who worshipped idols. One such idol was Ba’al. This word, Semitic in origin (as is Hebrew), may be applied to either a divine being or a human being; it means “master” or “lord.” In some instances, it is a “stand-in” for the deity Hadad, the Lord of heaven and the god of rain, thunder, and agriculture. (Among the Hebrews, the name of God was too sacred to be spoken; and so reference to God used the “stand-in” term, “Adonai” – “Lord” – in place of “YHWH.”) In the Bible, it does not usually carry that meaning, but instead is a general reference to the diversity of “gods” worshipped by the Canaanites. The name, “Baal-Zebul” would mean “Prince Baal” or “Baal the exalted one.” In the Bible, the term is corrupted – probably intentionally – to “Beelzebub” or “Beelzebul”: “Lord of the flies.” The term came to be applied to Satan. If you recall, in chapter 9, the Pharisees said of our Lord that He cast out demons by the prince of demons. They were, in effect, calling Him, “Beel-zebub.”

Take Up Your Cross

Having set before His disciples the possible challenges and dangers they may encounter as they go about their mission, He reminds them of their importance, of the great love that God has for all mankind, made in His image and called to live in His loving presence. He tells us not to fear those whose power to destroy extends no further than being able to take away our life in this world. We should only fear the One who can destroy both the body and the soul in hell. Of course, if we live as we have been instructed by Him, we have no reason to fear: for if we acknowledge our Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord and Savior of our lives in word and in deed, He will, at the great and terrible Day of Judgment, acknowledge us in heaven. Those who do not risk being disowned by our Lord on that Day. We are, of course, called to love our parents; we are called to love our brothers and sisters; we are called to love our children – but we must not let this love be more important than our love for the Lord; nor let this love pull us away from Him. This is part of the Cross we are called to carry: to love the Lord with all of our being, and to love those who are made in His image and after His likeness – even those who will hate us, and act on that hate, because of our love for, and loyalty to, Jesus Christ the Son of God, our Lord.

(The quotations from Scripture found in the above come from the World English Bible.)