Commissioning the
Twelve
Matt 10:1-15 Mark 6:7-13 Luke 9:1-6
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Matthew 10
1 AND having called his
twelve Disciples together, he gave them power over
unclean spirits, that they should cast them out, and should cure all
manner of disease, and all manner of infirmity. 2 And the names of the twelve
Apostles be these: the first, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his
brother, 3 James of Zebedee, and John his brother, Philip and Bartholomew,
Thomas and Matthew the publican, and James of Alpheus, and Thaddeus, 4 Simon
Cananean, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. 5 These twelve did Jesus
send: commanding them, saying, Into the way of the Gentiles you go not, and
into the cities of the Samaritans you enter not: 6 but go rather to the sheep
that are perished of the house of Israel. 7 And going preach, saying, That the
kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8 Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the
lepers, cast out devils: gratis you have received, gratis you give. 9 Do not
possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your purses: 10 not a scrip for the way,
neither two coats, neither shoes, neither rod. For the workman is worthy of his
meat. 11 And into whatsoever city or town you shall enter, inquire who in it is
worthy: and there tarry until you go forth. 12 And when you enter into the
house, salute it, saying, Peace be to this house. 13 And if so be that house be
worthy, your peace shall come upon it. But
if it be not worthy: your peace shall return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not
receive you, nor hear your words: going forth out of the house or the city
shake off the dust from your feet. 15 Amen I say to you, it shall be more
tolerable for the land of the Sodomites and Gomorrheans in the Day of Judgment
then for that city.
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Mark
6
7 And he called the Twelve: and began to send them two and
two; and gave them power over unclean spirits. 8 And he commanded them that
they should take nothing for the way, but a rod only: not scrip, not bread, nor
money in their purse, 9 but shod with sandals: and that they should not put on
two coats. 10 And he said to them, Wheresoever you shall enter into a house,
there tarry until you depart there. 11 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor
hear you: going forth from there shake off the dust from your feet for a
testimony to them. 12 And going forth they preached that they should do
penance: 13 and they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many sick, and
healed them.
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Luke
9
1 AND calling together the twelve Apostles, he gave them
virtue and power over all devils, and to cure maladies. 2 And he sent them to
preach the kingdom of God: and to heal the sick. 3 And he said to them, take
nothing for the way, neither rod, nor scrip, nor bread, nor money, neither have
two coats. 4 And into whatsoever house you enter, tarry there, and there do not
depart. 5 And whosoever shall not receive you, going forth out of that city,
shake off the dust also of your feet for a testimony upon them. 6 And going
forth they went a circuit from town to town, evangelizing and curing
everywhere.
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McEvilly The
other Evangelists (Mark 3:13; Luke 6:13), inform us, that our Lord had chosen
His twelve Apostles before He delivered the Sermon on the Mount, in order that they
might be constantly in His society, as witnesses of His doctrine and miracles,
to be sent in due time to preach, vested with miraculous powers and authority
required for the efficacious discharge of their exalted functions. St. Matthew,
in recording the Sermon on the Mount ( chapter 5 etc..), omits all allusion to
the election of the twelve Apostles from among His disciples, or, the
circumstances of the time and place in which this first occurred, as is
circumstantially narrated by St. Luke,
(6:13, etc.) He merely briefly alludes to it here immediately in connection
with the first public mission on which they were sent as Apostles, with
miraculous powers to confirm their teaching. The mission referred to here is
recorded (Mark 6:7; Luke 9:2). Most likely, the account of this mission should
be inserted between chapters 13 and 14 of St. Matthew. For, St. Mark interposes
the account of the mission recorded here, between the history of our Lord's
arrival in Nazareth, and that of the Baptist's death; and both Mark (6) and
Luke (9) relate, that the Apostles returned to our Lord to render an account of
their mission, after Herod had expressed his belief that John had been
resuscitated in the person of our Lord, and, that then, our Lord and the
Apostles retired into a desert place. The order, then, in which things
occurred, is this: The Apostles are sent to teach the Jews; John is beheaded;
Herod hearing of Jesus, is perplexed who He is; the Apostles return from their
mission; our Redeemer retires with them beyond the lake to a desert place; He
satiates, with five loaves and two fishes, the vast multitude, who, on the near
approach of the Pasch, flocked around Him, etc.
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Opposition Foretold
Matt 10:16-25 Luke 12:11-12
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Matthew
10
16 Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be
therefore wise as serpents, and simple as doves. 17 And take heed of men. For they will deliver you up in councils, and
in their synagogues they will scourge you. 18 And to presidents and to kings
shall you be led for my sake, in testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19 But
when they shall deliver you up, take no thought how or what to speak: for it
shall be given you in that hour what to speak. 20 For it is not you that speak,
but the Spirit of your Father that speaks in you. 21 The brother also shall
deliver up the brother to death, and the father the son: and the children shall
rise up against the parents, and shall work to death, 22 and you shall be
odious to all men for my name, but he that shall persevere unto the end, he
shall be saved. 23 And when they shall
persecute you in this city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you shall not
finish all the cities of Israel, until the Son of man come. 24 The disciple is
not above the master, nor the servant about his lord. 25 It suffices the
disciple that he be as his master: and the servant as his lord. If they have
called the good man of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his
household.
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Luke
12
11 And when they shall bring you into the synagogues and to
magistrates and potentates, be not careful in what manner, and what you shall
answer, or what you shall say. 12 For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the
very hour what you must say.
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McEvilly Some
interpreters maintain, that the following portion of this chapter was not spoken
by our Redeemer on this occasion; and that St. Matthew records here, on account
of the connection of the subjects, things spoken by our Redeemer on several
distinct occasions, which, according to those interpreters, is also true of the
Sermon on the Mount, as given by St. Matthew. So that he gives a connected
narrative of what was spoken in detached portions. For, Mark and Luke record
them as spoken on separate occasions. They give, as a reason for this opinion,
that the persecutions, on the part of Jews and Gentiles, could not apply to the
first mission of the Apostles, which was confined to the Jews. From this, the
seventy-two returned, far from suffering persecution, rejoicing rather in their
success. However, we find the words of this verse (16), also given in St. Luke
(x. 3, etc.), in connection with the mission of the Seventy-two; and it might
be said, also, in reply to the foregoing, that some of the things addressed to
the Apostles on the occasion of this first mission, had reference to what was in
reserve for them, and what did actually befall them on their future mission
among the Gentiles.
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Fear Only the Loss of
your Soul
Matt 10:26-33 Luke 12:1-9
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Matthew 10
26 Therefore fear not them. For
nothing is hid, that shall not be revealed: and secret, that shall not be
known. 27 That which I speak to you in the dark, you speak in the light: and
that which you hear in the ear, you preach upon the house tops. 28 And fear not
them that kill the body, and are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear Him
that can destroy both soul and body into hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for
a farthing: and not one of them shall fall upon the ground without your Father?
30 But your very hairs of the head are all numbered. 31 Fear not therefore:
better are you then many sparrows. 32 Every one therefore that shall confess me
before men, I also will confess him before my Father which is in heaven. 33 But
he that shall deny me before men, I also will deny him before my Father which
is in heaven.
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Luke
12
1 AND when great multitudes stood about him, so that they
trod one another, he began to say to his Disciples, Take good heed of the
leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. 2 For nothing is hid, that shall
not be revealed: nor secret, that shall not be known. 3 For the things that you
have said in darkness shall be said in the light: and that which you have
spoken into the ear in the chambers, shall be preached on the house-tops. 4 And
I say to you my friends, be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after this
have no more to do. 5 But I will show you whom you shall fear: fear him who
after he has killed, has power to cast into hell, yes I say to you, fear Him. 6
Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings: and one of them is not forgotten
before God? 7 Yes the hairs also of your head are all numbered. Fear not
therefore: you are more worth than many sparrows. 8 And I say to you, Every one
that confesses me before men, the Son of man also will confess him before the
angels of God. 9 But he that denies me before men shall be denied before the
angels of God.
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Divisions within
Households
Matt 10:34-36 Luke 12:51-53
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Matthew 10
34 Do not think that I came to
send peace into the earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. 35 For I
came to separate man against his father, and the daughter against her mother,
and the daughter in law against her mother in law. 36 And a man’s enemies, they
of his own household.
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Luke
12
51 Do you think that I came to give peace on the earth? No,
I tell you, but separation. 52 For there shall be from this time, five in one
house divided: three against two, and two against three. 53 Three shall be
divided, the father against the son, and the son against his father, the mother
against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother, the mother-in-law
against her daughter-in-law, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
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Weaved
Together Luke 12:51 Think ye that I
have come to cast peace into the earth? I came not to cast peace, but to cast
dissension. Luke 12:52 Henceforth there shall be five in one house, three of
them disagreeing with two, and the two with the three. Luke 12:53 The father
shall become hostile to his son, and the son to his father; and the mother to
her daughter, and the daughter to her mother; and the mother in law to her
daughter in law, and the daughter in law to her mother in law: Matthew 10:36
and a man's enemies shall be the people of his house.
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Conditions of
Discipleship
Matt 10:37-39 Luke 14:25-27
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Matthew 10
37 He that loves father or mother
more than me, is not worthy of me: and he that loves son or
daughter above me, is not worthy of me. 38 And he that takes not his
cross, and follows me, is not worthy of me. 39 He that has found his life,
shall lose it: and he that has lost his life for me, shall find it.
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Luke
14
25 And great multitudes went with him: and turning, he said
to them, 26 If any man come to me and hates not his father and mother, and wife
and children, and brethren and sisters, yes and his own life besides: he cannot
be my disciple. 27 And he that does not bear his cross and come after me:
cannot be my disciple.
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McEvilly The same is expressed by St. Matthew (x. 37), "Be
that loveth father or mother more than Me, is not worthy of Me." The words
of our Lord by Luke are even stronger than those in St. Matthew. We must not
only love Him more than them, more than our own lives; but, we must even
positively "hate," not them, but whatever is in them that withdraws
us from the love of Christ.
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Those Who Aid the
Apostles to be Revealed
Matt 10:40-42 Mark 9:41 John 13:20
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Matthew 10
40 He that receives you, receives
me: and he that receives me, receives him that sent me. 41 He that receives a
prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet, and he
that receives a just man in the name of a just man, shall receive the reward of
a just man. 42 And whosoever shall give drink to one of
these little ones a cup of cold water, only in the name of a
disciple, amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward.
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Mark
9
41 For whosoever shall give you to drink a cup of water in
my name, because you are Christ’s: Amen, I say to you, he shall not lose his
reward.
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John
13
20 Amen, amen I say to you, he that receives any that I
send, receives me: and he that receives me, receives him that sent me.
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McEvilly Commentators
concerning John 13:20 are perplexed as to their connection in the context with
what precedes or follows. This great diversity of opinion shows it to be no
easy matter to explain it. There is a great preponderance of authorities in
favor of the opinion, which holds that our Lord has in view in this verse to
strengthen and console His followers, in the several trials they would have to
endure in the faithful discharge of their duty, by the recollection, that they
were His own vicegerents and representatives; and if they should have to
suffer, so had He ; and it was by suffering, they would be partakers of His
rewards and glory. Corlui, however (in
hunc locum), is of opinion, that there is no connection whatever; that the
Evangelist omits words spoken by our Redeemer, between which words omitted by
the Evangelist and the words of this verse, there is a connection, so that the
connection is traceable to some other words spoken by our Redeemer, but omitted
here.
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