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    Matthew 9:35-10:15  Lesson 18

    Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

    In this lesson:
     
    Jesus was the first evangelist, but not the last. 
    Now it's time for His disciples to spread the word. 
    But before they do, they need instructions (Matthew 10:5-14). 
     
    Also, God will judge us (10:15).​

    Study Tip:
     
    Click on the links.
    Who was -
        
    Philip -
    From Bethsaida in Galilee (John 1:44; 12:21), Philip was the fourth of the original twelve disciples, (John 1:40-43).  He immediately brought Bartholomew (also called Nathanael), the fifth disciple, to meet Jesus (John 1:45-46).  We see Jesus test Philip in John 6:5-6 and gently chastise him for his lack of faith in John 14:7-9.  "Certain Greeks," asked Philip to introduce them to Jesus (John 12:20-23).  After the crucifixion it is believed that Philip was sent north to Phrygia in Central Asia Minor to spread the Gospel and that he died at Hieropolis in Syria.  Not to be confused with Philip, the evangelist. 
     
    Bartholomew -
    Also called Nathanael (John 1:45-46).  From Cana in Galilee (John 21:2), Bartholomew was born into a Jewish family and became the fifth of the original twelve disciples.  Jesus described him as being without "guile" (John 1:47).
     
    Thomas -
    Another of the original twelve disciples (Matthew 10:2-3), Thomas was also called Didymus, (Greek for twin).  Despite saying he was willing to die with Jesus (John 11:16), Thomas fled with everyone else when Christ was arrested (Matthew 26:56; Mark 14:50).  When the other disciples told Thomas that they had seen the resurrected Jesus, Thomas didn't believe them (John 20:24-25).  This is where the term "Doubting Thomas" comes from.  Eight days later Thomas saw Jesus and was invited to place his finger inside Jesus' wounds (John 20:26-29).  Thomas saw Jesus again, with six other disciples, on the Sea of Galilee (John 21:1-2).  After that, Thomas became a faithful servant and helped spread Christianity.  Today, the Christians of Malabar, India regard Thomas as the founder of their church and call themselves the "Thomas Christians."
     
    James, the son of Alphaeus -
    Sometimes called James the less or James the younger (he was younger than another disciple named James).  James was the son of Alphaeus (Luke 6:15) and Mary (Mark 15:40), one of the original twelve disciples (Matthew 10:1-3; Mark 3:14-18; Luke 6:13-15) and brother to the disciple Judas (Luke 6:16; Acts 1:13; Jude 1:1), often called Jude, Juda or Thaddaeus.
     
    Thaddaeus -
    Also called Jude, Juda or Judas Lebbaeus surnamed Thaddaeus (Matthew 10:3), he was one of the original twelve disciples.  He was the author of "The General Epistle of Jude" (Jude 1:1) and brother to James the less (Acts 1:13).  At first, Judas did not believe Jesus was the Messiah (Mark 6:3) but eventually became a follower.  Some Bible scholars believe he founded the church in Edessa.  Jesus had two disciples named Judas, this one and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Him (Luke 6:16; John 14:22).
     
    Simon the Canaanite-
    One of the original twelve disciples (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:18) sometimes called Simon Zelotes (Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13).  So named because Simon was a member of the Zelotes, meaning zealot.  Judaism had four factions; Pharisees, Sadducees, Essenes, and the Zealots.  Unlike the other factions, the Zealots were strident defenders of the Mosaic Law and refused to bend to Gentile authority.  The Zealots were opposed to paying Roman taxes (Luke 20:22) and periodically resorted to armed rebellion against Rome.  They often conducted terrorist type attacks and assassinated Romans or Jewish leaders who cooperated with the Roman's.  In part, it was one of their uprisings in 70 AD that leads to the destruction of Jerusalem at the hands of Titus and the Roman army.
     
    Judas Iscariot -
    The son of Simon Iscariot (John 12:4; 13:2; 13:26) and one of the original twelve disciples (Matthew 10:4; Mark 3:19; Luke 6:16).  Iscariot is Hebrew for "man of Kerioth," a town in southern Judea.  Judas was a thief (John 12:6) who joined Jesus and was put in charge of the group's finances (John 13:29).  Jesus predicted that he would be betrayed (Matthew 26:21-25; John 6:70-71; 13:21).  Sure enough, Judas betrayed the Messiah (Mark 14:10; Luke 22:3-4; John 13:2) for "thirty pieces of silver" (Matthew 26:14-16) and then committed suicide (Matthew 27:5) out of remorse.  Whenever the Bible lists the twelve disciples/apostles, Judas is always named last (10:2-4).

    The Gospel According to St. Matthew

    The King James Bible    ​

    Matthew 9:35-38
    Pray for more workers

    35And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people.
     
    36But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd.
     
    37Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;
     
    38Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.
     
    Matthew: 10: 1-15
    Instructions for the twelve
     
    1And 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.     ​                        ​
    ​Margin notes: 
     
    "Healing every sickness and every disease." (9:35) - An amazing display of love and irrefutable evidence that Jesus is God.  See also verse 4:3.
     
    "He was moved with compassion." (9:36) - Jesus was often touched by the suffering or the poor choices made by people.  He was moved to tears for the people of Jerusalem after they rejected Him (Luke 19:41-44).
     
    "Because they fainted." (9:36) - Means, "because they (the crowd) were so distraught."
     
    "The harvest truly is plenteous." (9:37) - Refers to the harvest of souls.  Jesus used a similar metaphor in Luke 10:2 and John 4:35.
     
    "Twelve disciples." (10:1) - In this verse, the twelve are described as "disciples" or students learning at the feet of Jesus. 
     
    "Twelve apostles." (10:2) - Now they are "apostles" which means advocates, ambassadors, or missionaries.  the word apostles comes from the Greek word "apostello," meaning "to send."  An apostle is a person sent as a proponent, believer, or messenger.  It is a person who believes in an idea or cause and persuades others to follow it.  Jesus was the first Christian Apostle (Hebrews 3:1) sent to petition God's cause with mankind.
     
    "Matthew the publican." (10:3) - Refers to Matthew the tax collector, the author of this Gospel.
     
    "Go not into the way of the Gentiles." (10:5) - "Don't go into the area of non-Jews."
     
    "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." (10:7) - Jesus repeated this message often (Matthew 3:2).  
     
    "Freely ye have received, freely give." (10:8) - Jesus instructed His disciples not to charge for their ministry.  If you are a disciple of Jesus, then you should give freely of your time.  
     
    "Nor scrip for your journey." (10:10) - "Nor money for your journey."
     
    "Nor yet staves." (10:10) - "Nor walking sticks."
     
    "The workman is worthy of his meat." (10:10) - "The worker deserves his meal."  The apostles were not to charge for their ministry but could expect to receive food and shelter. 
     
    "There abide till ye go thence." (10:11) - "Stay there until you leave (town)."
     
    "Salute it." (10:12) - "Greet them."
     
    "Shake off the dust of your feet." (10:14) - It was a common Jewish practice to shake the dust off one's feet to show distaste for the person, home or city the dust came from.  See Acts 13:50-51 for a good example.
     
    "Verily." (10:15) - "Truly."
     
    "It shall be more tolerable......" (10:15) - Does this imply that there will be different punishments in Hell depending on the severity of each person's sins?
     
    "Sodom and Gomorrah." (10:15) - Two ancient cities from the Old Testament whose names are synonymous with wickedness.  Located in the "vale of Siddim" on the southeast shore of the Dead Sea (Genesis 14:2-3), God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah with "brimstone and fire" (Genesis 19:24) because of the rebellious and immoral lifestyle of their citizens (Genesis 18:20-19:29), and their disregard for the poor (Ezekiel 16:49-50). Jesus Himself refers to their demise in this verse.  Their destruction was so complete that even today no trace of the cities can be found.  Jude 1:7 and Second Peter 2:6 remind us of Sodom and Gomorrah's fate.
    ​

                                                  New Living Translation 
     

    Matthew  9:35-10:15
    The Need for Workers
     
    35 Jesus traveled through all the towns and villages of that area, teaching in the synagogues and announcing the Good News about the Kingdom. And he healed every kind of disease and illness.

    36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.

    37 He said to his disciples, "The harvest is great, but the workers are few.

    38 So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields."
     
     
    Matthew 10:1-15
    Jesus Sends Out the Twelve disciples
     
    1 Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.

    2 Here are the names of the twelve apostles:
     
      first, Simon (also called Peter),
       then Andrew (Peter's brother),
       James (son of Zebedee),
       John (James's brother),

    3     Philip,
       Bartholomew,
       Thomas,
       Matthew (the tax collector),
       James (son of Alphaeus),
       Thaddaeus,

    4     Simon (the zealot),
       Judas Iscariot (who later betrayed him).
     
    5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions: "Don't go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans,

    6 but only to the people of Israel-God's lost sheep.

    7 Go and announce to them that the Kingdom of Heaven is near.

    8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!
     
    9 "Don't take any money in your money belts-no gold, silver, or even copper coins.

    10 Don't carry a traveler's bag with a change of clothes and sandals or even a walking stick. Don't hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve to be fed.
     
    11 "Whenever you enter a city or village, search for a worthy person and stay in his home until you leave town.

    12 When you enter the home, give it your blessing.

    13 If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing.

    14 If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message, shake its dust from your feet as you leave.

    15 I tell you the truth, the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah will be better off than such a town on the judgment day.
    ​
    This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible.  However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."
    Today's questions:
     
    1. Why not tell "Gentiles" and "Samaritans" the good news of salvation? (10:5)
     
    2. Why did Jesus tell the disciples not to take anything with them? (10:9-10)       
                                                                            

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    Answers: (Do you agree?) ​
    ​
    1. When Jesus told His disciples not to seek out Gentiles or Samaritans, He was simply following God's order of primacy and not denying salvation to anyone.  God's plan of salvation started with the Jews (Romans 1:16),  and 
    through them, the Gospel was spread to all mankind.  The Bible clearly and repeatedly says that God's holy message
    is for everyone, Jew and Gentile (Genesis 12:3; Isaiah 25:6; 56:3-7; Malachi 1:11; Matthew 28:19; Acts 10:34-35;
    Romans 3:29-30; Galatians 3:28).  2. Jesus told His disciples not to take anything with them because He wanted them to be dependent on God.  Christ wanted them to learn to trust their heavenly father to watch over them and to provide for their needs.  After the crucifixion, they would be on their own and would need to trust God to safeguard them from the hardships and persecution they would face.
     
    Even though our hardships are less severe than the original disciples, we still need to rely on God.
    Application thought for the day:
     
    God's word is like fuel for the lantern.  The flame burns strong at
    first.  But as the flame consumes the fuel, more is needed to sustain the light. 
    Your lantern (soul) needs fuel (Scripture) every day.     ​
    Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress Books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; "The Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies"; "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible".  All were critical in putting these lessons together.
    ​© 2020 evolke