Matthew 10
10
1 And having called together his twelve disciples, he gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out and to cure every sickness and every infirmity.
2 Now the names of the twelve Apostles are 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 tax collector, and James of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus,
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5 Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them, saying: "Do not travel by the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter into the city of the Samaritans,
6 but instead go to the sheep who have fallen away from the house of Israel.
7 And going forth, preach, saying: 'For the kingdom of heaven has drawn near.'
8 Cure the infirm, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You have received freely, so give freely.
9 Do not choose to possess gold, nor silver, nor money in your belts,
10 nor provisions for the journey, nor two tunics, nor shoes, nor a staff. For the laborer deserves his portion.
11 Now, into whatever city or town you will enter, inquire as to who is worthy within it. And stay there until you depart.
12 Then, when you enter into the house, greet it, saying, 'Peace to this house.'
13 And if, indeed, that house is worthy, your peace will rest upon it. But if it is not worthy, your peace will return to you.
14 And whoever has neither received you, nor listened to your words, departing from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
15 Amen I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.
16 Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore, be as prudent as serpents and as simple as doves.
17 But beware of men. For they will hand you over to councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.
18 And you shall be led before both rulers and kings for my sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles.
19 But when they hand you over, do not choose to think about how or what to speak. For what to speak shall be given to you in that hour.
20 For it is not you who will be speaking, but the Spirit of your Father, who will speak in you.
21 And brother will hand over brother to death, and father will hand over son. And children will rise up against parents and bring about their deaths.
22 And you will be hated by all for the sake of my name. But whoever will have persevered, even to the end, the same shall be saved.
23 Now when they persecute you in one city, flee into another. Amen I say to you, you will not have exhausted all the cities of Israel, before the Son of man returns.
24 The disciple is not above the teacher, nor is the servant above his master.
25 It is sufficient for the disciple that he be like his teacher, and the servant, like his master. If they have called the Father of the family, 'Beelzebub,' how much more those of his household?
26 Therefore, do not fear them. For nothing is covered that shall not be revealed, nor hidden that shall not be known.
27 What I tell you in darkness, speak in the light. And what you hear whispered in the ear, preach above the rooftops.
28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But instead fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Hell.
29 Are not two sparrows sold for one small coin? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father.
30 For even the hairs of your head have all been numbered.
31 Therefore, do not be afraid. You are worth more than many sparrows.
32 Therefore, everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father, who is in heaven.
33 But whoever will have denied me before men, I also will deny before my Father, who is in heaven.
34 Do not think that I came to send peace upon the earth. I came, not to send peace, but the sword.
35 For I came to divide a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.
36 And the enemies of a man will be those of his own household.
37 Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter above me is not worthy of me.
38 And whoever does not take up his cross, and follow me is not worthy of me.
39 Whoever finds his life, will lose it. And whoever will have lost his life because of me, shall find it.
40 Whoever receives you, receives me. And whoever receives me, receives him who sent me.
41 Whoever receives a prophet, in the name of a prophet, shall receive the reward of a prophet. And whoever receives the just in the name of the just shall receive the reward of the just.
42 And whoever shall give, even to one of the least of these, a cup of cold water to drink, solely in the name of a disciple: Amen I say to you, he shall not lose his reward."
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Matthew 10
10
The Twelve Harvest Hands
1-4The prayer was no sooner prayed than it was answered. Jesus called twelve of his followers and sent them into the ripe fields. He gave them power to kick out the evil spirits and to tenderly care for the bruised and hurt lives. This is the list of the twelve he sent:
Simon (they called him Peter, or “Rock”),
Andrew, his brother,
James, Zebedee’s son,
John, his brother,
Philip,
Bartholomew,
Thomas,
Matthew, the tax man,
James, son of Alphaeus,
Thaddaeus,
Simon, the Canaanite,
Judas Iscariot (who later turned on him).
5-8Jesus sent his twelve harvest hands out with this charge:
“Don’t begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don’t try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.
9-10“Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.
11“When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.
12-15“When you knock on a door, be courteous in your greeting. If they welcome you, be gentle in your conversation. If they don’t welcome you, quietly withdraw. Don’t make a scene. Shrug your shoulders and be on your way. You can be sure that on Judgment Day they’ll be mighty sorry—but it’s no concern of yours now.
16“Stay alert. This is hazardous work I’m assigning you. You’re going to be like sheep running through a wolf pack, so don’t call attention to yourselves. Be as shrewd as a snake, inoffensive as a dove.
17-20“Don’t be naive. Some people will question your motives, others will smear your reputation—just because you believe in me. Don’t be upset when they haul you before the civil authorities. Without knowing it, they’ve done you—and me—a favor, given you a platform for preaching the kingdom news! And don’t worry about what you’ll say or how you’ll say it. The right words will be there; the Spirit of your Father will supply the words.
21-23“When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don’t quit. Don’t cave in. It is all well worth it in the end. It is not success you are after in such times but survival. Be survivors! Before you’ve run out of options, the Son of Man will have arrived.
24-25“A student doesn’t get a better desk than her teacher. A laborer doesn’t make more money than his boss. Be content—pleased, even—when you, my students, my harvest hands, get the same treatment I get. If they call me, the Master, ‘Dungface,’ what can the workers expect?
26-27“Don’t be intimidated. Eventually everything is going to be out in the open, and everyone will know how things really are. So don’t hesitate to go public now.
28“Don’t be bluffed into silence by the threats of bullies. There’s nothing they can do to your soul, your core being. Save your fear for God, who holds your entire life—body and soul—in his hands.
Forget About Yourself
29-31“What’s the price of a pet canary? Some loose change, right? And God cares what happens to it even more than you do. He pays even greater attention to you, down to the last detail—even numbering the hairs on your head! So don’t be intimidated by all this bully talk. You’re worth more than a million canaries.
32-33“Stand up for me against world opinion and I’ll stand up for you before my Father in heaven. If you turn tail and run, do you think I’ll cover for you?
34-37“Don’t think I’ve come to make life cozy. I’ve come to cut—make a sharp knife-cut between son and father, daughter and mother, bride and mother-in-law—cut through these cozy domestic arrangements and free you for God. Well-meaning family members can be your worst enemies. If you prefer father or mother over me, you don’t deserve me. If you prefer son or daughter over me, you don’t deserve me.
38-39“If you don’t go all the way with me, through thick and thin, you don’t deserve me. If your first concern is to look after yourself, you’ll never find yourself. But if you forget about yourself and look to me, you’ll find both yourself and me.
40-42“We are intimately linked in this harvest work. Anyone who accepts what you do, accepts me, the One who sent you. Anyone who accepts what I do accepts my Father, who sent me. Accepting a messenger of God is as good as being God’s messenger. Accepting someone’s help is as good as giving someone help. This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. It’s best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.