1718 | Matthew 9:29
29 Then he touched their eyes and said , “ Ac cord ing to your faith let it be done to you ”; v 30 and their sight was re stored . Jesus warned them sternly , “ See that no one knows about this .” w 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that re gion . x
32 While they were go ing out , a man who was de mon-pos sessed y and could not talk z was brought to Jesus . 33 And when the de mon was driven out , the man who had been mute spoke . The crowd was amazed and said , “ Noth ing like this has ever been seen in Is rael .” a
34 But the Phar i sees said , “ It is by the prince of de mons that he drives out de mons .” b
The Workers Are Few
35 Jesus went through all the towns and vil lages , teach ing in their syn a gogues , pro claiming the good news of the king dom and heal ing ev ery dis ease and sick ness . c 36 When he saw the crowds , he had com pas sion on them , d be cause they were ha rassed and help less , like sheep without a shepherd . e
37 Then he said to his dis ci ples , “ The har vest f is plentiful but the work ers are few . g 38 Ask the Lord of the har vest , there fore , to send out work ers into his har vest field .”
Jesus Sends Out the Twelve
10:2-4pp — Mk 3:16-19 ; Lk 6:14-16 ; Ac 1:13 10:9-15pp — Mk 6:8-11 ; Lk 9:3-5 ; 10:4-12 10:19-22pp — Mk 13:11-13 ; Lk 21:12-17 10:26-33pp — Lk 12:2-9 10:34,35pp — Lk 12:51-53
Jesus called his twelve dis ci ples to him and gave them au thor ity to drive out im pure
10 spirits h and to heal ev ery dis ease and sick ness .
2 These are the names of the twelve apos tles : first , Si mon ( who is called Pe ter ) and his brother An drew ; James son of Zeb e dee , and his brother John ; 3 Philip and Bartholomew ; Thomas and Mat thew the tax col lec tor ; James son of Al phaeus , and Thad daeus ; 4 Si mon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot , who betrayed him . i
5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the fol low ing in struc tions : “ Do not go among the Gen tiles or en ter any town of the Sa mar i tans . j 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Is rael . k 7 As you go , pro claim this mes sage : ‘ The king dom of heaven l has come near .’ 8 Heal the sick , raise the dead , cleanse those who have lep rosy , a drive out de mons . Freely you have received ; freely give .
9:29 v ver 22 9:30 w Mt 8:4 9:31 x ver 26 ; Mk 7:36
9:32 y Mt 4:24 z Mt 12:22‐24
9:33 a Mk 2:12
9:34 b Mt 12:24 ; Lk 11:15
9:35 c Mt 4:23
9:36 d Mt 14:14 e Nu 27:17 ; Eze 34:5 , 6 ;
Zec 10:2 ; Mk 6:34 9:37 f Jn 4:35 g Lk 10:2
10:1 h Mk 3:13-15 ; Lk 9:1
10:4 i Mt 26:14-16 , 25 , 47 ; Jn 13:2 , 26 , 27
10:5 j 2Ki 17:24 ; Lk 9:52 ; Jn 4:4-26 , 39 , 40 ; Ac 8:5 , 25
10:6 k Jer 50:6 ; Mt 15:24
10:7 l Mt 3:2 a 8 The Greek word traditionally translated leprosy was used for various diseases affecting the skin .
9:29 According to your faith . That is , “ because you have faith ,” not “ in proportion to your faith .” But in vv . 32 – 34 Jesus heals someone who is probably prevented by demons from believing , so we cannot generalize and make faith a prerequisite for every miracle . 9:30 See that no one knows . For Jesus ’ stern warning , see note on 8:4 . Not surprisingly , many just ignore Christ ’ s command . 9:32 demon-possessed and could not talk . Although the demons had caused this affliction , not all sickness was attributed to demon possession . The crowd ’ s response ( v . 33 ) highlights Jesus ’ incomparable power and authority . But an ominous , contrary explanation by the Pharisees foreshadows growing hostility toward Jesus by many Jewish leaders . For their specific charge , see 12:24 and note on 12:22 – 37 . 9:35 — 10:42 Missionary Discourse . After a three-verse introduction ( 9:36 – 38 ) and the formal call of the 12 apostles ( 10:1 – 4 ), Matthew presents the second of five major sermons of Jesus that punctuate this Gospel ( 10:5 – 42 ). 9:35 See 4:23 and note on 8:1 — 9:34 . 9:37 the workers are few . The shepherd imagery in vv . 35 – 38 is akin to Ezek 34 with its prophecy against evil shepherds . Too many of the Jewish leaders were offering their people inadequate or improper guidance .
Good leaders in large quantities were acutely needed .
10:1 – 42 Jesus instructs his 12 closest followers to replicate his ministry . 10:1 impure spirits . Another way of referring to demons . 10:2 – 4 Jesus may have already designated his closest followers , but Matthew gives the full list of their names for the first time here . Twelve men were chosen , probably on an analogy to the twelve tribes of Israel ( cf . the council of twelve at Qumran , 1QS 8:1ff .), and they point to the renewal of the people of God in the Messianic age . 10:2 apostles . Those disciples closest to Jesus whom he called to follow him throughout his ministry . The term is used for people sent on a mission . The first four appeared already in 4:18 – 22 . Peter begins all the lists of the apostles ( Mark 3:16 – 19 ; Luke 6:14 – 16 ; Acts 1:13 ) and often plays the role of spokesman . Peter , along with James and John , formed an inner circle of leadership for the Twelve . 10:3 Bartholomew . Meaning “ son of Tolmai ,” he may be the same person as Nathanael ( his actual name ) in John 1:45 – 51 , since both are paired with Philip . Thomas . Best known , sadly , for his one episode of doubt in John 20:24 – 25 ( but see John 20:26 – 29 ). Matthew . Introduced in 9:9 – 13 . James son of Alphaeus .
Called “ James the younger ” in Mark 15:40 . Thaddaeus . A nickname of endearment , since it comes from Aramaic taday (“ breast ”). Appears to be the same person as “ Judas son of James ” in Luke 6:16 . 10:4 Simon the Zealot . See also Luke 16:15 . He is possibly a former freedom fighter ; here he is literally a Cananean ( from an Aramaic word for “ zealous ”). Iscariot . The name distinguishes this Judas from the one mentioned in the note on v . 3 and probably means “ man of Kerioth .” For his betrayal , see 26:47 – 50 . 10:5 – 42 In these verses Jesus gives instructions for the Twelve . Verses 5 – 15 itemize conditions of their immediate missionary travels within Israel . Verses 17 – 42 look beyond this short-term mission to what they will experience after Jesus ’ death . Verse 16 forms a transition , linking the two main sections . 10:5 – 15 Jesus sends out the Twelve to replicate his ministry : to proclaim the arrival of the kingdom and to heal the sick ( vv . 7 – 8 ; cf . 9:35 ). Their immediate mission is within Israel . 10:5 – 6 Jesus lifts these restrictions after his resurrection ( 28:18 – 20 ). The gospel is offered “ first to the Jew ” ( Rom 1:16 ) because Israel is God ’ s “ treasured possession ” ( Exod 19:5 ).