10:1__42 _The Authoritative Mission of the Messiah's Messengers. This second major discourse of Jesus focuses on the disciples mission to Israel (verses 1__15), preparation for a worldwide mission among the Gentiles (verses 16__23), and characteristics that Jesus disciples will need to embody as they carry out that mission (verses 24__42).
10:1__15 _Commissioning and Instructions for the Short-term Mission to Israel. Jesus commissions (verses 1__4) and instructs (verses 5__15) the Twelve, sending them out with his message and power.
10:1 _Jesus calls the disciples to him as an initial answer to the prayer for the Lord to send workers (9:38). twelve. Probably reflective of the 12 tribes of Israel and symbolic of the continuity of God's plan of salvation. The disciples will have authority . . . to heal every disease just as Jesus did (4:23; 9:35).
10:2 __Apostles (plural of Greek, apostolos; used only here in Matthew; See Romans 1:1) describes those commissioned to be Jesus special representatives, while "disciples" (MATTHEW 10:1) was also used more broadly to refer to anyone who believed in Jesus. Peter heads all the lists of the Twelve (MARK 3:16__19; LUKE 6:13__16; ACTS 1:13) and serves as their spokeman Peter, along with James and John, made up Jesus inner circle.
10:3__4 _There is remarkable diversity among the 12 apostles, including fishermen, a tax collec (MATTHEW), and a zealous revolutionary (Simon the Zealot). Judas Iscariots is always listed last, "Iscariot" most likely denotes where he was from. He was the treasure for the group (JOHN 12:6) and the betrayer of Jesus. (See LUKE 6:14; 6:15; 6:16).
10:5 - Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritians. The mission was restricted to Jewish Galilee, which was surrounder on all sides by Gentiles territory except for Samaria to the south (See JOHN 4:4). Though the gospel would later go to the whole would (See ACTS 1:8), Jesus inital ministry was to the Jewish people.
# 10:6 - Lost sheep of the house of Israel denotes the whole lost nation of Israel rather than just part of it. God's plan is that the gospel would be proclaimed first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (ACTS 1:8; ROMANS 1:16; 2:9__10).
10:7__8 - And proclaim . . . "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." Heal the sick . . . Jesus instructed the 12 disciples to minister to both the Spiritual and the physical needs of the lost. Thus the apostles message (the kingdom of heaven) is the same as that of Jesus (3:2; 10:1), and their power is an extension of Jesus own power ("authority" verse 1), enabling them to do the same works he has done.
10:8 - You received without praying; give without pay. The disciples have received the gift of the kingdom of heaven, and they are likewise to share this gospel freely. But verses 9__10.
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