Read Matthew 10:5-11:1, Mark 6:7-13 and Luke 9:1-6. It is at this point in our Lord’s ministry that He sends out the twelve men He has already chosen. They are to preach the message of the coming Kingdom, to heal and to cast out demons. These Twelve had traveled with Jesus for almost a year now. They had listened to Him and been taught by Him. Now, having received some training, they are ready to go out on their own in pairs. Mark and Luke record for us the central core of the instructions our Lord gives to the Twelve; Matthew gives much more detail.
To accurately understand our Lord’s instructions in Matthew 10:5-11:1, it must be realized He is instructing them for a particular time period, still yet to come. The age or time in which we now live is the church age. It is a special period that was hidden in the Old Testament and, for the most part, in the Gospels as well. It was not revealed until after Jesus had ascended back into heaven. As God reveals His plan or purpose for history in the Bible, we learn of the following events to take place.
1. God would send the Messiah to His people, the Nation Israel.
2. Messiah would be rejected by His people and die as a sacrifice for sin.
3. He would be resurrected and return to heaven.
(The Church Age – beginning at Pentecoste and ending at the rapture)
4. He would return seven years later to establish a Kingdom. During this 7-year period, while the Messiah was absent, Messiah’s followers would face difficult times as they proclaimed the message of His soon return.
From the New Testament epistles, we learn there is a hidden period of time between #3 (The ascension into heaven) and #4 (The seven-year period before the return to establish the Kingdom), indeed, a long period of time we call the church age. In this age, God deals with Gentiles, non-Jewish people, offering salvation to all by simple faith in the Messiah. At the end of this church age, all believers will be raptured or removed from the earth. God will then turn His attention once more to the nation of Israel. Many people turn to God in faith following the rapture; they are the ones who are proclaiming the soon return of the Messiah. They will face difficult times as they are persecuted for their faith. It is to them these instructions are primarily addressed. For about seven years, they will proclaim the message, “Repent! the Kingdom is at hand!” and then Messiah will return and set up the kingdom.
1. Why do you think Jesus tells His followers to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel?
God has now dealt with the Gentiles for thousands of years. These last seven years are to be concentrated on Israel once more. This does not mean the message is not for all people. It is! But the message goes first to Israel.
2. What kind of reception will our Lord’s followers receive?
They will be persecuted, put to death and betrayed. From the book of The Revelation, we learn that most believers will be martyred for their faith.
3. What do you think our Lord means when He says, (a) “Whoever loves father, mother, son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.” and (b) “He who has found his life shall lose it and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.”
a. Ultimately, our love and loyalty must be to our Lord. We may be forced to choose between Him and them. We are told that during these days children will turn on their parents and parents on their children.
b. Those who remain faithful and are put to death shall live eternally. Those who deny the faith to save their lives physically shall lose their life forever. It is to be noted that everyone (not most!) who receives the mark of the Beast will suffer eternity in hell.
4. Why do you think our Lord instructed them to take nothing for their journey, no food, money, change of clothes?
They were not doing this for any gain. The message was so critically important and urgent that they were just to go; God would provide the rest.
Read Matthew 14:1-12, Mark 6:14-29 and Luke 9:10-17.
5. Describe the circumstances leading to the death of John the Baptizer.
He had been imprisoned by Herod because he had spoken the truth and had offended him and especially his wife, Herodias. Herodias wanted John killed. After making a rash promise in front of many witnesses at a dinner party to the daughter of Herodias, Herod sent and had John beheaded in prison.
Read Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17 and John 6:1-15. Two events lead up to this miracle. One is the fact that the apostles, who had been sent out by Jesus to preach, heal the sick and cast out demons, returned and were reporting to Jesus all that they had done. They were tired and needed rest. Jesus tries to take them somewhere so they can be alone, but the crowds follow. The other event was the death of John the Baptizer. Jesus retreats from the public eye, not wishing to stir up any rebelliousness on the part of the people who considered John to be a prophet. Our Lord does not wish to cause a public disturbance. Unsuccessful in getting His disciples alone, Jesus turns to the crowd and begins teaching and healing. When it was late, Jesus asked His followers to feed these people.
6. What question did Jesus ask Philip? Why did He ask this question?
a. Where are we going to buy bread that they may eat?
b. He asked the question to test them.
7. When Jesus asked His disciples to feed this great crowd, about what, do you suppose, was He testing them?
He had already given them the power and authority to perform miracles. Did they have the faith in God to do this now? This was the test.
8. Jesus refused to turn stone into bread when He was hungry and tempted by Satan, yet He turns nothing into bread here, enough bread to feed well over 5000 people. Why do you think it was wrong in one instance but not the other?
The motive was the key. Satan was tempting Him to act to fulfill His own desires; here He was working to meet the needs of others.
The Applications:
What are the applications of these passages to our lives today? Identify as many as you are able.
1. There are some who, in their interpretation of the Scriptures, point to verse 22 of Matthew chapter 10 as proof of justification of works. “You will be hated by all because of My name, but it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.” It is rightly pointed out that enduring to the end is more than simply believing the truth. If a person has faith and believes, but then later, in an act of weakness accepts the Mark of the Beast, he has lost His salvation because the Scripture clearly states: “the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:11). Therefore it is stated one must (1) believe and (2) remain faithful.
Those that teach and accept this fail to understand our salvation. Every man, woman and child from Adam to the last person to be saved during the Kingdom has been saved, is being saved and will be saved based on the finished work of Jesus Christ. His righteous life, His substitutionary death, and His resurrection all work together to secure for us a place in Heaven. This salvation, so secured, is then offered to all by faith. This principle of salvation by faith, based upon the finished work of Christ, is constant throughout all human history. However, the content of a person’s faith differs from age to age, depending upon the revelation that God has given.
From Adam until the first advent of our Lord, the content of faith was that God would provide a savior to take away our sin. Adam knew little more than this, but he believed that. John the Baptizer knew much more, having all the Old Testament revelation and a little more as well, but he still looked for a coming Messiah. He did not know or realize that our Lord would be crucified. But what God had revealed, he believed and was therefore saved.
Today the content of our faith is that Jesus Christ has come, died and rose again for us. If we believe or rely upon this, which is the gospel (good news) message for our day, we are saved. In the Tribulation Period, the content of faith seems to be, “The King is coming back. He is about to return. Prepare for His coming.” Those who believe are they who will rely upon the King to save them (by His life, death and resurrection) even if it first means their death. It is a sign of their faith that they will refuse to worship the Antichrist or receive his mark. However, those that do receive the mark are demonstrating that their faith is not in the coming King, but in the present ruler of this age regardless of what they may have claimed before this. Those that truly believe, who are indeed relying upon the King to return to save them, will persevere and endure; those that rely upon the beast to preserve their life will die eternally. Salvation in the Tribulation Period is still by faith, based upon the finished work of Christ.
It will be so in the Kingdom period as well, although it is not yet clear what the issue of faith will be. All of those born during that time will have to make a decision of faith. They will be saved by faith, based upon the completed work of Jesus Christ.
2. It is so important to share the message during the last days that our Lord tells His disciples, “Just go. Do not worry about food or clothing or finding the best place to stay. God will supply.” We are now fast approaching these days. We stand on the very threshold of these terrible times. God’s Word tells us that there has never been a time as bad as this time, nor will there ever be one like it again. From the book of The Revelation, we learn that, in the first three and a half years of this seven-year period, over one-half of the world’s population will die from the world war that is fought and its aftermath. The last three and a half years are promised to be much worse. These are not days in which anyone would choose to live.
I am convinced most people living today will see the beginning of this time if they have not placed their faith in Jesus Christ. The question then to us is how concerned are we about the message of salvation in Jesus Christ? We do not have much time to lose. What instructions do you believe our Lord would give us today about sharing this message?
3. God tests us after He teaches us. While He may ask us to do hard and difficult things, seemingly impossible tasks, nothing He asks us to do is beyond what is possible through the power of His indwelling Spirit. Jesus trained the Twelve; He gave them the power and authority to do miracles and then sent them out. In asking them to feed the crowd, He is seeing if they can apply what they have been taught and what they have been given.
God teaches you and me many lessons. By the Spirit He has made to dwell within us, He has empowered us. He then places us in the laboratory of life and tests if we can apply these lessons. It often is hard, if not seemingly impossible. It pushes us to the limits of our faith and endurance. But just like the Twelve, we have been taught the truth; we have been given the resources and the power and authority to accomplish what lies before us. Expect the tests, for they will come!