1. Why does Jesus specifically choose twelve men, and what does this number represent in the context of Israel's history and restoration? 

2. According to verses 5–6, who are the disciples commanded to visit, and why would Jesus restrict their scope? How can this be reconciled with the later great commission?

3. What specific message are the disciples told to preach as they go out, and how does it compare to the message previously proclaimed by John the Baptist and Jesus? 

4. What kind of authority are the disciples given alongside their message, and what instructions are they given regarding payment or money (v. 8)? 

5. How are the disciples instructed to provide for their daily needs on the journey (v. 9–10)? What does it mean to find someone "worthy" (v. 11)? 

6. What symbolic action are the disciples told to perform in towns that reject them, and what does that gesture signify? 

7. Jesus warns that unrepentant towns will face a judgment worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. How does this principle apply to communities or individuals today who hear the gospel repeatedly but refuse to respond? 

Welcome to session 16. I want to encourage you to maintain a 50/50 split in your meetings, allowing time for fellowship and community building while also making sure the study of scripture remains your focus.

Discussion Questions

1. Why does Jesus specifically choose twelve men, and what does this number represent in the context of Israel's history and restoration? 

   • This represents the 12 tribes of Israel, this is more or less a new start.

2. According to verses 5–6, who are the disciples commanded to visit, and why would Jesus restrict their scope? How can this be reconciled with the later great commission?

   • They are to go only to the Jews, which Jesus' ministry is primarily focused on

   • The message is supposed to have a flow to it. First Israel must be restored, which Jesus will work on and it will be fulfilled at Pentecost. Then the gospel goes to the Samaritans, essentially the remainder of the old kingdom of Israel, and then to the Gentiles, which is something we trace throughout acts. So Jesus isn't unconcerned with other peoples, we just have to trust in the process.

3. What specific message are the disciples told to preach as they go out, and how does it compare to the message previously proclaimed by John the Baptist and Jesus? 

   • This is the same exact message of John and Jesus. They are not preaching a new message, just as we today aren't supposed to be preaching a new message either. We are to proclaim the same gospel that the Apostles did, just as they preached the same message of Jesus and John the Baptist.

4. What kind of authority are the disciples given alongside their message, and what instructions are they given regarding payment or money (v. 8)? 

   • They are to heal, to cast out demons, to cleanse lepers, and even raise the dead. This gospel message isn't just well wishes, but it's accompanied by true power and authority.

   • Jesus tells them to not expect money for these things. This authority is a gift freely given to them, and they are to freely offer it to others. This is why the prosperity gospel is just that, another gospel, a different message from that of Jesus. 

5. How are the disciples instructed to provide for their daily needs on the journey (v. 9–10)? What does it mean to find someone "worthy" (v. 11)? 

   • They are to rely entirely on the hospitality of others. They are to find someone "worthy," which is essentially someone able to offer hospitality and was receptive to their message.

6. What symbolic action are the disciples told to perform in towns that reject them, and what does that gesture signify? 

   • They are to shake the dust off their sandals, which is to essentially turn their back on the town. If they are rejected then they are no longer obligated to preach to these people.

7. Jesus warns that unrepentant towns will face a judgment worse than Sodom and Gomorrah. How does this principle apply to communities or individuals today who hear the gospel repeatedly but refuse to respond? 

   • That those who have heard the message and repeatedly refuse need not be our focus anymore. We can shake the dust off our sandals and focus on those who are either receptive or have yet to hear the message. 

Hello everyone, welcome to session 16. We are finally hitting the double digits in Matthew, and with that we are seeing a shift in his ministry. We left off last session with Jesus talking about how the harvest is plentiful but there are more workers needed, this leads right into Jesus commissioning the twelve disciples to go forth and work the harvest.

This is the first time all twelve are mentioned, and that number is likely very intentional by Jesus. He calls specifically twelve men to represent the twelve tribes of Israel. (Turner, 149; France, 180) When you stop to consider what Jesus' mission is, it makes a lot of sense. Jesus is looking to restore Israel, establishing a new covenant. So therefore these twelve men represent a restart, as if they are a new start to Israel and instead of just passing things down by birthright, they are instead to graft people into this new Israel, something that will eventually be offered to the gentiles in Acts.

Matthew lists the twelve disciples here, but their names are mostly unimportant. The majority of these names we will not see again, and thus I will only point our a few key names. Simon Peter is the first one listed, and he seems to be a leader among them as things progress, not least of which is Peter's famous confession of Jesus as the Christ, where Peter gives him the name Peter. We also see James and John show up later, perhaps a little less favorably. They show up again when their mother comes to Jesus, petitioning for them to have a greater role, and these brothers are thusly criticized by Jesus for this. Despite this, however, these two do seem to be in Jesus' inner circle and do appear for key moments like the transfiguration. We today also have some of John's writing: His three epistles, Revelation, and his Gospel. Matthew is also important to point out here, being the same tax collector that got picked up last chapter. He is most notably the author of the gospel we are currently reading. Beyond that we don't see much of him beyond Matthew 10. The last name of this list is also one that will become critically important as the story goes on, that of Judas Iscariot. His title here: Iscariot, has even been suggested to mean "traitor," or "assassin." (France, 181)

Jesus proceeds to tell them to go out to the people of Israel and only the people of Israel. We eventually see this repealed by Jesus in the great commission, and throughout the book of Acts we see thier message reach the Samaritans and Gentiles. Yet for now Jesus is hyper focused on the Jews alone, and the disciples are to work inside of that frame. 

The message they are to preach is intentionally the exact same as John the Baptist's and Jesus'. Matthew uses the same language to summarize their messages "The kingdom of heaven is at hand." They are to go out and tell people this message of repentance, which we know today as the gospel. To accompany this message they are given authority to perform the same miracles that Jesus has been performing these past few chapters. They are to heal the sick, cleanse lepers, cast out demons, even raise the dead. And for this, they are not to accept any money. We see a similar attitude from Paul in 1 Corinthians 9:18 and 2 Corinthians 11:7. (France, 183)

They are to rely entirely on the hospitality of strangers as they preach. They are to find someone "worthy," likely meaning someone who his able and is receptive to their message. (France, 184; Turner, 149) They are not permitted to bring extra supplies with them on thier mission, not even a second coat to stay warm at night if they have to camp out. They are to entirely rely on God's providence and the hospitality of others, which makes little sense to the American mind, but much sense to the ancient near eastern mind. For some examples of this kind of expected hospitality take a look at Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1–8; and Judges 19:15–24. (France, 184)

Now with this Jesus gives them to right to shake the dust off their sandals (a dramatic gesture of refusing and turning your back on someone; France, 185) to any town that rejects them. Jesus says that it will be worse for this town than it was for Sodom and Gomorrah. If you remember from Genesis, Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their heinous living which included regularly raping visitors. Now Genesis does not record God sending someone to either of these cities to warn them of coming judgement and begging for them to repent. Hence why it will be worse for cities that reject the apostles, because they were warned and yet refused to repent. Another story to think of is Nineveh from the book of Jonah. They were a wicked city and the capital of the nation of Assyria which would go on to conquer the northern kingdom of Israel and besiege Jerusalem. Yet God sent to them Jonah and they did repent and were essentially purified to act as God's instrument of judgement upon the kingdom of Israel to whom God had sent many prophets and the kingdom didn't repent like Nineveh did. The destruction of Israel and later Babylonian Exile are great examples of what will befall these cities, a people who have been thoroughly warned and refuse to repent are to face a worse judgement.