Matthew 10: 1-15

Jesus had called unto him his twelve disciples

 

And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,  Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. And when ye come into an house, salute it. And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. (Matthew 10: 1-15)

Jesus called the twelve disciples. He called the twelve disciples, cast out evil spirits, and empowered them to heal every sickness and every weak. What is this power from Jesus? It is power to rely on Jesus' name. Not everyone can call on the name of Jesus, but the one whom Jesus has chosen can. The Bible says that many are called, but few are called.

When Jesus sent the twelve disciples, he said, "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not." The primary object of God's covenant is Israel. Therefore, the whole Israel was a lost sheep. Jesus had pity on the sick. Jesus saw them suffering and exhausting like sheep without a shepherd.

However, they did not turn to Jesus. As the disciples went, they said that Heaven was near. But Jesus said to his disciples, "To preach this gospel of the kingdom, heal the sick, save the dead, cleanse the lepers, remove the ghosts, but give them free, because you have received them freely." It is not their own power that the disciples did this power, but the power given by Jesus Christ. Therefore, doing this power testified to Jesus as the Christ.

There was nothing the disciples had. When the Jews of this time went to someone else's house, they blessed it.
Peace is the Greek word for Ayrene. It is called Shalom in Hebrew. Israel was God's covenant people, so Shalom was not given if they betrayed God's covenant. So all kinds of disasters happen. In this process, Shalom, or peace, is the gospel message to them. However, Jesus said to his disciples, "Preach this peace wherever you go." Peace is the most important thing that Jesus calls His disciples and tells them to give away what they have received.

The Israelites' failure to enjoy God's peace is because God's covenant relationship is broken. Therefore, Jesus is a peace offering that gives peace between God and his people. Therefore, the disciples preach this peace. If there is a person who meets this peace, peace will come to that person's home. Peace means the gospel.

However, Jesus said to his disciples, "If people do not accept the one who comes with this peace and do not listen in your words, you must throw away the dust of your feet from the house or the castle." The act of dropping off the dust on your feet or brushing off your hem means judgment. Jesus said to his disciples, "If they do not receive peace from Jesus, it is a judgment, and how terrible this judgment is, the land of Sodom and Gomorrah is more tolerable than the city." Jerusalem was the first city to reject the peace message. Jesus sighed for Jerusalem because the people did not know the news of peace. Therefore, Jerusalem that rejected Jesus became Sodom and Gomorrah.

 

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