Today’s passage: Matthew 10:1-15
Helpful thoughts:
- Jesus “called” or “summoned” His disciples. The commander has called together His own to give them their orders.
- The disciples did nothing of their own authority.
- The command to not go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans was only temporary, for this particular time and task.
- Jews would shake the dust off their feet before returning from a Samaritan or Gentile town to make sure not to bring in any trace of the dust on their sacred home land. Jesus was commanding the disciples to turn that around. Paul and Barnabas would later do the same when the Jews rejected the Gospel.
- Jesus’ instruction to the disciples will continue through to the end of this chapter.
Questions to consider:
- To whom in Israel did Jesus command the disciples to go? Who would the disciples have been looking for with the commands Jesus gave them, the cream of the crop or the down and out?
- Was this mission meant to result in the personal wealth of the disciples?
- How were the disciples told to respond when the message was rejected? Should we be concerned for our own reputation/personal rejection or for the soul of the individual hearing the Gospel?