Matthew 10
Twelve Disciples sent out
A teacher must teach people to teach otherwise his teaching dies with him. Jesus has been teaching the disciples for a very short time up to this point. Yet, He sends them out with authority. We read into the scriptures that Jesus taught the disciples a new teaching that was different from the Old Testament and Torah. Nothing could be further from the truth. The disciples had a working knowledge of Torah. Yeshua tweaked that knowledge by giving a more complete meaning to what they already knew. We have studied this in the previous chapters.
The Disciples were his pupils and are being sent on a field trip to put into action what they have learned. First, let’s look briefly at the twelve:
Matthew 10:1–4 (NASB95) 1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness. 2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
Matthew noted himself as a “tax collector”. This is significant because it seems he did not want the reader to get the impression that he was different now. His blight was that he was drawn from a bad crowd of people. Nothing negative is said about the rest of the disciples except for Judas. Who is identified as the one who betrayed the Messiah. Simon the Zealot: This was a group of people that were against the Roman occupation. There were many uprisings against the Romans that were all unsuccessful by these people.
Instructions: Yeshua sent out the twelve with explicit instructions. They were to duplicate the work that they had seen Him doing. He gave them authority such as no man in history had had before (Matt 10:1).
Matthew 10:5–8 (NASB95) 5 These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them: “Do not go in the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter any city of the Samaritans; 6 but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.
The disciples were instructed not to go to the Gentiles or to the Samaritans. They were instructed to go to the lost sheep of Israel. Paul reflected this same attitude when he wrote to the Romans (Ro 1:16). This is a messianic prophecy that focuses on how that Israel has lost direction, and lost their purpose in life. Biblical prophecy indicates that their shepherds have led them astray:
Jeremiah 50:4–7 (NASB95) 4 “In those days and at that time,” declares the Lord, “the sons of Israel will come, both they and the sons of Judah as well; they will go along weeping as they go, and it will be the Lord their God they will seek. 5 “They will ask for the way to Zion, turning their faces in its direction; they will come that they may join themselves to the Lord in an everlasting covenant that will not be forgotten. 6 “My people have become lost sheep; Their shepherds have led them astray. They have made them turn aside on the mountains; They have gone along from mountain to hill And have forgotten their resting place. 7 “All who came upon them have devoured them; And their adversaries have said, ‘We are not guilty, Inasmuch as they have sinned against the Lord who is the habitation of righteousness, Even the Lord, the hope of their fathers.’
The disciples were like babies moving from the milk of Torah to the meat of Torah. Yeshua sent them out as newborn babies to share His view of Torah and establish it with healing, raising the dead, cleansing lepers and casting out demons (Psalm 8:2). Why? The young in the knowledge of the Lord are sometimes the ones who display the more powerful faith. They have not walked with the Lord enough to where they have started listening to the world, disenchanting them as to the power of the Word. Remember, these were twelve common men, fishermen and tax collectors, certainly not scholars. They went out to preach an enhanced torah which they had just barely learned.
A second reason that Yeshua sent them out is not as obvious from the Gospel of Matthew. To this point Matthew has not mentioned Herod. With the twelve disciples scattering in different directions to preach, people began getting healed and delivered all over the land. This changed ground zero to a shotgun type of setting. It made it more difficult to nail down where Yeshua was teaching at. The conflicting message as to the location of the miracle healings will throw off Herod’s hounds so that in the early phase of Yeshua’s earthly ministry He is not disturbed.
A third reason could simply be that Yeshua was demonstrating that His teaching was better than the sages of old. Elijah took one student, Elisha. Elisha was not authorized to work in power until Elijah was taken away. We see bodies of prophets from the Old Testament times, but do not see training and discipleship. We do not see an aggressive reaching out to the masses for the purpose of drawing people back to Torah.
Yet, this intention of Torah was there all along. The Jewish people were supposed to be God’s witness to the nations. In Abraham all the nations of the world were to be blessed (Gen 18:18; 22:18; 27:29). They were expected to teach foreigners the right way before God (Lev 25:6; Ex 12:48). After the Passover this was demonstrated as a huge multitude of people joined Israel in the exodus from Egypt (Ex 12:37-38). Later we will see nations intentionally and unintentionally brought under the wings of the Hebrew people. Rahab and her family were accepted in (Josh 6:25). The Gibeonites were pressed into temple service after tricking the Hebrews (Josh 9). The original intention of Torah was that the Jewish people were to be evangelists to the nations. Somehow they missed this truth.
Yeshua set the record straight by sending out the twelve disciples to evangelize their fellow Jews. Before they could evangelize the nations, the Jewish people had to be brought back to Torah. They taught what Yeshua taught, Torah. Nothing new, just a new focus on what they already knew.
The Message: Messiah! At no time in history had men the ability to teach with such power. Their message was simple. “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matt 10:7). Torah has been the message of Yeshua. His purpose in teaching Torah to this point was to validate and verify that He is the Messiah. The disciples will carry this message out to the ones in Israel who are wandering lost. The purpose of the message was clear. It was to return the people to their good Shepherd as quoted in Jeremiah above (Jer 50:5). The power of the message was validated by the miraculous. No one could refute the miracles. Jesus met the people where they were at. The Jewish people looked for signs to validate prophecy (1 Cor 1:22). However, signs have a short effect; look at the response to Lazarus (Luke 16:27-31). I do not believe at this point in the story Yeshua was trying to convert the Jews to a fuller meaning of Torah. He was preparing the ground so that they would become aware that the Messiah had arrived.
“Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt 10:8b).
The translators probably should have placed this at the beginning of the instructions on finances for the journey. Mainly because hospitality is one of the key points of Judaism. Torah commands that biblical instruction is to be given for free without charge (Prov 23:23). Let’s look at the command of Yeshua as He instructed them men not to take pay for the journey and examine this passage:
Matthew 10:8b–15 (NASB95) 8b “…. Freely you received, freely give. 9 “Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a bag for your journey, or even two coats, or sandals, or a staff; for the worker is worthy of his support. 11 “And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay at his house until you leave that city. 12 “As you enter the house, give it your greeting. 13 “If the house is worthy, give it your blessing of peace. But if it is not worthy, take back your blessing of peace. 14 “Whoever does not receive you, nor heed your words, as you go out of that house or that city, shake the dust off your feet. 15 “Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment than for that city.
Jesus was not teaching a new idea. He instructed the disciples not to garner wealth from their teachings. The Rabbi’s held firmly that even though you can charge for small things such as babysitting, you are not to charge for biblical instruction! Yet they argued back and forth to justify tuition to students… Here is an excerpt from the Babylonian Talmud Bekhorot 4:6:
Said R. Judah said Rab, “Said Scripture, ‘Behold I have taught you …’ (Dt. 4:5)—just as I [give] at no fee, so you must do so at no fee.” C. So too it has been taught on Tannaite authority: D. “Behold I have taught you even as God commanded me …” (Dt. 4:5)—just as I [give] at no fee, so you must at no fee. E. And how on the basis of Scripture do we know that if one has not found a teacher to teach for nothing, he must pay tuition? F. Scripture states, “Buy the truth” (Prov. 23:23). G. And how on the basis of Scripture do we know that one may not say, “Just as I have studied it only at the cost of tuition, so I shall teach it only for payment of tuition?” H. Scripture states, “… and do not tell it” (Prov. 23:23).[1]
The Jewish sages were so shook up over the idea of teaching for free that they were justifying charging for information. The argument that takes place in the following excerpt is an argument over teaching lessons for tuition, but teaching exegesis for free. They reasoned that exegesis taught a person to learn the lessons on their own without the need for a teacher. (I did not copy the entire argument.) Look at this passage again from The Babylonian Talmud Nedarim 4:3:
And what makes the matter of teaching rules of exegesis exceptional, that one may not accept a fee? Since it is written, “And the Lord commanded me at that time to teach you” (Deut. 4:14), and further, “Behold I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me” (Deut. 4:5)—just as I taught you at no fee, so you must teach at no fee. G.And why shouldn’t the teaching of Scripture also go unpaid? H. Rab said, “The fee is for baby-sitting [for the children, not for teaching them].” I. And R. Yohanan said, “The fee is for teaching the correct intonation of the words [the melody, not the words themselves].”[2]
Stern points out another passage from the Talmud that I was unable to find in mine. This could be because of a translation difference. This is most likely his translation:
“Rav Y’hudah said in the name of Rav: Scripture says, ‘Behold, I have taught you [statutes and judgments] … ’ (Deuteronomy 4:5). Just as I teach for free, so you should teach for free. Similarly it has been taught: The next words of this verse are, ‘ … as Adonai my God commanded me.’ This too implies: Just as I teach for free, so you should teach for free.
“Whence do we deduce that if it isn’t possible to find someone who will teach gratuitously, one must pay to learn? A verse says, ‘Buy the truth … ’ (Proverbs 23:23). And whence do we deduce that one who has to pay in order to learn should not say, ‘Since I had to pay to learn Torah, I will charge to teach it’? From the same text, which adds, ‘ … and do not sell it.’ ” (Bekorot 29a) [3]
Torah teaches biblical teaching is to be free. Ok, we have looked at the arguments that the sages labored through as they wrestled with the idea of teaching biblical truth for free. Where does this come from in Torah? We have seen two verses hammered to death by the Rabbi’s (Deut 4:5 and Prov 23:23). Another one that is taken into play is the simple command by God to teach children the scriptures. This is understood to be teaching by parents or those who are spiritual:
Deuteronomy 6:6–9 (NASB95) 6 “These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. 7 “You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. 8 “You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. 9 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 11:19–21 (NASB95) 19 “You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up. 20 “You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, 21 so that your days and the days of your sons may be multiplied on the land which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, as long as the heavens remain above the earth.
Torah teaches that the very preservation of the nation is critically dependent upon understanding it. God promised blessings for those who learn and adhere to Torah (Prov 3:2; 4:10; 9:11). The very existence and health of the soul is dependent upon learning the instruction of God. By the way, the word “teaching” in Proverbs 3:1 is Torah:
Proverbs 3:1–12 (NASB95) 1 My son, do not forget my teaching (Hebrew: Torah), But let your heart keep my commandments; 2 For length of days and years of life And peace they will add to you. 3 Do not let kindness and truth leave you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart. 4 So you will find favor and good repute In the sight of God and man. 5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight. 7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones. 9 Honor the Lord from your wealth And from the first of all your produce; 10 So your barns will be filled with plenty And your vats will overflow with new wine. 11 My son, do not reject the discipline of the Lord Or loathe His reproof, 12 For whom the Lord loves He reproves, Even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.
To summarize this section: Since teaching people God’s instructions is so vital to the spiritual walk, charging to teach the instructions is actually prohibited in the scriptures. The Rabbi’s argued that it was acceptable to charge tuition. Perhaps in a way Yeshua was saying the same thing. The charge of tuition that He allowed the disciples to receive was food and shelter. You could almost equate the “worker” to a hired servant or slave who earns his keep by performing a service (Matt 10:10). Most often workers never gain great wealth. They make enough to live on.
However… Charging or accepting payment for services rendered changes the spiritual teaching into a business enterprise. In modern terms the idea of not paying for teaching includes providing a pastor or teacher with a place to stay and food on the table. Many churches are getting away from parsonages and moving to simply paying the pastor a wage. In my opinion, this is a slippery slope that quickly moves toward a business enterprise instead of following the biblical mandate. In modern times this also includes providing traveling teachers with accommodations, food, and traveling expenses. It does not allow for exorbitant fees that many teachers are charging.
Editorial: Many preachers and teachers today draw from this passage a justification for charging for teaching. They pull the verse out of context and simply say that the worker is worthy of his support (Matt 10:10 b). Without taking into note that that support is only food and shelter. They take the meaning of “do not muzzle the ox” to mean that they have the right to load the ox with as many riches as they can carry from a given congregation (Deut 15:4; 1 Tim 5:18; 1 Cor 9:9). Their ox is soon fitted with huge saddlebags stuffed with money. Instead of being satisfied with food and shelter they fleece the flock of God and feel it is their right to draw large fees from preaching the Gospel. My contention is that if the pastor of a church is living better than the median income in the church, he is taking advantage of a congregation. The best case scenario is that of a parsonage because this removes the argument. Church business has turned into a thriving enterprise where known teachers are able to name their price. This is disgusting. We have “mega churches” who have grown to the point that income into the church is turned to support a CEO in the guise of a pastor. Not to mention the huge expenses which are involved in upkeep of multi-million dollar facilities. What ever happened to small congregations that are focused on the truth of the Bible?
Back to scripture, a look at 1 Corinthians 9: Paul also noted that it is ok for a preacher to draw his living from teaching the Gospel (1 Cor 9:14). But, if you know about Paul, he was a tentmaker who drew his living from a trade. I am sure that Paul accepted hospitality and food from those he visited on his journeys (1 Cor 9:4-9). To reject hospitality would be both foolish and a wasted opportunity to teach on an intimate level. His ideal was to teach the Gospel voluntarily, free of charge, because that was the burden that God placed upon him (1 Cor 9:18).
Jewish Hospitality:
In the scriptures we see many examples of Jewish hospitality. Abraham entertained God and interacted with God when God was considering destroying Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 18:1-8). We see the same thing take place in the case of Gideon (Judges 6:18-19). Samson’s parents were another good example (Judges 13:15-16). Torah teaches that during the feast of Booths (Sukkot), strangers were to be invited in to celebrate the festival (Deut 16:14). Job teaches us that one of the base truths of human relationship is to take care of the travelers and aliens (Job 31:32). We have two examples of prophets who were cared for through hospitality in the scripture (1 Kings 17:9-24; 2 Kings 4:8-37).
This filtered down through time to where the Jewish people saw hospitality as a very favorable trait. Yeshua indicated this when He told the disciples to stay in the first house that they were welcomed in. Once a home accepted them in they were not to bounce house to house. This was to honor the generous homeowner and to prevent political developments within communities.
Shaking the dust: We are not familiar with this term. The Jewish people felt that those who rejected Torah rejected God. Therefore, when the greeting was given “Shalom” but not responded to favorably meant that the person rejected Torah. They were considered to be the same as the gentiles. The Rabbi’s taught that the very dirt of the unrepentant gentile lands made a person unclean.[4] “Jews shook the dust off their sandals when they returned from traveling in (unclean) gentile territory (e.g., b. Sanh. 12a; M Ṭohar. 4:5; m Ohol. 18:6; see Str-B 1:571).”[5] This practice was a cultural expression to avoid uncleanness according to Torah.
Jesus stepped it up a level by explaining that since the message that the disciples carried was so critical, Sodom and Gomorrah will stand better in the day of judgment than the ones who reject them (Matt 10:15). Why? Since Yeshua will eventually judge all men, His attempt to redirect a people through teaching is considered to be of utmost importance. The disciples did not carry a message that was a flippant, make you feel good, message. Their message was that the “Kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 10:7).
We have plenty to consider as we look at what seemed like random instructions and realize that they carried meanings from Torah and from tradition. Grasping these concepts helps us to get a feel for the cultural heritage of the Hebrew people. Therefore, we are able to understand better the meanings and importance that the Jewish people placed on spiritual cleanliness. This helps us understand the way that the Jews considered heavily the ramification of Sodom and Gomorrah. What was their mistake and how to avoid it? One who studies Torah will certainly contemplate the answer to this. When Yeshua said that it would be more tolerable in the day of judgment the statement carried tremendous meaning.
Future instructions
Jesus gave instructions to the disciples that looked forward to when He would no longer be on the earth. To our knowledge the disciples did not suffer scourging, beatings or being delivered over to governors while they were on their mission trip. This passage looks forward to what a believer who steps out in the name of Messiah in order to spread His message to mankind. Yeshua gave them a brief view of what their lives would eventually see.
Matthew 10:16–23 (NASB95) 16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves. 17 “But beware of men, for they will hand you over to the courts and scourge you in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings for My sake, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 “But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. 20 “For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you. 21 “Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and children will rise up against parents and cause them to be put to death. 22 “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. 23 “But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes.
Death of the twelve disciples. All of them died a martyr’s death except for Judas and John. Peter and Andrew were crucified; Peter was crucified upside down. Judas committed suicide. John son of Zebedee was put to death by sword, tradition tells us he was beheaded (Acts 12:1-2). Phillip, Matthew, Jude, and Thaddeus were martyred. Bartholomew (Nathanael) was skinned alive, then beheaded. Jacob (James) son of Alphaeus was thrown from the temple, stoned and had his brains dashed out with a club. (Doubting) Thomas was speared to death. Tradition tells us that they tried to martyr John by boiling him in oil but he survived the experience. He simply could not be killed. It is believed that he was exiled to the island of Patmos where he suffered hard labor and wrote the book of Revelation. His death is not recorded. There are a few accounts that have been validated historically, several of them are from tradition. It did not end well for any of the twelve. Paul was also executed for his witness.
Stephen. Throughout history there is abundant evidence that many untold multitudes of people who choose to follow Yeshua have died martyrs’ deaths. Many cases that are recorded demonstrate incredible peace, and often praise toward God. We have one case like this when Stephen was martyred by Saul (later named Paul, Acts 7:59-60).
There is a point in time where that events get too intense for those walking with God. When the persecution for their faith reaches a life or death situation, God promises to speak through us, displaying faith that we never thought possible. Imagine how Stephen must have felt when he was speaking in his defense, the Spirit was guiding him. Then he spoke the fateful words that drove his persecutors over the edge (Acts 7:51-58). I don’t think that Stephen could have stopped the message that God had given him to deliver. He lost his life over it.
Yet look at the benefits that came from his stoning. The disciples and believers who were staying in Jerusalem decided that the rest of the world looked much better and dispersed. This caused the gospel to be spread on a much wider scale. The message went from Jerusalem to the rest of the known world. The stoning of Stephen was the catalyst for moving them out.
Secondly, Paul who was then called Saul, suffered tremendously from the guilt of stoning Stephen. It drove him like a madman to persecute other Christians (Acts 8:1-3) and eventually was the tool which brought him to his Messiah (Acts 9:4-6). Now we have tremendous books that he wrote to teach us about Torah (the way to walk with God). Would Paul have ever been converted if it were not for the stoning of Stephen? We know that the guilt of the stoning drove him relentlessly because he alludes to it in several places in his epistles.
Lastly let’s look at the Old Testament briefly: Many of the prophets of Old Testament times suffered martyrs’ deaths. Jeremiah recorded that the prophets were devoured by the sword like a ravening lion (Jer 2:30). Jesus stated that the leaders of the people were the very descendants of those who slaughtered the prophets of old (Matt 23:30-31). The writer of Hebrews probably gives us the best summary of the demise of Old Testament prophets. The list of slaughtered prophets from scripture would be very long. It would cover an exhaustive amount of scriptures.
Hebrews 11:35–40 (NASB95) 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection; and others were tortured, not accepting their release, so that they might obtain a better resurrection; 36 and others experienced mockings and scourgings, yes, also chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated 38 (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground. 39 And all these, having gained approval through their faith, did not receive what was promised, 40 because God had provided something better for us, so that apart from us they would not be made perfect.
Yeshua taught Torah: The point of all of this is that when God takes over during times of persecution, He is going to promote His will, not ours. Our will is to escape the situation, His is to further His kingdom. Jesus was teaching the disciples that they would eventually face exactly the same thing that the prophets of old experienced. You can be certain that they were all aware of what happened when prophets stood against those who were perverting Torah in the past. The one who sets the path straight is not welcomed. People do not like to give up their traditions, pet doctrines and sin.
Back to the Text: Until now I have discussed the passage as a whole without looking at the individual verses. Let’s take a moment to look at the verses.
Matthew 10:16: Yeshua is sending the disciples to their own slaughter. He warns them that they are no match for the opposition. Therefore, they are to use extreme wisdom drawn from every experience in their lives. This is the meaning of the word “shrewd” as serpents. “Innocent” is only used three times in the New Testament (Phil 2:15; Ro 16:19). The idea from the Greek is complete moral integrity, or moral innocence. Yeshua is instructing them to stay pure according to Torah. You have to remember, purity or innocence in their mindset could only come from keeping God’s instructions. There is no other way to be pure but to follow the instructions of the word. Sin is failing to follow God’s instructions. Torah is better translated as “God’s instructions for life”.
Matt 10:17-18: We have significant evidence that these verses came true for the disciples. The target audience that the disciples were to reach out to consisted of both Jew and Gentile. The implication from the text is that the Jewish people would be the ones who deliver the majority of persecution.
I have been told that this still takes place in the Holy Land. Those who teach Yeshua as Messiah are seen as a threat to Judaism. They are often beaten brutally and sometimes killed for their faith. They are not targeting tourist. The target is the Jewish people who are following Messiah.
Christians are much worse historically speaking. We have slaughtered more Jewish people in the name of Messiah than any other people that they have faced. It is remarkable that a single Jew still exist when you consider the many attempts by the “church” to annihilate the Jewish race. This started with the crusades and went forward through time, the most recent attempt was the holocaust. Yep, read your history, Hitler used the name of Jesus as an excuse since he was a baptized Catholic. Most of the SS were Lutherans.
Persecution did not come because the disciples taught a different truth to the Jewish people. Persecution came because Yeshua gave a complete meaning to Torah. This was the good news that was taught to the listeners. Torah was in complete effect being fully activated by the Messiah, Yeshua.
The Jewish people have been persecuted by the church because they remind Christians that Yeshua was a Jew. In order for replacement theology to fully work, every Jew has to be exterminated. As long as there is a single Jew alive, replacement theology is doomed for failure according to prophecy. End times prophecy looks at fulfillment by the Jewish people. The church plays a very small role in it. Again, reread prophecy and look at the people group that is going to do the majority of the actions. The people that is being addressed is the Jews. You have to read the church into the prophecies. This process is the epitome of replacement theology.
Matthew 10:19-20: We have discussed this in the editorial above.
Matthew 10:21-22: Yeshua warned that when people teach in His name the most trusted people in your life will turn on you. This turning may result in death. He does not say you “might” be hated, but rather “You will be hated by all because of My name.” We stand warned. When a person teaches the truth of Torah as Yeshua taught Torah, his family will often turn against him. With the Jewish people those of the most intimate relations will turn against the evangelist. Within Christian organizations, if you really teach the Torah that Jesus taught, you will be kicked out of most Churches. Depending on the social structure, your life may be at risk. This idea is almost a direct quote from the Old Testament:
Micah 7:5–6 (NASB95) 5 Do not trust in a neighbor; Do not have confidence in a friend. From her who lies in your bosom Guard your lips. 6 For son treats father contemptuously, Daughter rises up against her mother, Daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; A man’s enemies are the men of his own household.
In America to this point in time, we have been protected from violent persecution. This may be changing in the near future. It is impossible to tell for certain. Historically, America is a Judeo-Christian nation. We based our entire system on biblical instructions. Now we are abandoning God and distancing ourselves from Him. The devil will gain ground as this trend continues to progress and we will soon see deadly persecution in America. I hope that I am wrong on this. If it does take place, you will also see true faith grow like it has never done before. One of the problems we face as Christians in America is that our world is extremely safe.
Matthew 10:23: On first reading I saw this verse as an exaggeration by Yeshua to make a point. On further thought, I am not certain that it is an exaggeration. The disciples were warned that once the persecution begins, their very lives depend on keeping moving (see Matt 10:16). Wisdom and self-preservation will encourage the evangelist to move from place to place for the sake of safety.
Even though we have hit a point of reprieve today, persecution still waits in the wings. The major reason for the reprieve is because very few are truly teaching the truth that our Messiah taught. The church has watered down Yeshua’s teaching by importing paganism and humanism as equal truth. The Jewish people have become largely complacent and only hold to a shadow of the truth that they possess. Those who are willing to buck the system and speak out in either group about true Torah will certainly face violent opposition. Be warned, this opposition begins in the home, by those who are closest to you (see Matt 10:21).
As we draw near to the end times, persecution will increase. The evangelist will soon have to be on the move to survive. When that happens, websites such as the one I publish on will soon be shut down. We will probably ditch the electronics that can be tracked and return to paper Bibles. The final meaning that Yeshua gave regarding going from city to city will then be realized.
Characteristics of Jesus’ students
Traditional translation has caused the following passage to become ominous with platitudes that boggle the mind. Let’s change those platitudes into simple English and see what our Teacher has for us. Torah or God’s instruction was never intended to be confusing. God never intended for His word to be difficult to understand. Our translators have done us a disservice in this area by sticking to traditional translations rather than putting truth into language that the everyday person can relate to. With that said, let’s look at what Yeshua taught:
Students: In the following passage, I am going to quote from the New Living Translation since it is the only one that breaks rank and translates the Greek word “mathetes” as student. Perhaps many years ago the word disciple was clearly understood by the majority of English speakers as “student”. Today it has become equated with “apostle” or some other exalted position. What it really meant was a simple learner, one who was willing to be taught by a master. You might extend the idea to that of an apprentice or a person who is learning a trade. The Greek word is rather funny since it literally translates as “to rage”. In classical language it carries the idea of the raging, passionate desire to learn from someone.
Imagine if you will that you are want to be a cabinet builder. One of the local master cabinet makers promises that if you will come to work for him, he will teach you the tricks of the trade. You step under his tutelage with the burning desire to learn how to make master cabinets. Your desire is to do the very best work from a man who is renowned as a legend in the business. In essence, you want to become that master cabinet maker in every sense of the word.
Matthew 10:24–25 (NLT) 24 “Students are not greater than their teacher, and slaves are not greater than their master. 25 Students are to be like their teacher, and slaves are to be like their master. And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names!
Remember the context of this passage. It does not stand alone. Yeshua was sending His students out on a practical field trip which would put to test everything that they had learned. Their message was a simple one, “the Kingdom of heaven is at hand”, it was validated through signs and wonders (Matt 10:7-8). This message that Jesus gave to His disciples carried a dual purpose. First, He was building them up by encouraging them to become just like Him.
Second, He was warning them that they cannot be greater than He is. It often happens when people are able to step into ministry on a grand scale that they stop realizing that they are carrying out the mission of God and start thinking that they are the reason for the success. Heads swell to the size that they no longer consider themselves to be servants but rather masters. Two things can happen in this situation. They fall very hard and their destruction is great. Or they lead their congregation into pastor worship which blinds the eyes of the congregation and leads an entire community on paths of futility. It would have been easy for the disciples to fall into this trap.
The message that they carried was the same message that Yeshua had been teaching. He taught that the Kingdom of Heaven was very near. The way to prepare the path for the Kingdom was to do Torah right. It was a matter of putting into action what God taught through the scriptures. Their message that they were carrying was not about a celestial kingdom but rather about an earthly kingdom.
Kingdom of Heaven: The kingdom of heaven is on earth. This kingdom of heaven consists of true believers who follow the Messiah. This term will continue to pop up. Traditional teaching has us thinking that the kingdom is in the afterlife. If this were true, then our entire lives would be spent trying to gain good works and good goodies so that when we get there we can garner access to the best positions in the kingdom. This attitude is stifling at best. It comes from a misrepresentation of Paul’s teaching on the refiners fire (1 Cor 3:10-15). Paul taught practical Torah. He taught how to follow God and how to put the instructions of God into action. This meant living out life according to how that God instructs a person to live. This is the life of good works which is based on the jewels found in God’s word.
Careful reading of the Gospels gives us clues to the idea that the disciples had of the kingdom of heaven. They thought that the kingdom was going to be a literal kingdom where Yeshua would reign (Lk 19:11). We see this come to a head when the two sons of Zebedee are garnering for a position in the new kingdom (Matt 20:20-21). Yeshua’s answer to Pilate gives us the true meaning of the kingdom since it is not a physical kingdom with kings and princes but rather a spiritual kingdom (John 18:36-37). The kingdom of heaven became a reality on earth when Yeshua died and rose. It was at that time that God’s Torah was written on the hearts of men as promised by the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 31:31-34). Read the passage carefully, this promise is to the Jews. We as gentiles are “grafted in” to the Jewish root and are able to become members of this elite kingdom through them (Ro 11:17-24).
Ruler of demons: The Pharisees claimed that Jesus cast out demons because He was prince of demons (Matt 9:34). Jesus knew what they were thinking, and went one step further with this reference. The word for “Beelzebul” in the Greek is “beezeboul” translated it means the Lord of the high places. The Hebrew was “beezebul” which is probably carries the correct meaning. This means lord of the flies, as in flies that are generated from dung in essence the god of dung. King Ahaziah sought the help from Baal-zebub, the dung god, when he fell through a lattice (2 Kings 1:2-6). This is the same god that Yeshua says his accusers think of him as. The message is that He is full of bologna and so is his disciples.
Yeshua warned the disciples that since He was accused of being a ruler of demons then they would also be accused of the same thing. Remember, a student is not above his teacher. It is clear that persecution will follow those who emulate Yeshua.
Do not fear…
Matthew 10:26–28 (NLT) 26 “But don’t be afraid of those who threaten you. For the time is coming when everything that is covered will be revealed, and all that is secret will be made known to all. 27 What I tell you now in the darkness, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ear, shout from the housetops for all to hear! 28 “Don’t be afraid of those who want to kill your body; they cannot touch your soul. Fear only God, who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
Yeshua teaches the truth from the scriptures:
Isaiah 43:1–3 (NLT) 1 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, “Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. 2 When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. 3 For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. I gave Egypt as a ransom for your freedom; I gave Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
The truth of the scripture brings to light error. The scriptures are permeated with examples of light revealing the darkness. This was the central truth of Torah. It brought light to the world by explaining how to walk according to God’s will. Isaiah warns against those who try to pervert the light by calling it darkness (Isa 5:20). Yeshua promised to bring true clarity to the darkness. His teaching will bring powerful messages that need to be shouted to all.
Yeshua encouraged His students to listen for the quiet leading of the Lord. Elijah gave us a good example of this when he sought the face of God:
1 Kings 19:9–13 (NLT) 9 There he came to a cave, where he spent the night. But the Lord said to him, “What are you doing here, Elijah?” 10 Elijah replied, “I have zealously served the Lord God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” 11 “Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. 12 And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. 13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
The gentle whisper was the voice of God. When the Holy Spirit whispers a message into the ear of the disciples they were to shout the whisper from the housetops. One last verse to close this section. Yeshua was teaching that He as Messiah would certainly bring light to the darkness. Let’s return to Isaiah:
Isaiah 9:2–7 (NLT) 2 The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine. 3 You will enlarge the nation of Israel, and its people will rejoice. They will rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest and like warriors dividing the plunder. 4 For you will break the yoke of their slavery and lift the heavy burden from their shoulders. You will break the oppressor’s rod, just as you did when you destroyed the army of Midian. 5 The boots of the warrior and the uniforms bloodstained by war will all be burned. They will be fuel for the fire. 6 For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!
Matthew 10:28: Let’s examine this verse for a moment. God is the one who judges men; thence He is the one who condemns a soul to hell. He condemns men by their failure to follow His instructions… If He does not give instructions, there is no condemnation. The fear of God is one of the basic underlying truths of Torah that we have cast aside today (Ex 20:20; Hebrew 10:31). Our God is awesome, He is not to be taken lightly. Those who kill the body cannot remove His mark on our souls. On the flip side, those who do not adhere to His instructions are most likely not His children. This is where they are lost (destroyed) and sent to hell. Yeshua taught that those who know Him will certainly follow His instructions (John 8:51; 14:23-24). We will not see death because Yeshua tasted it for us (Heb 2:9). Those who do not know Yeshua and do not follow His instructions will surely be lost in hell.
God watches the smallest things, do not fear!
Matthew 10:29–31 (NLT) 29 What is the price of two sparrows—one copper coin? But not a single sparrow can fall to the ground without your Father knowing it. 30 And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. 31 So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows.
We cannot comprehend the incredible interest that God has on the earth. We consider sparrows to be of little value, actually worthless today. Yet these little creatures are probably one of the best environmental cleaners that we have. During New Testament times they sold two for a penny, apparently as food. What does this have to do with teaching Torah? Yeshua stated that the Father keeps track of every single sparrow, He is aware when each one dies. Which means that He knows how many there are and their locations. He is aware of the number of hairs on each person’s head. He is aware of the birth and death of every single animal on earth (Job 39:1-30; Jonah 4:11). This is absolutely stunning. We are told in other places that God is aware of the exact measurement of every element on earth (Job 38:4-6). The significance of this illustration from that is based on Job’s writings is that if God has such incredible interest in the smallest of things, then He is intimately watching each person on earth. Nothing is done without Him being aware of it and closely watching what is taking place.
Matthew 10:32–39 (NLT) 32 “Everyone who acknowledges me publicly here on earth, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33 But everyone who denies me here on earth, I will also deny before my Father in heaven. 34 “Don’t imagine that I came to bring peace to the earth! I came not to bring peace, but a sword. 35 ‘I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 Your enemies will be right in your own household!’ 37 “If you love your father or mother more than you love me, you are not worthy of being mine; or if you love your son or daughter more than me, you are not worthy of being mine. 38 If you refuse to take up your cross and follow me, you are not worthy of being mine. 39 If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.
We know from Job that the angels report to Him regarding the actions of every person (Job 1:6-8). What is fascinating about this passage is that God knew prior to the angels coming before Him the disposition of Job and of his endeavor for living a righteous life. Yeshua promises to be a mediator between us and the Father. In the letter to Timothy, Paul stated that Yeshua is the only mediator between us and God (1 Tim 2:5-6; 1 Cor 8:6). Think about it for a moment. Between every verse in Torah, the Old Testament, and the New Testament is a constant relationship between God and man. Every single verse is written to respond to some action that man has taken either toward or away from God. Torah was given specifically as a guideline for life by God so that men would know how to follow Him. He is interested in and watches every single person and their response to His call.
Paul tells us that this watching includes those who are not even aware of the Gospel. These people include races in the remotest parts of the earth that have never been exposed to any form of the Gospel (Ro 1:18-20). God gives witness through nature of His attributes and of His way of life. Each person is responsible for the amount of revelation and response to God that he receives. Paul was reflecting the words of the Old Testament; his idea was not a new one (Job 12:7-9; Ps 19:1-6; Jer 5:21-24). Every single person on earth is given revelation by God and is responsible for individual response to Him (Ro 2:1, 25-29). This concept in itself boggles the mind.
A thought: I wonder at times why we are so bent on sending people to the mission field when we ignore the mission field in our back yard. God holds each person responsible for the truth that they have received. Many people in America as children watched the show Gumby that was supported by the Lutherans. It carried the Gospel in a simple form. We have classic movies such as the Ten Commandments that carry the truth of the Gospel. No one in America or Europe for that matter can say that they have never heard about or made a decision on Jesus. This is frightening because Yeshua said that we will be judged according to our response to Him. The grace that extends to the unknown peoples in the world does not extend to America! I would wager to bet that if we had a revival in the USA or in Europe that there would be such a world outreach that it would stagger the mind. This is one of the things that drives this study. If I am able to convince each reader to turn to Torah and God’s instruction, then they will cause those they are associated with to do the same. People across the world will step away from complacency to commitment. Back to the study.
Acknowledgment and the Gospel:
Acknowledgement/confession is the act of agreeing with someone about something. In this context, Jesus is the Messiah. John takes this very argument and expounds on it a little more (1 John 2:20-24). He states that Jesus promised us is eternal life (1 Jn 2:25). Our confession before the Father, and before men is that Jesus is the Messiah of our lives, that He is our boss. Following Yeshua’s instructions means that we place Him at the first place in every aspect of our lives. We talk to others about what we are interested in. Let’s close this section with the words of 1 Timothy which rewords Yeshua’s teaching:
2 Timothy 2:11–13 (NASB95) 11 It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; 12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us; 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.
The sword: A parallel passage to this one is found in Luke 12:51-53. As an example, Jesus astounded the crowds and divided them in their thinking regarding Messiah (John 7:40-52). Acts gives us a few examples of division (Acts 13:45-50; 14:2, 4; 28:24, 25). The statement that Jesus came to bring a sword was not meaning a literal sword, but the Word of God. Hebrews 4:12 defines the Word as being alive, and sharper than any two edged sword. When torah is taught people are convicted of both sin and of truth, then they are bound to make decisions based upon their knowledge. This sword cuts right into souls, causing a differentiation between the right beliefs and wrong beliefs. It judges between sin and righteousness. Today we have so many who give a verse or two of scripture, then proceed to water it down with a lot of fluff for the duration of the sermon. I am reminded of the prophecy concerning the end times where men will gather to themselves teachers who will tickle their ears (2 Timothy 4:1-4). The challenge that Paul gave to Timothy in those verses applies to us as well, “preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction.” (2 Tim 4:2) NASB. Unfortunately, as we rightly divide the word of truth, sometimes relationships with others are severed by the same sword. Righteousness has to walk away from unrighteousness. Light will drive away darkness.
Family relations: We discussed the quote from Micah 7:6 earlier in this chapter. The word for love in the Greek is “phileo”. This is a give and take love that is associated with personal relationship. If we seek to have a relationship with our families more than we do with God, then we are not worthy of God. This is a sobering statement. From the very first words of Genesis all the way through the Bible, God sought to have a phileo relationship with man. He wants to have a relationship that is personal and intimate. This became possible because of the work of Yeshua on earth. Yeshua is asking us to surrender our lives to Him. This is a total surrender that He is watching for.
We have probably had an immense number of sermons on this passage through time. Yeshua admonishes his followers to take up their burden of life, their cross and follow Him to their death. A cross is not the normal problems that we face in life. Crosses were designed for one function. They were an implement of death. The condemned were often required to carry their own cross to the execution site. The truth of Torah is a cross that each of us carries. Making it most important in our lives may result in physical death. It may also result in the death of family relationships as we make Yeshua the most important.
One caveat that we have in this is assurance. As we draw near to our Messiah, others will be interested. Family members who live an ungodly life or simply are not interested in a close walk with the Lord will soon be convicted by our actions and will follow. Some family members will never turn to the Messiah. Yeshua promises that if we lose our life for Him, we will find life. This is a large topic that will be covered in more extent through the Gospels. For now, let’s consider that if we find life in Yeshua, some of our family members that take second place will soon join us in a closer relationship than we ever had before.
Ambassadors for Yeshua:
Matthew 10:40–42 (NLT) 40 “Anyone who receives you receives me, and anyone who receives me receives the Father who sent me. 41 If you receive a prophet as one who speaks for God, you will be given the same reward as a prophet. And if you receive righteous people because of their righteousness, you will be given a reward like theirs. 42 And if you give even a cup of cold water to one of the least of my followers, you will surely be rewarded.”
In closing, each of us are ambassadors for Yeshua. When we approach the world through personal relationships we represent our King. As ambassadors we will receive a reward for service both from those we have relationship with and our Messiah. Yeshua is reiterating the fact that He is watching to see how we will respond to His truth (Matt 10:32-33). In my estimation, the rewards for being an ambassador are immense. They include positive rewards such as satisfaction of seeing others turn to Messiah, fantastic joy at seeing Torah lived out in others and the great relief of seeing people gain salvation through Yeshua our savior. They also include negative rewards which positively reinforce believers as a whole. These negative rewards sometimes take the form of rejection, persecution and sometimes death. Ambassadors are not out for personal gain. They are out to represent their king. Our king is Yeshua, who many today call Jesus, our Messiah.
Father, as we consider the enormous truth in this chapter draw each of us to follow and understand Your truth in our lives.
Joe Turner
[1] Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 21a (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 133.
[2] Jacob Neusner, The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, vol. 10a (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2011), 100.
[3] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 10:8.
[4] Jacob Neusner, The Jerusalem Talmud: A Translation and Commentary, y. Git. 1:2, II.4 (Peabody, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008).
M Mishnah
Ṭohar. Ṭoharot
m Mishnah
Ohol. Oholot
Str-B H. Strack and P. Billerbeck, Kommentar zum Neuen Testament, 4 vols. (Munich: Beck’sche, 1926–28)
[5] Donald A. Hagner, Matthew 1–13, vol. 33A, Word Biblical Commentary (Dallas: Word, Incorporated, 1998), 273.
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