The big picture
Jesus, the teacher and healer announcing God's kingdom, gives twelve disciples authority and sends them out. These disciples are followers chosen to act as his messengers. Their first work is among Israel, God's people, and they must depend on hospitality rather than sell the help they give. Jesus warns of rejection, trials, and broken family ties. Yet the Father knows their worth, and even a cup of water offered to them matters. The mission brings both a gift and a costly claim.
In this chapter
- Twelve Named Followers Receive Authority Matthew 10:1-4
Jesus calls twelve disciples and gives them power to cast out unclean spirits and heal all kinds of illness.
- The First Mission Depends on Freely Given Help Matthew 10:5-15
Jesus sends them first to Israel's lost sheep, not to non-Jewish peoples or Samaritan towns, communities with distinct religious ties.
- Hostility Requires Wisdom and Endurance Matthew 10:16-23
The disciples go like sheep among wolves.
- The Father’s Care Makes Public Loyalty Possible Matthew 10:24-33
A disciple should not expect treatment better than the teacher's.
- Loyalty to Jesus Can Divide a Household Matthew 10:34-39
Jesus says his coming does not bring peace in the sense of universal agreement.
- Welcoming the Messenger Welcomes the Sender Matthew 10:40-42
Jesus says those who receive the disciples also receive him and the Father who sent him.
Central truth
Jesus gives the twelve power to serve freely, warns them of the cost, and promises that the Father knows and cares for them.
Scripture beside the summary
Matthew · King James Version · 42Matthew 10:1-4
Twelve Named Followers Receive Authority
Jesus calls twelve disciples and gives them power to cast out unclean spirits and heal all kinds of illness. Matthew then names the group rather than leaving it as an anonymous crowd. It includes pairs of brothers, a tax collector, and others known by family names or added names that distinguish them. Simon, called Peter, appears first. Judas Iscariot appears last, identified as the one who betrayed Jesus. They are truly sent, but not all will keep faith. Jesus gives them power for the work. It is his gift, not their own strength.
In everyday life
A rescue trainer reads each recruit's name before issuing equipment and assigning duties. The volunteers now have named duties. Each must choose how to carry them out. Their later choices still matter. Jesus gives authority over disease and spirits, not a qualification or equipment that a human trainer can confer.
Notice
Matthew 10:4 The list names Judas' betrayal while still including him among the twelve. Receiving a role is not presented as proof that every later choice will be faithful.
Matthew 10:1-4
King James Version1And 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.
2Now 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;
3Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
Matthew 10:5-15
The First Mission Depends on Freely Given Help
Jesus sends them first to Israel's lost sheep, not to non-Jewish peoples or Samaritan towns, communities with distinct religious ties. They must announce heaven's near kingdom and heal, cleanse, raise the dead, and expel demons without charging. They received freely and must give the same way. They carry no reserve wealth or extra supplies, trusting hosts to feed workers. They should stay with a worthy household, offer peace, and leave where neither person nor message is welcomed. Shaking off dust marks that refusal. Jesus warns that rejecting this message brings judgement worse than that on Sodom and Gomorrha, cities known for destruction.
In everyday life
The travelling midwife brings a publicly funded service. A host family gives her a meal, and she does not charge patients for care already supplied freely. She stays in the arranged room rather than seeking better treatment elsewhere. The work depends on trust and welcome. Jesus grants miraculous authority and declares divine judgement on rejection, not a funding arrangement.
Notice
Matthew 10:8 Free giving follows the reminder that the power was a gift. The messengers cannot treat the gift as their private source of gain.
Matthew 10:5-15
King James Version5These 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:
6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.
8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
12And when ye come into an house, salute it.
13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
14And 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.
15Verily 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 10:16-23
Hostility Requires Wisdom and Endurance
The disciples go like sheep among wolves. Jesus calls them to be alert without doing harm. People will bring them before councils, flog them in worship places, and take them before rulers because of him. They will speak for him there. The Father's Spirit will supply speech when they are handed over. Even family members will betray one another to death, and hatred will test endurance. They should flee persecution in one city for another. The Son of man will come before they finish going through Israel's cities. Christians differ over which coming he means. He does not hide the danger from them.
In everyday life
A witness-protection adviser reviews a threatened witness's route to a hearing and arranges another safe address if the first is exposed. Caution does not mean abandoning the testimony, and courage does not require staying within reach of every threat. The witness keeps both instructions. Jesus promises the Father's Spirit amid persecution, not protection an adviser can secure by planning.
Notice
Matthew 10:23 Flight to another city is included in the instructions. Endurance does not require refusing every available escape or treating avoidable exposure as proof of faith.
Matthew 10:16-23
King James Version16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
17But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;
18And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.
19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.
21And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.
23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come.
Matthew 10:24-33
The Father’s Care Makes Public Loyalty Possible
A disciple should not expect treatment better than the teacher's. If opponents call Jesus by a demonic name, his household will face abuse too. Yet hidden truth will come to light, and his words must be proclaimed openly. Those who kill the body cannot rule the soul; God alone has final authority over both. The Father notices sparrows and knows even the hairs on a person's head. The disciples are worth more than birds. Jesus will acknowledge those who acknowledge him before others, and deny those who deny him. Courage rests on whose judgement and care have the final word.
In everyday life
A threatened whistleblower keeps a statement ready for the hearing despite an opponent's promise to ruin her reputation. A trusted advocate reminds her that the opponent does not control every verdict or every relationship she has. Fear remains, but it need not dictate silence. Jesus grounds courage in the Father's care and eternal judgement, not an advocate's reassurance.
Notice
Matthew 10:30 The Father knows even the hairs on their heads. His care is not only for the work as a whole. He knows each person sent to do it.
Matthew 10:24-33
King James Version24The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
25It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?
26Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.
27What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops.
28And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.
30But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
31Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.
32Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
33But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
Matthew 10:34-39
Loyalty to Jesus Can Divide a Household
Jesus says his coming does not bring peace in the sense of universal agreement. It brings a sword of division, even between parents, children, and relatives by marriage. He does not tell them to attack their families. The conflict is over whom they follow. Love for family cannot be placed above him. A follower must take up a cross, the instrument of execution, accepting the cost of allegiance. Trying to preserve life by avoiding that claim leads to loss, while losing life for his sake leads to finding it. Even close family ties and the fear of death do not outrank him.
In everyday life
A conscientious employee refuses a family firm's demand to falsify safety reports, knowing relatives will treat the refusal as betrayal. She keeps loving them without giving their pressure control over the decision. The conflict is not something she sought for its own sake. Jesus requires allegiance to himself even at death's cost, not only fidelity to a workplace duty.
Notice
Matthew 10:38 The cross names death, not a minor strain. Jesus calls his followers to keep faith even when that choice can cost them their lives.
Matthew 10:34-39
King James Version34Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.
35For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.
36And a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.
37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
38And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.
39He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.
Matthew 10:40-42
Welcoming the Messenger Welcomes the Sender
Jesus says those who receive the disciples also receive him and the Father who sent him. Welcome given to a prophet as God's messenger or to a person doing right shares in their reward. Even a cup of cold water given to one of these small, dependent followers will not be forgotten. Hosts have a real place in the work. They do not need to heal or preach to help those sent. Jesus receives the care given to people who come in his name.
In everyday life
A roadside host fills a tired volunteer's bottle and offers a chair because she knows the relief team he represents. The act is small, but it gives practical welcome to work she cannot travel to do herself. She sends him on refreshed. Jesus promises reward from God for receiving his disciples, not merely appreciation within a volunteer network.
Notice
Matthew 10:42 The promised reward includes a cup of cold water. A small act does not lose significance because the giver lacks a public role or great resources.
Matthew 10:40-42
King James Version40He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.
41He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward.
42And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.
Details worth noticing
The opening image
Matthew 10:1 begins with “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…”
Where the chapter turns
Matthew 10:19 forms a natural hinge: “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.”
The final note
Matthew 10:42 leaves the reader with “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no…”
A word trail through the chapter
The words Father, worthy, receiveth, city, house, brother help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.
KJV words made clear
- apostles
- Messengers sent with authority to act for the one sending them.
- scrip
- A bag carried for supplies while travelling.
- scourge
- Whip or flog someone as a form of punishment.
- farthing
- A coin of very small value used in the bird-price comparison.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
