"The Sending of the First Missionaries"

In this chapter He sends His ambassadors to perform miracles and carry the message of the Kingdom.


As you read this chapter you will note that there is a change in the instructions at verses 16 and 24. If you apply all of this chapter to the twelve apostles, you will have confusion; for in verses 15-23, Jesus leaps over the centuries and deals with the message of the Kingdom during the Tribulation. This chapter gives instructions to the apostles in the past (1-15), the apostles of the future Tribulation period (16-23, and the disciples and servants today (24-42).


Christ asked them to pray about the harvest in 9:36-38; now He sends them into the harvest to serve. It is a serious thing to pray for the lost, because God will want to use you to help answer those prayers. Note the change from DISCIPLES in verse 1 to APOSTLES in verse 2. These twelve were the first "missionaries". Christ gave them divine power they needed to do His work; for He always equips those whom He calls into service. What a variety of men --including the traitor Judas. Yet God uses different kinds of men to accomplish His work. (1 Cor. 3:4-9 and Romans 12:3-8)


Their commission was clear: preach the Kingdom of Heaven and go only to the Jews. John the Baptist had done this (3:2), Jesus had done this(4:17), and His disciples were to spread the message across the nation. The miracles they would perform would be their credentials that they represented the King. While the servant of God is not to depend on material things, he must prepare and provide for himself and his family if he is to carry the message today (1 Tim. 5:8). Today's missionaries are not to follow the instructions of 10:9-10. Paul appreciated the support of the churches, as do missionaries today. We do not preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to those "who are worthy". We announce the Gospel of God's grace to all men and invite sinners to come to Christ. While the SPIRITUAL PRINCIPLES of this section may apply to us today, the SPECIFIC INSTRUCTIONS do not.


It is not unusual for the Bible to "leap" from one period to another without warning. Here Jesus looks down through history and sees the Jews who will be His witnesses during the Tribulation period. These verses do NOT apply to the twelve apostles for several reasons:


1. verse 5 forbids them to go to the Gentiles, while verse 18 says they will be witnesses to the Gentiles.


2. The Spirit could not speak IN them until after Christ had been crucified and
raised. See John 14:17


3. There is no evidence that the twelve apostles were persecuted. Luke 9:10 
and Mark 6:30 indicate that they had a successful ministry and were happy.


There is a sense in which this section could apply to the ministry of the Apostles during the Book of Acts, especially the Apostle Paul. The true application is for the Tribulation period. Note that verse 22 has NOTHING TO DO WITH SALVATION OF THE SOUL. It is talking about the faithful endurance of His ambassadors during the time of persecution in the Tribulation. this will end with the return of the Lord (verse 23).