In verses 2 through 4 the names of the twelve apostles are given. An apostle is a sent one. Now the twelve disciples (v. 1) were to be sent, thus becoming the twelve apostles. In sending out the twelve apostles, the Lord arranged them in pairs: Simon Peter and Andrew, James and John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus, and Simon the Cananaean and Judas Iscariot. We need to be impressed with this principle. We all must be paired. None of us, especially the young people, should go anywhere by ourselves. We need another one to match us. Look at your eyes, ears, nostrils, lips, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, and feet: your body is arranged in pairs. Whenever you are burdened by the Lord to go to a certain place, do not go by yourself. Rather, go in pairs. If you do not have another one to match you, you will miss the blessing. In order to receive the blessing, you must be paired. This is not my opinion; it is the Lord’s economy. Hence, we all must learn the lesson to be paired, to be matched with others.
Mark and Luke list Matthew before Thomas (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15), but Matthew, the writer of this book, lists himself after Thomas. This shows his humility. In verse 3 Matthew specifically designates himself as the tax collector, remembering his salvation, perhaps with gratitude. Even a despised and sinful tax collector could become an apostle of the King of the heavenly kingdom. What a salvation!
Simon the Cananaean was paired with Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed the Lord. “Cananaean” comes from the Hebrew kanna, zealous, referring to a Galilean sect known as the Zealots, not to the land of Canaan (see Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). Iscariot is a Greek word, probably from the Hebrew, which means a man of Kerioth. Kerioth is in Judah (Josh. 15:25). Thus, Judas was the only apostle from Judea; all the rest were Galileans.
In 10:5-15 we have the way to spread the gospel of the kingdom to the house of Israel. In verses 5 and 6 we see that the Lord Jesus charged the twelve apostles not to go into the way of the nations or into a city of the Samaritans, but only to “the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” The nations were the Gentiles, and the Samaritans were a mixture of Gentiles with Jews (2 Kings 17:24; Ezra 4:10; John 4:9).
The twelve apostles were sent to the house of Israel and were charged not to go to the nations nor to the Samaritans. Those who are sent by the Lord have the authority of the Lord. When the Lord sent out the twelve, He gave them authority. Whenever we are sent, we must believe that the Lord’s authority is with us.
Verse 7 says, “And as you go, preach, saying, The kingdom of the heavens has drawn near.” Even by this time the kingdom of the heavens had not come, but had only drawn near.
As they were sent out to preach the kingdom of the heavens, the apostles were authorized to heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, and cast out demons (v. 8). They should exercise such an authority in their commission.
In verses 9 and 10 the Lord said, “Do not acquire gold, nor even silver, nor even copper in your belts, nor a bag for the way, nor even two tunics, nor even sandals, nor even a staff; for the worker is worthy of his food.” The twelve apostles (sent to the house of Israel, not to the Gentiles), as workers worthy of their food, did not need to bring their living necessities with them. (However, the Lord’s workers sent to the Gentiles should take nothing from the Gentiles—3 John 7.) This principle was changed when the Lord was fully rejected by the house of Israel (Luke 22:35-38).
Verses 12 and 13 say, “And as you enter into the house, greet it; and if the house indeed be worthy, let your peace come upon it; but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you.” When the Lord sends us, we have the presence, the peace. Wherever we are sent, the authority, the presence of the Lord, and the peace follow us. This is the reason the Lord told the apostles to look for one worthy of their peace. He seemed to be saying, “Look to see who is worthy of your peace. If they don’t receive you, your peace will go with you when you go.” This means a great deal. To receive the Lord’s sent ones, the apostles, means to receive the presence of the Lord and the peace. To reject them means to reject the presence of the Lord and the peace. It is not an insignificant matter to be sent by the Lord, for as sent ones, we become the Lord’s representatives. We have His authority, His presence, and His peace. Wherever we go, we bring these things with us. Whoever receives us will have the Lord’s presence and the Lord’s blessing. It is in this way that the ministry of the King is spread.
In verses 14 and 15 the Lord said, “And whoever does not receive you nor hear your words, as you go out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 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.” This indicates that the punishment of God’s judgment is in varying degrees. To reject the Lord’s apostles and their words will cause more punishment than the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah.
This is the way the ministry of the King is enlarged. It has spread from the traveling of One to the traveling of the twelve. This spread of the ministry will produce another environment for a further revelation of the heavenly King. We shall see this environment and this revelation in chapters ten and twelve. We thank the Lord for His ministry, for the continuation of His ministry, and especially for the spread of His ministry. It is through the ministry that the environment is brought forth for the revelation of the kingly Christ.