Matthew 9:35-39; Matthew 10:1-15 (Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6)
Jesus traveled throughout the land, teaching, preaching, and healing without hindrance. Crowds followed him, and he was filled with compassion because they were without hope and help. Jesus told His disciples to really look at the crowd and to pray for more "workers" to reach them. Jesus called 12 disciples and sent them out with a map of where they should and shouldn't go. Their first stop is to the chosen people of God, the house of Israel. The disciples had authority from God Himself to cast out demons and heal disease and affliction. As they do that, they are to be announcing the nearness of the kingdom of God. But they weren't to take pay--freely they've received, freely give. They were even told not to take a change of clothes, just trust God to provide. Each town they traveled to, they were to find a trustworthy place and people to stay with. If any one or any town was not willing to listen, move on. They will be judged according to their decisions, so don't spend time trying to convince them when there are fields to be harvested.
Jesus sees crowds of hurting, helpless, hopeless people and His heart breaks for them. He guides His disciples to see the people through His eyes. Jesus' mission is two-layered--teach and proclaim the Gospel, and to teach His disciples to do the same. So He sends His disciples, under the seal of His own authority, out to cover more ground. The disciples are not to worry about their own needs, but the needs of the people to whom they are reaching out. Making the sick well, making the dead live, making the lepers clean, and making the demons leave were all miracles meant to confirm that the disciples were speaking the truth and to lead the people to listen to the Bigger Narrative--the Gospel of Christ Jesus and the Kingdom of heaven.
The verses "If anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave the house or town." convict me. I want to convince people to accept the things I say. I lay awake at night and go through imagined arguments that I'm sure will be the words that will finally convince a hard-headed friend. And let me tell you, most of my arguments have nothing to do with the Gospel! 😖 I see crowds of people on the news and on social media (and to be perfectly honest, in the mirror) who are smart allecks, argumentative, obnoxious, hateful. Jesus sees them- and leads us to see them, too- as lost, hopeless, helpless, leaderless, restless, reckless, directionless. He sends His disciples, then and now, to go to them. Because the need is so great, don't waste time and energy trying to change a mind that refuses to be changed, but shake the dust off your feet (or off of your typing-fingers, if that fits 😳) and move along. The field is ripe and ready to harvest--pray and then be willing to be a disciple who works!!
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