10 1Jesus called his twelve followers together. He gave them power over evil spirits and power to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2These are the names of the twelve apostlesa:
11"When you enter a city or town, find some worthy person there and stay in his home until you leave. 12When you enter that home, say, 'Peace be with you.' 13If the people in that home welcome you, they are worthy of your peace. May they have the peace you wished for them. But if they don't welcome you, they are not worthy of your peace. Take back the peace you wished for them. 14And if the people in a home or a town refuse to welcome you or listen to you, then leave that place and shake the dust off your feetj. 15I can assure you that on the judgment day it will be worse for that town than for the people of Sodomk and Gomorrahl. 21"Brothers will turn against their own brothers and hand them over to be killed. Fathers will hand over their own children to be killed. Children will fight against their own parents and will have them killed. 22Everyone will hate you because you follow me. But the one who remains faithful to the end will be saved. 23When you are treated badly in one city, go to another city. I promise you that you will not finish going to all the cities of Israel before the Son of Mann comes again. 24"Students are not better than their teacher. Servants are not better than their master. 25Students should be happy to be treated the same as their teacher. And servants should be happy to be treated the same as their master. If those people call me 'the ruler of demons,' and I am the head of the family,o then it is even more certain that they will insult you, the members of the family! 28"Don't be afraid of people. They can kill the body, but they cannot kill the soul. The only one you should fear is God, the one who can send the body and the soul to be destroyed in hell. 29When birds are sold, two small birds cost only a penny. But not even one of those little birds can die without your Father knowing it. 30God even knows how many hairs are on your head. 31So don't be afraid. You are worth more than a whole flock of birds.
aapostle A follower of Jesus chosen to represent him in a special way. During his earthly ministry, Jesus named twelve men as apostles. They had the specific responsibility and authority to represent him and proclaim his message throughout the world. Later, he appeared to Paul and gave him a similar commission, especially to non-Jewish people. Barnabas, Paul’s missionary companion, and James, the brother of Jesus, are also called apostles, as well as several others in the New Testament. Some of these occurrences of the word, however, have the more general sense of “messenger” or “representative.” btax collector A Jew hired by the Romans to collect taxes. Tax collectors often cheated, and the other Jews hated them. cZealot A term used to describe Jews who had an enthusiastic desire or “zeal” to maintain the purity of Judaism - the land, the Temple, observance of the law and the traditions. This desire included a willingness to do whatever necessary to protect this purity against any outside threat, such as Roman control. This kind of spirit eventually brought about the formation of a group of Jewish patriots known as the Zealots. (Note that in Mt. 10:4 and Mk. 3:18 “Zealot” is used to translate the Aramaic term, “Cananaean,” which had the same meaning.) dSamaritans During New Testament times, the people who lived in Samaria, the region north of Judea. They were part Jewish and followed the Law of Moses, but the Jews of Judea did not accept them as pure descendants of Israel. eIsrael Another name for Jacob (see Gen. 32:24-28) and for the nation God chose to accomplish his plan of blessing the world through the Messiah (see “Messiah”). The people of Israel were the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons. In the New Testament this name is sometimes used in a broader sense to mean all of God’s people. fGod’s kingdom The “reign” or “rule” of God over all people who submit to him by accepting Jesus as the Messiah (the appointed king), who represents God’s kingdom on earth. Jesus was the perfect example of submission to the will of God. When people give control of their lives to Jesus, they become part of God’s kingdom and begin to enjoy the blessings he has promised his people from the beginning. (Note that in Matthew this term also translates the Greek word “kingdom” by itself or the phrase, “the kingdom of the heavens,” which was used by Jews as a way to avoid saying the divine name.) g10:7 is now very near Or “is coming soon” or “has come.” hleprosy A very bad skin disease. The word in the text has a broad sense, which may include many different types of skin disease. idemon An evil spirit from the devil. j10:14 shake the dust off your feet A warning. It would show that they were finished talking to these people. kSodom A city that God destroyed, together with the city of Gomorrah, because the people living there were so evil. See Gen. 19. lGomorrah A city that God destroyed, together with the city of Sodom, because the people living there were so evil. See Gen. 19. msynagogue A place in many cities where Jews gathered for prayer, study of the Scriptures, and other public meetings. nSon of Man The name that Jesus most often used for himself. The phrase in Hebrew or Aramaic means “human being” or “mankind,” but in Dan. 7:13-14 it is used of a future savior and king, and this was later understood to be the Messiah, the one God would send to save his people. o10:25 call me … family Literally, “call the head of the household Beelzebul.” See verse 9:34. p10:27 secretly Literally, “in the dark.” q10:27 publicly Literally, “in the light.” r10:27 privately Literally, “in the ear.” s10:27 for everyone to hear Literally, “on the housetops.” t10:34 trouble Literally, “a sword.” uMicah 7:6 vcross The wooden post that Romans used to execute criminals. It is a symbol of shame, suffering and death. Just as Jesus was willing to suffer death on a cross for all people, so he asks his followers to be willing to give up their lives for him. wprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by “the prophets,” who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say. |