Demonstrating the Kingdom
Matthew 10:5-8, NIV - These twelve Jesus sent out with the following
instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the
Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep
of Israel. As you go, proclaim this
message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those
who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.”
Pretty
much the whole of Chapter 10 is about Jesus sending out his first disciples. So my first encouragement is to read the
whole chapter at once to get a sense of the whole encounter. We will spend a few days working our way
through it, but it’s helpful to have the whole in mind as we walk through the
particulars.
The
first detail in today’s passage that is important is the people to whom he is
sending the twelve. This is a specific
mission to the Jews, not the gentiles or Samaritans. This seems exclusive of others and begs the
question, “why would Jesus restrict the mission to only “the lost sheep of
Israel?” It makes more sense when we remember the purpose of Israel in the
first place. In Genesis 12, God tells
Abraham that he will become a nation and that nation will be a blessing to all
the nations of the world. God chose
Israel for the purpose of carrying out His plan for the whole world. The Jews had largely forgotten that purpose
and had isolated themselves from other peoples.
Jesus’s first priority was to remind the Jews of their purpose for being
chosen.
This
leads to the primary message Jesus gives the disciples to proclaim. “The
Kingdom of Heaven has come near,” is that message. This message is connected to the primary
purpose of the nation of Israel. Jesus
is essentially saying, “what God told Abraham would happen is happening right
now!” He is inviting them to return to
their purpose of being a blessing to all the nations. The mission to the Samarians and the gentiles
will come, but as we covered a couple of days ago, workers are needed for this
massive harvest and those workers will come from the “lost sheep of Israel”
recovering their purpose.
Another
bedrock detail in this passage is the strategy of the mission. Having been given the target of the mission
(the lost sheep of Israel) and the message (the Kingdom of Heaven has come
near), they are now given the method. It
is no surprise that the method is precisely what Jesus has been doing since His
ministry started (healing, casting out demons, and raising the dead). Annouce
that the kingdom of heaven has arrived, but also demonstrate the divine
authority behind that announcement by performing the same Jesus has performed. The disciples are disciples because they have
seen the signs of the kingdom; now they are to do the same for others.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve never performed
these kinds of miracles/signs. Most of
us haven’t. Some commentators have used
this fact to support the notion that these first instructions are not for us,
and they have a point. If healing the
sick, raising the dead, and casting out demons are the marks of a successful
disciple, then most of us are utter failures.
But to come to that conclusion is to, as they say, “throw the baby out
with the bath water.” The mission is
still the blessing of all the nations of the world. Jesus makes that clear at the end of this
same book of Matthew (28:19-20). The
message is still same; the Kingdom of Heaven has arrived.” The methodology, however, changes
constantly. The first Apostles performed
miracles. For reasons I don’t pretend to
fully understand, precious few are given those same methods. For most of us, we demonstrate our
announcement of the Kingdom in other ways – loving the unlovable, caring for
the forgotten, and freeing the tormented.
For a world short on authentic love, care, and freedom, these methods
are no less miraculous.
Question: How do demonstrate the arrival of the Kingdom
of Heaven with the way you live?
Prayer: Lord, too often we disqualify ourselves from
your mission for the world for illegitimate reasons. Help us see the ways that we can demonstrate the
arrival of Your Kingdom with the gifts that you have given us. Amen.
Prayer Focus: Pray for God to bless strangers you see today.
Song:
Take My Life and Let It Be – Brian Doerksen
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