The Gospel reading for today, Matthew 9:35; 10:1, 5a, 6-8, is not a continuous passage but a selection of verses. This reflects a common lectionary practice aimed at emphasizing key themes. Here, the compilers focus on Jesus’ ministry of healing and proclamation, followed by the commissioning of the Twelve. While the omitted verses provide additional context, the selected portions highlight the continuity between Christ’s mission and the disciples’ role in extending it. This method invites us to focus on the theological and pastoral significance of these verses within the liturgical framework.
Before this passage, Matthew 9 narrates several key moments in Jesus’ ministry. He heals the paralytic, calls Matthew the tax collector to discipleship, and engages with questions about fasting. These events showcase Jesus’ authority to forgive sins, His outreach to sinners, and His teachings on the newness of His mission. Following this, He performs miracles, including raising a girl from the dead and healing two blind men, demonstrating His compassion and power.
As we enter verse 35, we see a summary of His ministry: teaching, proclaiming the Kingdom, and healing. This sets the stage for the commissioning of the Twelve in chapter 10, where Jesus extends His mission to His disciples, empowering them to carry it forward.
Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the kingdom and curing all kinds of diseases and sickness.
Matthew gives us a summary statement, that “Jesus made a tour through all the towns and villages”. What has proceeded this is the notable highlights of Jesus healing and teaching ministry. The Gospel Author does not tell us every single event that occurred but only those that enough to make the point of who Jesus is and his mission. Saint John in his Gospel will say “But there are also many other things that Jesus did; if every one of them were written down, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”. We can probably assume Saint Matthew felt the same way.
This tour of towns and villages included teaching in the synagogues. Synagogues are a local Jewish gathering place used primarily for communal prayer, the reading and teaching of the Torah, and community activities. Synagogues emerged as central institutions for Jewish religious and social life, especially during the Second Temple period. Jesus would also preach the good news of the Kingdom. It’s important to note that Jesus is not preaching “believe in me and you will be saved” he is preaching the coming of the Kingdom. Along with teaching he is also supernaturally healing in these central bustling hubs of first century Jewish life.
And when he saw the crowds he felt sorry for them because they were harassed and dejected, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is rich but the labourers are few, so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers to his harvest.’
Jesus sees the thousands who are following him around because of his signs and wonders and “felt sorry for them” or in other translations “moved with pity”. The second translation adds more inertia to his statement to his disciples and also Matthew’s narration, that they were “like sheep with a shepherd”.
By Matthew using this language he invokes a common agricultural metaphor but more specifically for the audience who know their Old Testament, this is referencing the themes of Ezekiel 34, where God describes the bad leaders of Israel as bad shepherds, not taking care of their flocks, the people of Israel. God will then go on to say that He himself will come to be their shepherd and Matthew here is positioning Jesus as this divine shepherd, God guiding his people.
The notion of being harassed and dejected is due to the sheer amount of people in this crowd, it is such a large multitude that it is uncomfortable physically to be there, it is not referring to people being abused in an oppressive sense.
He summoned his twelve disciples, and gave them authority over unclean spirits with power to cast them out and to cure all kinds of diseases and sickness.
Jesus summons the twelve and gives them authority over “unclean spirits”. Akathartos being the Greek term for unclean, it is typically used in a ceremonial, moral sense of uncleanness but considering it proceeds “spirits” or Pneuma in Greek it’s other sense comes into play which is that of demons or fallen angels.
The disciples are given authority by Jesus over these spirits, and given power to cast them out and to cure the sick. Jesus’ authority extends even over the demons who hate him and Jesus has extended that authority to his disciples. They’ve basically just received a promotion in the spiritual warfare battlefield and actually are able to use power from Jesus in order to cast them out, This is not language of wishy-washy positive thinking, this is divine spiritual conquest playing out in this text.
These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them as follows: ‘Go rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel. And as you go, proclaim that the kingdom of heaven is close at hand. Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out devils. You received without charge, give without charge.’
Jesus “sent out” the disciples. The Greek word here is apostello which means literally to be sent or ordered to go to a place. This is why he will call them “Apostles”, it originates from that term. Jesus tells them to go to the lost sheep of the House of Israel, this would include not only Jews but the Samaritans who are descended from the ten northern tribes but intermarried with gentiles. The twelve are to go to the House of Israel first, proclaiming that the Kingdom of God is near.
They are to heal, raise the dead and exorcise demons along the way. Although all the recipients of these deeds are going to be extremely happy there multiple purposes for these actions with the primary one being to act as signs for those listening. If you turned up at someones door proclaiming something divine, they like any good first century Hebrew, would ask for a sign of such divine activity. So Jesus sends out his twelve in a divine conquest against demons that also acts as the divine sign of why the people they are proclaiming to should listen to them. It proves their point.
Jesus then tells them to do all of this free of charge because they themselves received this authority without charge. It also serves as a further sign to those hearing them proclaiming the Kingdom of God, they are fixing all their problems and refusing to be paid for it. They must be on a mission of a higher purpose.
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