Matthew 10 - 12 - "8 Incredible Truths"

Click HERE to read the passage. 

As we begin our Bible reading today, we see some incredible things that I find very inspirational and noteworthy to all of us as Christians – followers of Jesus Christ.

I think the first incredible event is that:

1. Jesus chose “ordinary men” to help launch Christianity.

                For some reason, we think God uses only extremely talented people for His work – like those who can sing, or preach, or have some type of charismatic personality. However, as you can see below, the ones Jesus chose were simply ordinary men of their day. They weren’t part of the religious elite or even ones who had extensive knowledge of the Mosaic Law. In fact, the opposite was true! When Jesus called them to follow him, they initially showed a lot of skepticism, fear, and little knowledge of the coming Messiah. While most Jews knew (based on the teachings of the Old Testament prophets) that they were possibly living in the days of the coming Messiah, but there had been so many who had come before Jesus claiming to be some prophet or Messiah which turned out in the end to be false. So, many Jews were skeptical of Jesus at the initial start of His ministry at age 30.

                Notice these ordinary men who were considered men who turned the world upside down for                    Jesus:

                Simon Peter & Andrew – brothers who were fishermen by trade

                James & John – brothers who were also fishermen by trade

                Philip – possibly a fishermen since he grew up in Bethsaida, a town next to the Sea of Galilee

                Bartholomew – also called Nathaniel in the book of John. Possibly a fishermen as well.

                Thomas – a skeptical individual who is depicted in the Bible as a complainer and a doubter.

                Matthew – a tax collector and hated by the Jews.

                James (son of Alphaes) – called “James the Less” because he was a younger, reserved person.

                Thaddaeus – a little known individual. Probably more of an introvert.

                Simon (the zealot) – part of a rebellious group that hope the Messiah would overthrow Rome.

                Judas Iscariot – a zealot like Sime the Zealot. A rebel and the betrayer of Jesus.

                So, as you can see, these were ordinary men. In fact, I don’t believe I would have chose any of these guys to carry on with my ministry. But, Jesus knows the hearts of ALL men! He picked the perfect group of guys – with all their flaws!

2. Jesus gave ordinary men great spiritual authority!

·         To demons out of people! This was just unheard of in Jesus’ day.

·         To heal EVERY kind of sickness!  Again, unheard of!

·         To raise the dead and cure leprosy. It was against the Mosaic law to go near a leper.

·         To preach about Jesus.

·         To embark on a missionary journey without money or even a plan other than to preach to all.

God has given us the same authority the disciples received.  It's NOT about us, it's about God working in and through us.  The Lord wants us to go out with boldness knowing that we've been given this kind of authority and power through Him!  Are you exercising this authority?

3. Warns them of being persecuted or possibly killed!

                In 10:16 - 28, Jesus warns them of the potential dangers of their journey.

He warns them of:

·         The potential of be jailed and flogged in the synagogues.

·         Being thrust before national leaders to be judged.

·         Being hated by members of their own family and friends.

·         Persecution

·         Being called horrible names!

What would you do?  Would you be willing to put yourself out there like this?

4. The Benefits of doing what He sends them to do!

                Jesus doesn’t just paint a bleak picture, but rather offers them hope and great reward!

·         You are valuable to God

·         Jesus will acknowledge them to the Father

·         You’ll be blessed and rewarded for the good you do!

Would these promises be enough for you to join in the fight to share the Gospel of Christ?

In Chapter 11, we see Jesus doing exactly what He tells His disciples to do.  What good is a leader if they aren’t willing to lead by example?

5) John The Baptist was the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1.

While all of this is going on and Jesus in launching His ministry, John the Baptist is sitting in jail for exposing Herod’s adulterous relationship. And, John is beginning to hear bits and pieces of the ministry of Jesus. However, John the Baptist is looking for some reassurance that Jesus was in fact the Messiah.

Instead of sending John’s disciples with the words, “Yes, I’m the Messiah”, instead Jesus tells them to go and share ALL the great news of healing, the deaf being made to hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Gospel is being preaching whereby people are turning to God. This was all that John needed to hear, and Jesus knew it.

In this chapter we see the fulfillment of Malachi 3:1, where Malachi, the prophet proclaimed 400 years prior that a new kind of Elijah would come and preach the coming of the Messiah.  Many Jews were looking for this “Elijah” and in this chapter, Jesus confirms that John the Baptist was that “Elijah” that was prophesied to come in the book of Malachi.

Jesus even supports the reality that one day God will judge the world through His son! Many people don’t like the idea of a coming Judgement Day, but Jesus confirmed that it will happen!       

6) Jesus reveals the Truth about Himself!

·         God the Father entrusted EVERYTHING to Him!

·         That He is above King David, above the Sabbath Day,  above Satan and his demons.

7) In chapter 12, Jesus tells us more about how the demons operate.

·         They can enter and leave a person at will. 12:43

·         Rest for a demon is to possess a person.

·         These demons have varying degrees of wickedness.

8) As believers and followers of Christ, we are part of His family!

Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Then he pointed to his disciples and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. ⁵⁰ Anyone who does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother!”       

                This is GREAT news for all of us who’ve given our lives to Christ!