Day 12: Matthew 10:1-23
Today's evening devotion is Matthew 10:1-23, which captures Jesus's instruction to his disciples that they should spread the gospel to "the lost sheep of Israel".
I wanted to understand more precisely what Jesus meant by "the laborer deserves his food." A Google search for the phrase didn't yield anything definitive, although I did find one page that goes into a fairly deep exploration of the phrase. I think my personal takeaway from Jesus's words is that "deserves" means provided by God, and the laborers reference the same people who are expected to proclaim the gospel amidst a land of non-believer or superficial believers.
What does it mean to be "worthy" in the presence of the disciples?
Searching on Google did not turn up any satisfactory results, although some of the results on the first page dive deeply into interpretations of "worthiness". For me, I think worthiness does not require an established belief that there is but one God and that Jesus is the Son of Man. To me, worthiness means that one's actions align with Jesus's teachings.
What did it mean for the disciples to give or to withhold peace?
Peace in this context may refer to shalom, which could be interpreted as one's comfort with and acceptance of the current world. If this is the case, peace could simply imply freedom from anxiety.
The laborer deserves his food
Jesus basically tells his followers to travel long and near, preaching the gospel in every town they encounter. But more importantly, Jesus asks that they trust in God to provide what is needed for them to complete the journey.
Acquire no gold or silver or copper for your belts, no bag for your journey, or two tunics or sandals or a staff, for the laborer deserves his food. (Matthew 10:9-10 ESV)
I wanted to understand more precisely what Jesus meant by "the laborer deserves his food." A Google search for the phrase didn't yield anything definitive, although I did find one page that goes into a fairly deep exploration of the phrase. I think my personal takeaway from Jesus's words is that "deserves" means provided by God, and the laborers reference the same people who are expected to proclaim the gospel amidst a land of non-believer or superficial believers.
Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; (Matthew 9:37 ESV)
To be worthy
What does it mean to be "worthy" in the presence of the disciples?
And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. (Matthew 10:11 ESV)
Searching on Google did not turn up any satisfactory results, although some of the results on the first page dive deeply into interpretations of "worthiness". For me, I think worthiness does not require an established belief that there is but one God and that Jesus is the Son of Man. To me, worthiness means that one's actions align with Jesus's teachings.
Peace that is given
What did it mean for the disciples to give or to withhold peace?
And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. (Matthew 10:13 ESV)
Peace in this context may refer to shalom, which could be interpreted as one's comfort with and acceptance of the current world. If this is the case, peace could simply imply freedom from anxiety.
To be wise as serpents
I find the words of Jesus to be fairly fascinating and potentially controversial when Jesus tells his disciples to be "wise as serpents'.
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. (Matthew 10:16 ESV)
First, I agree with Sarah Summer's assessment of lying, in that lying is bad regardless of the circumstances. So,when Jesus says to be "wise as serpents", did Jesus mean that lying was okay? I personally don't think so. I think that what Jeuss was saying was that his disciples should be tactful in speech, recognizing the context in which they existed so that the disciples may communicate the gospel in a way thatt made sense to the audience,