Mission – Matthew 10:5-15

I love this statement about the Christian missions movement: “The history of Christian missions is vast and deep, stretching across nearly two millennia. From the moment Jesus commanded the disciples to, “Go into all the world…” so His Church has gone. Leaving all behind, they have gone out to follow the Lamb’s call for the rescue of the nations. Across continents and cultures, languages and generations His gospel has sounded forth through the earth.” And much has been accomplished even as there is so much more to do.

We are obeying and imitating Jesus.

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay. 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. And whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy in it and stay there until you depart. As you enter the house, greet it. And if the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town. (Matthew 10:5-15 ESV)

At this stage in the gospel ministry only Jews were the subject of proclamation.  God would get to the non-Jews later.  Jesus gave the twelve apostles his power over sickness and demons.  He prevented them from profiting from their service, allowing them only to receive room and board as gifts from those they labored for.  They were to look for someone who was “worthy,” someone who was open to the message and willing to support them.  In modern missions this person is sometimes called the “man of peace” (but it could be a woman of course, Lydia being an example in Paul’s ministry, Acts 16).  Usually these individuals get saved and then become the nexus for reaching out to others and a church is born.

Jesus indicated that even in the judgment of the lost on the last day, there will be degrees of punishment based on one’s responsibility for hearing the message.  These villages were hearing a revelation of truth about the kingdom that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah did not, so their responsibility is greater and their punishment will be, too. Paul speaks of the greatness of the responsibility of the proclaimer as being the aroma of life to some and death to others (2 Corinthians 2:14-17).

Can you imagine going into a town and simply beginning to proclaim, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”? The message is simple and it is up to God whom He brings to Himself through the message. The message now is a bit different, but the power of it is the same.

We have yet many towns and villages to reach.