MATTHEW LESSON 21

     We will begin in Matthew 10:1 "And when he had called unto [him]
his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to
cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of
disease."

     Here, we see the power to cast out demons and to heal all manor of
disease comes through the name of Jesus. All healing and deliverance
must be done in Jesus' name. Jesus healed in His own right. We heal in
Jesus' name.

     Matthew 10:2 "Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The
first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James [the
son] of Zebedee, and John his brother;" Matthew 10:3 "Philip, and
Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James [the son] of
Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;" Matthew 10:4
"Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him."

     Let us stop here a moment and look at these disciples. Peter
(rock) and Andrew  (manly), his brother, were fishermen before Jesus
called them, and their partners were, probably, James and John (sons of
Zebedee; sons of thunder). "John" means Jehovah is gracious. John was
called the beloved of Jesus. This John truly loved Jesus. He was the
only one present at the crucifixion. Jesus entrusted His mother to
John.

     The name "Philip" means lover of horses. Bartholomew, some
believe that he was the same as Nathaniel. Thomas was best known as
"doubter". The name "Thomas" means twin, but it was not evident in the
Bible who the twin was. We just studied about Matthew, the tax
collector. His name means "a gift of Jehavoh". James (not son of
Zebedee) was believed to be the nephew of Mary (mother of Jesus). He
was called James the less. No one knows whether this had to do with
stature, or importance. This "Lebbaeus", or "Thaddaeus" means courage.
Thaddaeus was, probably, the name he used in his ministry. Simon, the
Canaanite belonged to the faction of the Zealots who were dogmatic
about the Mosaic law. Judas Iscariot was the betrayer of Jesus. He
also carried the purse.

     Matthew 10:5 "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them,
saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into [any] city of
the Samaritans enter ye not:"  Matthew 10:6 "But go rather to the lost
sheep of the house of Israel."

     You see from this, that Jesus tried to bring the message to
physical Israel first. Even these disciples were instructed to
minister to the house of Israel. Physical Israel had to reject this
message, before it would be offered to spiritual Israel (Gentile
believers).

     Matthew 10:7 "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven
is at hand."  Matthew 10:8 "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise
the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."

     Jesus told them the message to preach. Since that was the first
on the list of the things to do, we can understand from that, that
salvation is the most important message. He did not tell the
disciples, if you are able to; heal, cleanse, raise the dead, and cast
out devils. He just said do it. Probably, one of the problems in our
churches today is that we are preaching and leaving all these other
things undone.

     Matthew 10:9 "Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your
purses,"  Matthew 10:10 "Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two
coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his
meat."

     You have to realize that this was the disciples' call to go to the
mission field. They have no idea how to prepare. Jesus was saying, that
the people they ministered to should pay the disciples' expenses. It
would have to be that way, because they would not have time to work on
the side.

     Matthew 10:11 "And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter,
enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence."

     He said to find a good believing family, and stay with them while
you were ministering in a town.

     Matthew 10:12 "And when ye come into an house, salute it."
Matthew 10:13 "And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon
it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you."

     A minister visiting with a family should speak a blessing on the
house and family who lodged them. Jesus said, if you discover these
people were not Christians, just take your blessing with you when you
leave.

     Matthew 10:14 "And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your
words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of
your feet." Matthew 10:15 "Verily I say unto you, It shall be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment,
than for that city."

     There are 2 things we should note here. #1.Sodom and Gomorrha did
not reject the salvation message of Jesus.  #2. They have already been
severely punished for their sins. People who reject Jesus have a
terrible fate awaiting.

     Matthew 10:16  "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of
wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves."

     Jesus told them that even though they meant no harm to anyone,
they would meet with great opposition. some of the people would try to
eat them alive. He said be careful, don't do them any harm; but just
minister to them.

     Matthew 10:17 "But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to
the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;"

     The religious people would not accept them. "Scourge", probably, means
whip. These "holier than thou" people would declare them not of God, and
whip them publicly.

     Matthew 10:18 "And ye shall be brought before governors and kings
for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles."  Matthew
10:19 "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye
shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall
speak." Matthew 10:20 "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of
your Father which speaketh in you."

     This message that Jesus said to the disciples, here, is even true
today. If you are bringing the true messages of God, the authorities
will give you a problem even now. The Gentiles that were spoken of in
verse 18, probably, meant the Roman magistrates. We really should not be
concerned about what we say for the Lord, either. Whatever comes in
our ears or in our mouths is the message God wants, not something clever
we have worked up. God wants His Spirit to minister today. Ministers
should not bring formal messages, but should ask God to speak through
them.

     Matthew 10:21 "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to
death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up
against [their] parents, and cause them to be put to death."

     This is not so much a problem, here, in the U.S. today, but this
was surely a problem in Germany in W.W.II, and even today in the
communist bloc countries. Abortion, here, in the U.S. is the closest
thing we have. In some parts of China, the parents kill their child, if
it is a girl. Parents, children, and families in general are lacking
in natural affection.

     Matthew 10:22 "And ye shall be hated of all [men] for my name's
sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved."

     The disciples truly were hated, and many of them were even
martyred. I believe as much as for them, this Scripture is
prophetically speaking of our day, as well. We will have to hold on to
every ounce of belief that we have to endure to the end.

     Matthew 10:23 "But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye
into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over
the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come."

     Prophecy and the immediate were side by side here. Of course, the
Son of man, here, was Jesus.

     Matthew 10:24 "The disciple is not above [his] master, nor the
servant above his lord."  Matthew 10:25 "It is enough for the disciple
that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have
called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more [shall they
call] them of his household?"

     Jesus said, here, if they think I am evil, they will think my
followers are evil too.

     This one Scripture really encourages those from Wildwood who have
been so sorely accused of every sin.

     Matthew 10:26 "Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing
covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be
known."  Matthew 10:27 "What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye
in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the
housetops."

     Ministers of the Word should only realize that what Jesus wants
is an empty vessel that He can speak through. He has taught His people
all through the ages through the parables, so that the world would not
figure out with their minds the things of God. God is a Spirit. The
Bible is Spirit. The Parables are Spirit. We have to be taught of the
Spirit: not mind knowledge, but heart knowledge. When we ministers
learn to depend on God for our messages to the people, we will hear in
our ears what God would say to the church. It is not in our ability
that we preach. It is God in us preaching.

     In the next lesson, we will pick up in verse 28.






























                        Matthew 21 Questions


1.  How many of the disciples did Jesus call to him?
2.  Name the powers Jesus gave them?
3.  What is the difference between Jesus' healings and the healings we
    perform?
4.  Name the 12 apostles?
5.  What does Peter mean?
6.  What does Andrew mean?
7.  Who were the sons of Zebedee?
8.  What does John mean?
9.  Which disciple was present at the crucifixion?
10. Which of the apostle's name means lover of horses?
11. Which apostle was, probably, a twin?
12. Which one betrayed Jesus?
13. Where did Jesus tell them not to go?
14. Who were they sent to first?
15. What were they to preach?
16. What other ministries were they to do?
17. Where would they get their necessities?
18. Where were they to stay?
19. What does salute mean, in verse 12?
20. If they do not receive, what should you do?
21. Give me two reasons it would be better for Sodom than a city who
    rejected this message?
22. He sent them forth as ________ in the midst of________.
23. They were to be wise as what and harmless as what?
24. Why must they beware of men?
25. What does "scourge" mean?
26. When governors and kings stand you before them, what will you say?
27. Is it us speaking? Explain
28. Who were the Gentiles spoken of here, probably?
29. Who will rise up against each other?
30. Why will we be hated of men?
31. How long should we put up with troubles?
32. When you are persecuted, what should you do?
33. What did they call the Master?
34. What Jesus speaks in darkness, what are we to do with it?
35. Where?
36. If it is not our knowledge preaching, what is it?