The Twelve Sent Out
The twelve are named and sent out with no money and no spare clothes, into towns that may shut the door. Jesus is blunt about floggings, courts and families turning on each other. Yet no sparrow falls apart from the Father, and their hairs are counted.
10 1Jesus called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to drive them out and heal every disease and every sickness. 2The twelve apostles' names: first, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus and Thaddaeus; 4Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.
5Jesus sent these twelve, instructing them: "Do not go to Gentile regions or enter a Samaritan town. 6Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7As you go, proclaim this message: 'The kingdom of our Father has come near.' a a v7 "Kingdom of our Father" replaces the more familiar "kingdom of heaven" that Matthew uses throughout his Gospel. Both phrases name the same reality — our Father's reign breaking into the world. 8Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you received; freely give. 9Do not take any gold or silver or copper in your belts. 10No travel bag, no second shirt, no sandals, no staff—the worker deserves his food. 11Whatever town or village you enter, find out who is worthy there, and stay there until you leave. 12As you enter the home, greet it. 13If the home is worthy, let your peace rest on it; if not, let it return to you. 14If anyone won't welcome you or hear your words, shake the dust off your feet as you leave that house or town. 15Truly I tell you: Sodom and Gomorrah will fare better on judgment day than that town.
16Look, I send you out as sheep among wolves; so be as shrewd as serpents, as innocent as doves. 17Beware of people; they will hand you over to councils and whip you in their synagogues. 18For my sake you'll be brought before governors and kings, as testimony to them and the Gentiles. 19But when they hand you over, don't worry about what to say or how—for what to say will be given you at that time, 20for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
21Brother will betray brother to death, father his child; children will rise against their parents and have them killed. 22Everyone will hate you because of my name, but whoever holds out to the end will be saved. 23When persecuted in one town, flee to the next. I tell you truly: you won't finish Israel's towns before the Son of Man comes.
24The student is not above the teacher, nor the servant above his master. 25It's enough for the student to become like the teacher, and the servant like the master. If they call the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more his household!
26So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27What I tell you in the dark, say in daylight; what's whispered in your ear, proclaim from rooftops. 28Don't fear those who kill the body but not the soul; instead fear the One able to destroy both soul and body in hell.
29Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one falls to the ground without your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
32Therefore, whoever acknowledges me before others, I will also acknowledge before my Father in heaven. 33But whoever denies me before others, I'll deny before my Father in heaven.
34Do not think I came to bring peace on earth; I came not to bring peace but a sword. 35For I came to pit a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 36a man's enemies will be the members of his own household. 37Whoever loves father or mother above me is unworthy of me; whoever loves son or daughter above me is unworthy of me. 38Whoever does not take up his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39Whoever finds his life loses it, and whoever loses his life for my sake finds it.
40Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the One who sent me. 41Whoever welcomes a prophet as a prophet gets a prophet's reward, and whoever welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person gets a righteous person's reward. 42And whoever gives just a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, truly I tell you, will never lose his reward."
