The Twelve Disciples; Instructions for Service

10 Jesus (A)summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to (B)heal every disease and every sickness.

(C)Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, (D)Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother (E)Andrew; and [a](F)James the son of Zebedee, and his brother [b]John; (G)Philip and [c]Bartholomew; (H)Thomas and (I)Matthew the tax collector; [d](J)James the son of Alphaeus, and (K)Thaddaeus; Simon the [e]Zealot, and (L)Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.

(M)These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road [f]to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of (N)Samaritans; but rather go to (O)the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, [g]preach, saying, ‘(P)The kingdom of heaven [h]has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. (Q)Do not acquire gold, or silver, or copper for your money belts, 10 or a [i]bag for your journey, or even two [j]tunics, or sandals, or a staff; for (R)the worker is deserving of his [k]support. 11 And whatever city or village you enter, inquire who is worthy in it, and stay [l]at his house until you leave that city. 12 As you enter the [m]house, (S)give it your [n]greeting. 13 If the house is worthy, see that your blessing of peace comes upon it. But if it is not worthy, [o]take back your blessing of peace. 14 And whoever does not receive you nor listen to your words, as you leave that house or city, (T)shake the dust off your feet. 15 Truly I say to you, (U)it will be more tolerable for the land of (V)Sodom and Gomorrah on (W)the day of judgment, than for that city.

A Hard Road Ahead of Them

16 (X)Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be as (Y)wary as serpents, and as (Z)innocent as doves. 17 But be on guard against people, for they will hand you over to the (AA)courts and flog you (AB)in their synagogues; 18 and you will even be brought before governors and kings on My account, as a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 19 (AC)But when they hand you over, (AD)do not worry about how or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given you in that hour. 20 For (AE)it is not you who are speaking, but it is the Spirit of your Father who is speaking [p]in you.

21 “Now (AF)brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; and (AG)children will rise up against parents and [q]cause them to be put to death. 22 And (AH)you will be hated by all because of My name, but (AI)it is the one who has endured to the end who will be saved.

23 “But whenever they (AJ)persecute you in [r]one city, flee to the [s]next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel (AK)until the Son of Man comes.

The Meaning of Discipleship

24 (AL)A [t]disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he may become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. (AM)If they have called the head of the house [u](AN)Beelzebul, how much more will they insult the members of his household!

26 “So do not (AO)fear them, (AP)for there is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. 27 (AQ)What I tell you in the darkness, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered in your ear, proclaim (AR)on the housetops. 28 And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather (AS)fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in [v](AT)hell. 29 (AU)Are two sparrows not sold for an [w]assarion? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father. 30 But (AV)even the hairs of your head are all counted. 31 So do not fear; (AW)you are more valuable than a great number of sparrows.

32 “Therefore, (AX)everyone who [x]confesses Me before people, I will also confess [y]him before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But (AY)whoever denies Me before people, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven.

34 (AZ)Do not think that I came to [z]bring peace on the earth; I did not come to [aa]bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I came to (BA)turn a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; 36 and (BB)a persons enemies will be the members of his household.

37 (BC)The one who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And (BD)the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. 39 (BE)The one who has found his [ab]life will lose it, and the one who has lost his [ac]life on My account will find it.

The Reward for Service

40 (BF)The one who [ad]receives you [ae]receives Me, and (BG)the one who [af]receives Me [ag]receives Him who sent Me. 41 (BH)The one who [ah]receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward; and the one who [ai]receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person shall receive a righteous person’s reward. 42 And (BI)whoever gives one of these [aj]little ones just a cup of cold water to drink in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.”

John’s Questions

11 (BJ)When Jesus had finished [ak]giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He went on from there (BK)to teach and [al]preach in their cities.

(BL)Now while in prison, (BM)John heard about the works of Christ, and he sent word by his disciples, and said to Him, “Are You (BN)the Coming One, or are we to [am]look for someone else?” Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: (BO)those who are blind receive sight and those who limp walk, those with leprosy are cleansed and those who are deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the (BP)poor have the [an]gospel preached to them. And blessed is [ao]any person who (BQ)does not [ap]take offense at Me.”

Jesus’ Tribute to John

As these disciples of John were going away, Jesus began speaking to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into (BR)the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? [aq]But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ [ar]palaces! [as]But what did you go out to see? (BS)A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. 10 This is the one about whom it [at]is written:

(BT)Behold, I am sending My messenger [au]ahead of You,
Who will prepare Your way before You.’

11 Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 12 And (BU)from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has been treated violently, and violent men take it by force. 13 For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is (BV)Elijah who [av]was to come. 15 (BW)The one who has ears to hear, [aw]let him hear.

16 “But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the marketplaces, who call out to the other children, 17 and say, ‘We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a song of mourning, and you did not [ax]mourn.’ 18 For John came neither (BX)eating nor (BY)drinking, and they say, ‘(BZ)He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Behold, a gluttonous man and a [ay]heavy drinker, (CA)a friend of tax collectors and [az]sinners!’ And yet wisdom is vindicated by her deeds.”

The Unrepenting Cities

20 Then He began to reprimand the cities in which most of His [ba](CB)miracles were done, because they did not repent. 21 (CC)Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, (CD)Bethsaida! For if the [bb]miracles that occurred in you had occurred in (CE)Tyre and (CF)Sidon, they would have repented long ago in [bc](CG)sackcloth and ashes. 22 Nevertheless I say to you, (CH)it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on (CI)the day of judgment than for you. 23 And you, (CJ)Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? You will be (CK)brought down to (CL)Hades! For if the [bd]miracles that occurred in you had occurred in (CM)Sodom, it would have remained to this day. 24 Nevertheless I say to you that (CN)it will be more tolerable for the land of (CO)Sodom on the day of judgment, than for you.”

Come to Me

25 [be](CP)At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, (CQ)Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that (CR)You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent, and have revealed them to infants. 26 Yes, (CS)Father, for this way was well pleasing in Your sight. 27 (CT)All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father (CU)except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.

28 (CV)Come to Me, all [bf]who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and (CW)learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and (CX)you will find [bg]rest for your souls. 30 For (CY)My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”

Sabbath Questions

12 [bh](CZ)At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath, and His disciples became hungry and began to (DA)pick the heads of grain and eat. Now when the Pharisees saw this, they said to Him, “Look, Your disciples are doing what (DB)is not lawful to do on a Sabbath!” But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he became hungry, he and his companions— how he entered the house of God, and (DC)they ate the [bi]consecrated bread, which was not lawful for him to eat nor for those with him, but for the priests alone? Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple [bj]violate the Sabbath, and yet are innocent? But I say to you that something (DD)greater than the temple is here. But if you had known what this [bk]means: ‘(DE)I desire [bl]compassion, [bm]rather than sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned [bn]the innocent.

Lord of the Sabbath

For (DF)the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

(DG)Departing from there, He went into their synagogue. 10 And a man was there whose hand was withered. And they questioned [bo]Jesus, asking, “(DH)Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”—so that they might bring charges against Him. 11 But He said to them, (DI)What man [bp]is there among you who [bq]has a sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will he not take hold of it and lift it out? 12 (DJ)How much more valuable then is a person than a sheep! So then, it is lawful to do [br]good on the Sabbath.” 13 Then He *said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” (DK)He stretched it out, and it was restored to [bs]normal, like the other. 14 But the Pharisees went out and [bt](DL)conspired against Him, as to how they might destroy Him.

15 But Jesus, [bu]aware of this, withdrew from there. Many followed Him, and (DM)He healed them all, 16 and (DN)warned them not to [bv]tell who He was. 17 This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:

18 (DO)Behold, My [bw]Servant whom I [bx]have chosen;
(DP)My Beloved in whom My soul [by]delights;
(DQ)I will put My Spirit upon Him,
(DR)And He will proclaim [bz]justice to the [ca]Gentiles.
19 (DS)He will not quarrel, nor cry out;
Nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets.
20 (DT)A bent reed He will not break off,
And a dimly burning wick He will not extinguish,
Until He [cb]leads [cc]justice to victory.
21 (DU)And in His name the [cd]Gentiles will hope.”

The Pharisees Rebuked

22 (DV)Then a (DW)demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to [ce]Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and [cf]could see. 23 And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the (DX)Son of David, can he?” 24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man (DY)casts out demons only by [cg]Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”

25 (DZ)And (EA)knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. 26 And if (EB)Satan is casting out Satan, he [ch]has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if (EC)by [ci]Beelzebul I cast out the demons, (ED)by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. 28 But (EE)if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. 29 Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.

The Unpardonable Sin

30 (EF)The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.

31 (EG)Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32 (EH)And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, either in (EI)this age or in the age to come.

Words Reveal Character

33 “Either [cj]assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or [ck]assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for (EJ)the tree is known by its fruit. 34 (EK)You [cl]offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, express any good things? (EL)For the mouth speaks from that which fills the heart. 35 (EM)The good person brings out of his good treasure good things; and the evil person brings out of his evil treasure evil things. 36 But I tell you that for every [cm]careless word that people [cn]speak, they will give an account of it on the (EN)day of judgment. 37 For [co]by your words you will be justified, and [cp]by your words you will be condemned.”

The Desire for Signs

38 Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, (EO)we want to see a [cq]sign from You.” 39 But He answered and said to them, (EP)An evil and adulterous generation craves a [cr]sign; and so no [cs]sign will be given to it except the [ct]sign of Jonah the prophet; 40 for just as (EQ)Jonah was in the stomach of the sea monster for three days and three nights, so will (ER)the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for (ES)three days and three nights. 41 (ET)The men of Nineveh will stand up with this generation at the judgment, and will condemn it because (EU)they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something (EV)greater than Jonah is here. 42 (EW)The Queen of the South will rise up with this generation at the judgment and will condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something (EX)greater than Solomon is here.

43 (EY)Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. 44 Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45 Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and (EZ)the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

Changed Relationships

46 (FA)While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His (FB)mother and (FC)brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47 [[cu]Someone said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”] 48 But [cv]Jesus replied to the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” 49 And extending His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold: My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother, and sister, and mother.”

Footnotes

  1. Matthew 10:2 Or Jacob
  2. Matthew 10:2 Gr Joannes, for Heb Johanan
  3. Matthew 10:3 I.e., son of Talmai (Aram)
  4. Matthew 10:3 Or Jacob
  5. Matthew 10:4 Or Cananaean
  6. Matthew 10:5 Lit of
  7. Matthew 10:7 Or proclaim
  8. Matthew 10:7 Or is at hand
  9. Matthew 10:10 Or knapsack; or beggar’s bag
  10. Matthew 10:10 A long shirt worn next to the skin
  11. Matthew 10:10 Lit nourishment
  12. Matthew 10:11 Lit there until
  13. Matthew 10:12 Or household
  14. Matthew 10:12 I.e., the familiar Heb blessing, “Peace be to this house!”
  15. Matthew 10:13 Lit your peace is to return to you
  16. Matthew 10:20 Or by you
  17. Matthew 10:21 Lit put them to death
  18. Matthew 10:23 Lit this
  19. Matthew 10:23 Lit other
  20. Matthew 10:24 Or student
  21. Matthew 10:25 Two early mss Beezebul; meaning uncertain, perhaps lord prince, referring to Satan
  22. Matthew 10:28 Gr Gehenna
  23. Matthew 10:29 A Roman copper coin, worth about 1/16 of a laborer’s daily wage
  24. Matthew 10:32 Lit will confess in Me
  25. Matthew 10:32 Lit in him
  26. Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
  27. Matthew 10:34 Lit cast
  28. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
  29. Matthew 10:39 Or soul
  30. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  31. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  32. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  33. Matthew 10:40 Or welcomes
  34. Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
  35. Matthew 10:41 Or welcomes
  36. Matthew 10:42 Possibly someone of low social standing
  37. Matthew 11:1 Or commanding
  38. Matthew 11:1 Or proclaim
  39. Matthew 11:3 Or wait for
  40. Matthew 11:5 Or good news
  41. Matthew 11:6 Lit whoever
  42. Matthew 11:6 Or stumble over Me
  43. Matthew 11:8 Or Well then,
  44. Matthew 11:8 Lit houses
  45. Matthew 11:9 Or Well then,
  46. Matthew 11:10 Lit has been written
  47. Matthew 11:10 Lit before Your face
  48. Matthew 11:14 Or is going to come
  49. Matthew 11:15 Or hear! Or listen!
  50. Matthew 11:17 Lit beat the breast
  51. Matthew 11:19 Or wine drinker
  52. Matthew 11:19 I.e., irreligious Jews
  53. Matthew 11:20 Or works of power
  54. Matthew 11:21 Or works of power
  55. Matthew 11:21 I.e., symbols of mourning
  56. Matthew 11:23 Or works of power
  57. Matthew 11:25 Or On that occasion
  58. Matthew 11:28 Or who work to exhaustion
  59. Matthew 11:29 Or a resting place
  60. Matthew 12:1 Or On that occasion
  61. Matthew 12:4 Lit loaves of presentation
  62. Matthew 12:5 Or profane
  63. Matthew 12:7 Lit is
  64. Matthew 12:7 Or mercy
  65. Matthew 12:7 Lit and not
  66. Matthew 12:7 Plural in the Gr
  67. Matthew 12:10 Lit Him
  68. Matthew 12:11 Lit will be from you
  69. Matthew 12:11 Lit will have
  70. Matthew 12:12 Lit well
  71. Matthew 12:13 Lit health
  72. Matthew 12:14 Lit took counsel
  73. Matthew 12:15 Lit knowing
  74. Matthew 12:16 Lit make Him known
  75. Matthew 12:18 Lit Child
  76. Matthew 12:18 Lit chose
  77. Matthew 12:18 Or took pleasure
  78. Matthew 12:18 Or judgment
  79. Matthew 12:18 Or nations
  80. Matthew 12:20 Or brings forth
  81. Matthew 12:20 Or judgment
  82. Matthew 12:21 Or nations
  83. Matthew 12:22 Lit Him
  84. Matthew 12:22 Lit saw
  85. Matthew 12:24 Or Beezebul; meaning uncertain, perhaps lord prince, referring to Satan
  86. Matthew 12:26 Lit was
  87. Matthew 12:27 See note v 24
  88. Matthew 12:33 Lit make
  89. Matthew 12:33 Lit make
  90. Matthew 12:34 Or brood
  91. Matthew 12:36 Or useless
  92. Matthew 12:36 Lit will speak
  93. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with
  94. Matthew 12:37 Or in accordance with
  95. Matthew 12:38 I.e., confirming miracle
  96. Matthew 12:39 I.e., confirming miracle
  97. Matthew 12:39 I.e., confirming miracle
  98. Matthew 12:39 I.e., confirming miracle
  99. Matthew 12:47 This verse is not found in early mss
  100. Matthew 12:48 Lit He

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