Bible Commentaries

And ¹ 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.

(1) The apostles are sent to preach the gospel in Israel.

Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The ^a first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James [the son] of Zebedee, and John his brother;

(a) Theophylact says that Peter and Andrew are called the first, because they were first called.

Simon the Canaanite, and Judas ^b Iscariot, who also betrayed him.

(b) A man of Kerioth. Now Kerioth was in the tribe of Judah; (Joshua 15:25).

² And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

(2) The sum of the gospel, or preaching of the apostles.

³ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

(3) Miracles are signs verifying the word.

⁴ Provide ^c neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,

(4) The ministers of the word must cast away all cares that might hinder them, even the least of them.

(c) For this journey, namely, both that nothing might hinder them, and also that they might feel some taste of God's providence: for at their return back, the Lord asked of them whether they lacked anything by the way, (Luke 22:35).

Nor scrip for [your] journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his ^d meat.

(d) God will provide you with food.

⁵ And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.

(5) Happy are they that receive the preaching of the gospel: and unhappy are they that refuse it.

And if the house be worthy, let your ^e peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.

(e) It is an idiom taken from the Hebrews, by which they meant every type of happiness.

⁶ Behold, I send you forth as ^f sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and ^g harmless as doves.

(6) Christ shows how the ministers must behave themselves under the cross.

(f) You will be in great danger.

(g) You will not so much as take revenge for an injury: and by the mixing of these beast's natures together, he will not have our wisdom to be malicious, nor our simplicity mad, but a certain form of good nature which is composed exquisitely of both of them.

But beware of ^h men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;

(h) For in the cause of religion men are wolves to each other.

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

(i) Bring to an end, that is, you will not have gone through all the cities of Israel and preached in them.

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 ^k Beelzebub, how much more [shall they call] them of his household?

(k) It was the idol of the Acronites, which we call the god of flies.

^l Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known.

(l) Truth will not always be hidden.

What I tell you in darkness, [that] speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, [that] preach ye upon the ^m housetops.

(m) Openly, and in the highest places. For the tops of their houses were made in such a way that they might walk upon them; (Acts 10:9).

And ⁿ fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.

(n) Though tyrants rage and are cruel, yet we must not fear them.

Are not two sparrows sold for a ^o farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father.

(o) The fourth part of an ounce or seven grams.

⁷ Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

(7) The necessity and reward of openly confessing Christ.

⁸ Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.

(8) Civil dissentions follow the preaching of the gospel.

⁹ He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

(9) Without exception, nothing is to be preferred before our duty to God.

He that ^p findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

(p) They are said to find their life, who deliver it out of danger: and this is spoken against the opinion of the people, who think those that die are certainly lost, because they think not of the life to come.

¹⁰ He that receiveth you receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.

(10) God is both author and revenger of his holy ministry.

¹¹ He that receiveth a prophet in ^q the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

(11) We will lose nothing that is bestowed on Christ.

(q) As a Prophet.

And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these ^r little ones a cup of cold [water] only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward.

(r) Who in the sight of the world are vile and abject.