Session 4 Living on Mission With Jesus Matthew 10:1-15 Memory Verse 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, announce this: The kingdom of heaven has come near. Matthew 10:6-7, HCSB 1
Session 4 Living on Mission With Jesus THEOLOGICAL THEME: Every Christ follower is commissioned and sent to continue the mission of Jesus. The Bible repeatedly mentions those who were mentored for the sake of the continuing work of God through His people. All of the examples in the Old Testament anticipated the commissioning of the disciples of Christ being sent into the world under the power of the Holy Spirit. One such example is the relationship between Joshua and Moses. Throughout the forty years of being in the wilderness, with Moses serving as the leader of God s people, Joshua got to observe what it looked like to lead God s people with humility. Joshua saw Moses deal with mutinous threats on his life, incessant complaining, the miraculous power of God manifested through his hands, and intimacy with the Almighty that led Scripture to describe their conversations as God speaking with Moses as a man speaks with a friend. As Joshua stood at the entrance to the promised land, however, Moses had died. Now Joshua was the one to lead the people. No doubt Joshua had learned a great deal from Moses regarding leadership, but he had never actually led anybody himself. Questions must have swirled tumultuously in his mind the opening of the book bearing his name included God s telling Joshua to be strong and courageous four times in the first chapter! Joshua s reassurance was that he had the same power that Moses had the power of God. Joshua also had the same purpose Moses had take God s people into the promised land. God was still the One working to bring His redemptive purposes about. 2 Date of My Bible Study:
Today, we will look at the culmination of this pattern in the life of Jesus and His disciples. Jesus sent out His disciples to continue the work He began, but, as with Joshua, God would be the One to accomplish the work. What has been the most intimidating transition you have made that moved you from observer to active participant? How did that time of observation prepare you? Who would you identify as the most formative model of following Christ in your life? What specific actions or character traits do you recall the most? What particular areas of God s redemptive work in the world are you most passionate about? In this week s session, Jesus called the twelve disciples, empowered them for ministry, and sent them out. After having watched the manner and substance of Jesus ministry for a significant period of time, the twelve were given specific instructions as to how to go about the same type of ministry in the same character as Christ, empowered by the same authority. 1. Commissioned by Name (Matthew 10:1-4) In the interactions leading up to Matthew 10, quite a large number of disciples had accumulated to follow Jesus. This was in no small part due to His teaching, such as the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7. Matthew had mentioned previously five men who Session 4 3
were called to be disciples. The additional seven included in this passage must have been following Him with the crowd for some time. Upon summoning them, Jesus gave them the same authority over unclean spirits and disease that He Himself had. In a fuller way than God s giving Joshua the same power to move the twelve tribes of Israel into the promised land, Jesus was granting the authority of God to the twelve for the spread of the kingdom of God. Matthew s name for this group of followers and use of their individual names is significant for two reasons. First, between verses 1 and 2, Matthew moved from calling the twelve disciples in favor of calling them the twelve apostles. While the two groups were certainly the same men, the name shift is functionally important. Since apostle means sent, the shift to referring to the twelve as apostles in verse 2 was due explicitly to their changing role in the ministry of Jesus Christ. Specifically, they were moving from being observers to being doers. Second, the names are listed in pairs, demonstrating the manner in which they were to be sent out. Going out in pairs not only offered increased protection in the instance that they faced opposition, but it also supplied the required second witness for any testimony of the fruit of their ministry. What does the fact that Jesus called their individual names tell you about the manner in which He calls you? Notice how many different types of details Matthew offered about each of the apostles. What does that indicate about holistic gospel ministry? In looking at the mentioned names, there was tremendous diversity among the apostles. First, some of the men in the list are rarely mentioned again in the Scriptures, other than as one of the twelve. Others like Peter, James, and John were central figures to the unfolding of the New Testament church and the writing of 4 Personal Study Guide
subsequent books in the New Testament. God did not use each of them identically in scope or task. Second, the apostles differed in background. While some were fishermen, Simon the Zealot was a political activist and Matthew was a tax collector for the Roman government. The potential for ideological clashes was tremendous. Still, the mission of Jesus united them in purpose. 2. Instructions to Go (Matthew 10:5-10) Matthew s Gospel is unique in recounting the instructions given to the apostles. In particular, Matthew recorded Jesus instruction to the apostles to go only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This was in keeping with Matthew s obvious concern for an immediate audience that, if not exclusively Jewish, was at least well-versed in the Messianic prophecies and Levitical sacrifices of the Old Testament. Having already equipped the apostles to cast out demons and heal every sort of disease, the new task of preaching was given as well. Not only were the apostles told to preach, but they also were told what their message must be. As scholar Leon Morris pointed out, The present imperative seems to point to continuous action. The message the apostles were to preach was constant: they were not directed to preach a variety of topical sermons, but simply to say, The kingdom of heaven has drawn near, the message of John the Baptist and of Jesus Himself. 1 One of the instructions that Jesus gave to the apostles was not to change for their ministry. This first sending was training for them to trust in the faithfulness of God to meet their needs as much as it was an initial foray into gospel ministry. Specifically, they were not to prepare for their journey: Jesus is saying that it will not be necessary for them to take provisions for the road. He goes on to say much the same about clothing. 2 Jesus was clear that the needs they had on the journey would be provided by the One sending them. Why do you think it is important that the apostles were given specific instructions as they were sent out? What sort of information do you find helpful when you feel called to try something bold for Jesus for the first time? Session 4 5
How easy is it for you to trust God to meet your needs? Describe a time when He met your needs unexpectedly through other believers. Jesus desire for the apostles to replicate His own style of ministry included relying on God to meet their needs in whatever locale they found themselves. Jesus warned in other passages that the Son of Man did not even have the certainty of a fox living in a hole with regard to where He would sleep. Was Jesus desire for His disciples to be destitute? No. Rather, He wanted them to trust the faithfulness of the Father in the same way that He did. Because humans do not easily trust in what they cannot control, this was a critical lesson for the apostles, particularly considering their future role in the birth of the New Testament church. 3. Focus on Faithfulness, Leave the Response to God (Matthew 10:11-15) The first responsibility of the apostles upon entering a new town was to look for those who were open to their message. Once they found someone open to their message a person of peace the expected hospitality would meet their physical needs. The practice of hospitality in this culture was incredibly important for travelers. Public places of lodging were often hubs of piracy and prostitution that were highly dangerous. The idea of a household being worthy, then, had to do with the reception to the gospel message. Jesus also presented the very real possibility that the apostles would be rejected at certain locales. This should not be alarming, particularly considering the amount of rejection Jesus experienced Himself. Notice that the apostles were not held accountable for the response of those who heard their message; they were only accountable for being faithful to the commission given them. In fact, their response to those that did not accept them was visibly stark: Shaking the dust off one s feet was a ritual of renunciation used by Jews when they returned to Israel from Gentile territories. 3 The instruction from Christ, since the apostles were forbidden to leave the land of the Israelites, was to treat the Israelites like Gentiles if they rejected the message of the gospel. 6 Personal Study Guide
What would you expect a person of peace to look like in your context? What about in your workplace or school? How does it form your understanding of successful ministry knowing that the apostles were only held accountable for being faithful to their calling? Jesus equated the rejection of those whom He sent with the rejection of the gospel message they carried. To underscore the seriousness of the sin, Jesus drew a parallel between those towns and the infamously wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. Having been destroyed by God s wrath for their wickedness, these cities were the icons for God s justice on unrepentant sin. However, Jesus said that the fate of these towns that rejected those who carried the gospel message would be worse than the fate of Sodom and Gomorrah. Conclusion Living on mission with Jesus means exactly what the phrase would indicate. It refers to understanding that believers are sent out by Jesus into the world to spread the news of the gospel to those with whom they come into contact. The commissioning that believers receive comes at the moment of salvation. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, he or she not only accepts the forgiveness of sin, but also the mission that goes along with it. That being the case, there are several important points of application. First, one who believes in Jesus Christ is called and sent out just like the apostles. This is what the Great Commission is all about. Being sent out does not necessarily mean a believer must move around the world to serve as a missionary (though it might!). Rather, being sent out means that each day, believers are Session 4 7
to share the hope of Christ with those around them in whatever way they can. This is frequently referred to as living with a missional worldview, or living missionally. Second, believers are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. This may not mean that a believer will heal others of diseases. What it does mean is that when a believer is faithful to engage others with the gospel message, the Holy Spirit is actively working in that moment, accomplishing God-sized things that are beyond the believer s own power. Sometimes the believer gets to see the fruit of this, sometimes not. Still, God brings about His will and believers get to be participants in His work. Third, the work of the gospel requires believers of many types and backgrounds to reach people of many types and backgrounds. There will be those that live on mission with Jesus in ways completely unique to that person. As long as this does not violate scriptural truth, those unique ways are just another way in which God draws others to Himself. Believers should rejoice in the reality that God uses a diversity of people to accomplish His work. Fourth, believers are held accountable for being faithful as those who are sent not for the response of those with whom they share the gospel. Jesus faced rejection and promised that His followers would also face rejection. Not every person who hears the gospel will accept Christ. Believers cannot control conversion; God is the One who draws people to Himself. The believer is only responsible to be faithful to the call to go and make disciples. How does knowing that you are not responsible for how people respond to the gospel impact your understanding of living on mission with Jesus? What does it look like for you to be faithful to being sent? 8 Personal Study Guide
Who are the people of peace in the various spheres of influence within which you regularly travel? How would you describe a person of peace? What benefits do these people provide? How do you typically respond to those that spread the gospel in ways that are different than you? Is it more natural for you to focus on differences or similarities? How do you think such differences strengthen the body of Christ? Give examples. CHRIST CONNECTION: After modeling how to spread the good news of the gospel, Christ called and equipped His followers to do the same. MISSIONAL APPLICATION: Christ doesn t send His followers as His emissaries into the world alone. He equips them with the power to accomplish the work He has sent them to do. Session 4 9
FOR NEXT WEEK Gospel Conversations Main Passages --John 4:1-42 Session Outline 1. Gospel Conversations Break Down Social Barriers (John 4:1-14) 2. Gospel Conversations Reveal Christ (John 4:15-26) 3. Gospel Conversations Introduce Others to Christ (John 4:27-42) Memorize 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7 As you go, announce this: The kingdom of heaven has come near. Matthew 10:6-7, HCSB References 1. Morris, Leon. The Gospel According to Matthew. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1992. 2. Ibid. 3. Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew. New American Commentary. Nashville: Broadman Press, 1992. 10 Personal Study Guide